Dartford (borough)
Encyclopedia
Dartford is the name given to a local government district
and borough
in north west Kent
, England
, which takes its name from its administrative capital. It borders Thurrock
, to the north across the River Thames
; to the west lies the London Borough of Bexley
; to the south Sevenoaks
district; and the borough of Gravesham
to the east. The population of the borough recorded in the 2001 census was 85,911.
The borough was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Dartford, Swanscombe Urban District, and part of Dartford Rural District
. In the mid-1990s review of local government in Kent
, consideration was given to merging the borough with that of adjoining Gravesham
to form a new unitary authority
. However the proposal proved unpopular amongst residents, and the two borough councils kept their identities.
is Gareth Johnson (Conservative) who replaced the outgoing Howard Stoate
(Labour). The Mayor
for the year May 2010 to May 2011 is Councillor Pat Coleman. The Leader of the Council, from February 2006, is Councillor Jeremy Kite (Conservative). Councillors represent the following seventeen wards, as amended in 2001:
NB the boundaries of these wards do not necessarily coincide with the parish boundaries, which follow
The following civil parishes are also included in the borough:
In addition to the settlements named above, there is the urban village
of Joydens Wood
to the south-west of the town.
; Greenhithe
(for Bluewater); Swanscombe
and Dartford
, all on the North Kent Line
; and Longfield
and Farningham Road
on the Victoria - Chatham Main Line
. From Dartford there are three lines serving London
and one to Gravesend
, the Medway Towns
and eastern Kent. For many services Dartford is the terminus.
The new Ebbsfleet International railway station
opened in the east of the borough on 19 November 2007. Six high-speed services to Paris
and five to Brussels
run daily from here by Eurostar
. The station can also carry commuters to St Pancras
station in London
in only 16 minutes, and to Stratford International (next to the 2012 Summer Olympics
site) in just 10 minutes, while eastbound commuter services link Ebbsfleet to Ashford International
, Dover
, Folkestone
and other stations in Kent.
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Three of the county’s main roads pass through the borough boundaries: the M25
and M20 motorway
s and the A2 dual carriageway
. The A20, A225
and the A226
roads also cross the borough, among others.
The first of the Fastrack
bus services, using a combination of ordinary roads and dedicated 'bus tracks' commenced in March 2006. The service runs from the Temple Hill area of Dartford, through the town centre and on to Bluewater Shopping Centre, Greenhithe
, Ebbsfleet station and Gravesend
.
Dartford gives its name to the Dartford Crossing
of the River Thames
, a pair of road tunnels (constructed in 1963 and 1980), and the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge
(October 1991), linking Kent
with Essex and connecting sections of the London Orbital M25
motorway.
Although many of area’s traditional industries of papermaking, cement, and pharmaceuticals are in decline or closing down, and many of borough’s inhabitants travel away from the borough by rail and road (many commuting to London and other areas for work), there is still a large industrial and commercial base. Included among those areas include 'The Bridge' and Crossways to either side of the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge
, areas around Greenhithe
and a 740 acres (3 km²) site planned to contain five separate 'villages' in the Eastern Quarry near Bluewater Shopping Centre, itself a large employer.
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
and borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
in north west Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, which takes its name from its administrative capital. It borders Thurrock
Thurrock
Thurrock is a unitary authority with borough status in the English ceremonial county of Essex. It is part of the London commuter belt and an area of regeneration within the Thames Gateway redevelopment zone. The local authority is Thurrock Council....
, to the north across the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
; to the west lies the London Borough of Bexley
London Borough of Bexley
The London Borough of Bexley lies in south east Greater London, and is a borough referred to as part of Outer London. It has common borders with the London Borough of Bromley to the south, the London Borough of Greenwich to the west, across the River Thames to the north it borders the London...
; to the south Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks (district)
Sevenoaks is a local government district covering the western most part of Kent in England. Its council is based in the town of Sevenoaks. It was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the Sevenoaks Urban District, Sevenoaks Rural District and part of Dartford...
district; and the borough of Gravesham
Gravesham
Gravesham is a local government district and borough in North West Kent, England. It has borders with the River Thames to the north; the City of Rochester and Medway to the east; the borough of Tonbridge and Malling ; and the boroughs of Sevenoaks and Dartford to the west.Its council is based at...
to the east. The population of the borough recorded in the 2001 census was 85,911.
The borough was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Dartford, Swanscombe Urban District, and part of Dartford Rural District
Dartford Rural District
Dartford Rural District was a rural district with an area of in the county of Kent, England. In 1971 it had a population of 64,561 and an electorate of 43,911...
. In the mid-1990s review of local government in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, consideration was given to merging the borough with that of adjoining Gravesham
Gravesham
Gravesham is a local government district and borough in North West Kent, England. It has borders with the River Thames to the north; the City of Rochester and Medway to the east; the borough of Tonbridge and Malling ; and the boroughs of Sevenoaks and Dartford to the west.Its council is based at...
to form a new unitary authority
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
. However the proposal proved unpopular amongst residents, and the two borough councils kept their identities.
