Signalling the start of the residential development at The Bridge, the 264 acre mixed-use regeneration project in Dartford, George Wimpey South East Ltd has announced that it has planning permission for Phase 1 of its 1,134 home development on the former Joyce Green Hospital site. This first phase will bring 235 new homes to Dartford and construction work will start early in the New Year.

Designed by architects Broadway Malyan , the new homes will bring a contemporary European style to the development with a mix of 113 one, two and three bedroom apartments together with 122 two, three and four bedroom houses. Facing Marsh Street and overlooking Littlebrook Lakes, Phase 1 will be close to the new ‘primary school of the future’ and community hub. Arranging the new apartment buildings and houses around shared open spaces and homezones, George Wimpey is aiming to create a distinctive urban neighbourhood, where the colour and texture of the external surfaces will give each house its own individual identity.

"The attention to design detail - from the kitchens to the landscaping and street furniture - goes far beyond just about any other housing within this price range.

"The Bridge will be a unique neighbourhood for Dartford and for The Thames Gateway. The modern style of the new homes and the green open spaces that surround them will appeal to everyone who shares our vision for The Bridge as a pioneering new community."

"With the many opportunities at The Bridge; entrepreneurial, technological, educational and recreational – as well as the innovative public transport system - the housing has a lot to live up to, and it does just that".

Jeremy Kite, Leader of Dartford Borough Council adds:

"When we starting thinking about the new residential district at The Bridge we knew that we wanted – above anything else – to create a community where people would feel at home. But we also wanted to see high design standards across all the different types of home. In the first phase of the residential development at The Bridge, George Wimpey has achieved both of those objectives and we are delighted to see such a positive start."

Houses and apartments at The Bridge will be available from the end of January 2007 when George Wimpey will begin marketing and it is anticipated that prices will start from £145,000 for a one bedroom apartment.