Government
Since 2010, Dartford's MPMember of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
is Gareth Johnson (Conservative) who replaced the outgoing Howard Stoate
Howard Stoate
Howard Geoffrey Alvan Stoate is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for the Dartford constituency in Kent from 1997 to 2010.-Early life:...
(Labour). The Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
for the year May 2010 to May 2011 is Councillor Pat Coleman. The Leader of the Council, from February 2006, is Councillor Jeremy Kite (Conservative). Councillors represent the following seventeen wards, as amended in 2001:
- Bean and Darenth
- Brent
- Castle
- Greenhithe
- Heath
- Joyce Green
- Joydens Wood
- Littlebrook
- Longfield, New Barn and Southfleet
- Newtown
- Princes
- Stone
- Sutton-at-Hone and Hawley
- Swanscombe
- Town
- West Hill
- Wilmington
NB the boundaries of these wards do not necessarily coincide with the parish boundaries, which follow
The following civil parishes are also included in the borough:
- BeanBean, KentBean is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Dartford in Kent, England. The village, the centre of the parish, is about three miles east of Dartford town centre. The parish is bounded on the north by the A2 road , and on the other three sides by ancient woodlands...
- DarenthDarenthDarenth is a village and civil parish in the Dartford District of Kent, England. The parish is located to the south-east of Dartford town; the village is three miles from there.The ancient parish church is dedicated to St. Margaret of Antioch....
- Longfield and New BarnLongfield and New BarnLongfield and New Barn is a civil parish in Dartford Borough, Kent, England. It is named after two of the villages it covers, Longfield and New Barn, it also covers the settlement of Longfield Hill. Longfield is the ancient village, situated on the road between Dartford and Meopham; the historic...
- SouthfleetSouthfleetSouthfleet is a small compact village five miles SW of Gravesend in Kent; it is a civil parish within the borough of Dartford, and includes within its boundaries the hamlet of Betsham, and the even smaller settlement of Northfleet Green. The main village is grouped around a crossroads and many of...
- StoneStone, KentStone, also known as Stone-next-Dartford, is one of a string of villages lying along the Dartford to Gravesend road on the south bank of the River Thames in Kent, England.-History:...
- Sutton-at-Hone and HawleySutton-at-Hone and HawleySutton-at-Hone and Hawley is a civil parish within the Borough of Dartford in Kent, England. It lies to the south of the urban part of the Borough, and consists of the two settlements named, both to the west of the River Darent, one of the parish boundaries. The M25 motorway divides them...
- Swanscombe and GreenhitheSwanscombe and GreenhitheSwanscombe and Greenhithe is a civil parish in the Borough of Dartford in Kent, England. The two villages which give the parish its name are both located on the south bank of the River Thames, approximately midway between Dartford town and Gravesend....
- WilmingtonWilmington, KentWilmington is a village and parish in Kent, England, in the Borough of Dartford, about 1.5 miles from Dartford town centre. The parish is one of the largest in England and borders the London Borough of Bexley and Sevenoaks District. The parish council meets at Oakfield Park pavilion.The...
In addition to the settlements named above, there is the urban village
Urban village
An urban village is an urban planning and urban design concept. It refers to an urban form typically characterized by:* Medium density development* Mixed use zoning* The provision of good public transit...
of Joydens Wood
Joydens Wood
Joyden's Wood is one of over 1,000 woodlands in the UK looked after by the Woodland Trust. The first records of a wood on this site go back to 1600 AD making it an Ancient Woodland site.-Location:...
to the south-west of the town.
Railways
There are six railway stations in the borough: at StoneStone Crossing railway station
Stone Crossing railway station is located on the North Kent line, just east of Dartford. The station is 19 miles from London Charing Cross. Trains are operated by Southeastern....
; Greenhithe
Greenhithe railway station
Greenhithe railway station serves the village of Greenhithe in north Kent and Bluewater Shopping Centre. Train services are operated by Southeastern.-Design:...
(for Bluewater); Swanscombe
Swanscombe railway station
Swanscombe railway station serves the village of Swanscombe in North Kent, England. Train services are operated by Southeastern. The station is awkwardly located in a very deep chalk cutting, with a long staircase from the booking office leading to the up platform...
and Dartford
Dartford railway station
Dartford railway station serves the town of Dartford in Kent, England. All train services from the station are operated by Southeastern, which also manages the station...
, all on the North Kent Line
North Kent Line
The North Kent Line is a railway line which connects central and south east London with Dartford and Medway.-Construction:The North Kent Line was the means by which the South Eastern Railway were able to connect its system to London at London Bridge...
; and Longfield
Longfield railway station
Longfield railway station is on the Chatham Main Line, and serves the villages of Longfield and Hartley in north Kent. Train services are provided by Southeastern.-History:Although situated in Longfield, the station opened as Fawkham station in June 1872...
and Farningham Road
Farningham Road railway station
Farningham Road railway station is on the Chatham Main Line, and serves the villages of Sutton-at-Hone and South Darenth in north Kent, in south east England. Train services are provided by Southeastern. It was 150 years old in December 2010...
on the Victoria - Chatham Main Line
Chatham Main Line
The Chatham Main Line is a British railway line that runs from either London Victoria to Dover Priory / Ramsgate or London St Pancras to Faversham, with both services travelling via Medway...
. From Dartford there are three lines serving London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and one to Gravesend
Gravesend, Kent
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of...
, the Medway Towns
Medway
Medway is a conurbation and unitary authority in South East England. The Unitary Authority was formed in 1998 when the City of Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with Gillingham Borough Council and part of Kent County Council to form Medway Council, a unitary authority independent of Kent County...
and eastern Kent. For many services Dartford is the terminus.
The new Ebbsfleet International railway station
Ebbsfleet International railway station
Ebbsfleet International railway station is a railway station in Ebbsfleet Valley, in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, 10 miles outside the eastern boundary of Greater London, England. It is near Dartford and the Bluewater shopping centre to the west and Gravesend to the east. Ebbsfleet International...
opened in the east of the borough on 19 November 2007. Six high-speed services to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and five to Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
run daily from here by Eurostar
Eurostar
Eurostar is a high-speed railway service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains traverse the Channel Tunnel between England and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
. The station can also carry commuters to St Pancras
St Pancras railway station
St Pancras railway station, also known as London St Pancras and since 2007 as St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus celebrated for its Victorian architecture. The Grade I listed building stands on Euston Road in St Pancras, London Borough of Camden, between the...
station in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in only 16 minutes, and to Stratford International (next to the 2012 Summer Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
site) in just 10 minutes, while eastbound commuter services link Ebbsfleet to Ashford International
Ashford International railway station
Ashford International railway station serves Ashford in Kent, England. Services are provided by Southeastern, Southern and Eurostar.International services use platforms 3 & 4, whilst domestic trains use the original platforms 1 & 2, and a new island built when the Channel Tunnel opened...
, Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
, Folkestone
Folkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
and other stations in Kent.
Roads
M25 motorway
The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...
and M20 motorway
M20 motorway
The M20 is a motorway in Kent, England. It runs from the M25 motorway to Folkestone, providing a link to the Channel Tunnel and the ports at Dover. It is long...
s and the A2 dual carriageway
A2 road (Great Britain)
The A2 is a major road in southern England, connecting London with the English Channel port of Dover in Kent. This route has always been of importance as a connection between the British capital of London and sea trade routes to Continental Europe...
. The A20, A225
A225 road
The A225 road runs in a north-south direction, connecting Dartford with Sevenoaks in Kent, England. For much of its journey it follows the valley of the River Darenth.-Overview:...
and the A226
A226 road
The A226 road travels in a west-east direction, from Crayford in the London Borough of Bexley, along north Kent through Gravesend to the Medway Towns. It is about 11 miles in length. Before road numbering began in the United Kingdom, the road was part of the major route between London and Dover,...
roads also cross the borough, among others.
The first of the Fastrack
Fastrack
Fastrack is a bus rapid transit scheme operating in the Thames Gateway area of Kent. It currently consists of two routes operated by Arriva Southern Counties on behalf of Kent County Council...
bus services, using a combination of ordinary roads and dedicated 'bus tracks' commenced in March 2006. The service runs from the Temple Hill area of Dartford, through the town centre and on to Bluewater Shopping Centre, Greenhithe
Greenhithe
Greenhithe is a town in Dartford District of Kent, England. It forms part of the civil parish of Swanscombe and Greenhithe.Greenhithe, as it is spelled today, is located where it was possible to build wharves for transshipping corn, wood and other commodities; its largest cargoes were of chalk and...
, Ebbsfleet station and Gravesend
Gravesend, Kent
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of...
.
Dartford gives its name to the Dartford Crossing
Dartford Crossing
The Dartford - Thurrock River Crossing, Dartford River Crossing is a major road crossing of the River Thames in England, connecting Dartford in the south to Thurrock in the north, via two road tunnels and the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge. It opened in stages, the west tunnel in 1963, the east tunnel...
of the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
, a pair of road tunnels (constructed in 1963 and 1980), and the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge
Queen Elizabeth II Bridge
The Queen Elizabeth II Bridge is a high and long cable-stayed road bridge across the River Thames in south east England. It was opened in 1991 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II....
(October 1991), linking Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
with Essex and connecting sections of the London Orbital M25
M25 motorway
The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...
motorway.
Employment
Queen Elizabeth II Bridge
The Queen Elizabeth II Bridge is a high and long cable-stayed road bridge across the River Thames in south east England. It was opened in 1991 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II....
, areas around Greenhithe
Greenhithe
Greenhithe is a town in Dartford District of Kent, England. It forms part of the civil parish of Swanscombe and Greenhithe.Greenhithe, as it is spelled today, is located where it was possible to build wharves for transshipping corn, wood and other commodities; its largest cargoes were of chalk and...
and a 740 acres (3 km²) site planned to contain five separate 'villages' in the Eastern Quarry near Bluewater Shopping Centre, itself a large employer.