The controversy surrounding the removal of the East Coast line franchise from National Express and the question mark hanging over Crossrail risk overshadowing another major transport scheme that is already delivering one of its targets — faster journey times.

Last month, the new domestic service began to run from Ashford to St Pancras along the High Speed 1 Eurostar route to the Channel Tunnel. The trip from Ashford to St Pancras on standard trains takes an hour and a half; on the 140mph Javelin trains the duration has been cut by 40 minutes. The trip from Ebbsfleet International to St Pancras is 17 minutes, and Paris is only two hours away. A limited “preview” Javelin service is running; the full service operated by Southeastern will start in December.

The next target of the rail service is to help to bring much-needed regeneration to areas such as Dartford and Gravesend. The aim is to turn them into places where more people who work in London, but struggle to afford the capital’s house prices, want to live. The scheme has much in common with the 19th-century creation of communities such as Saltaire, model villages with good housing and social cohesion.

The publication of the full rail timetable has produced an upsurge of interest from buyers in Canterbury, which will be one of the beneficiaries of the high-speed line. But the revitalisation of rundown Dartford and Gravesend, formerly bustling historic towns, will be the real test.

Homebuyers are becoming more interested in both locations, as the launch of the full high-speed service approaches. Although each has a plentiful stock of pleasing Victorian homes, the long-term appeal of these areas will depend on the success of infrastructure improvement partnerships between developers and local authorities. These should attract shops, restaurants and leisure centres. Bluntly, neither Dartford nor Gravesend offers much that could be described as “lifestyle”.

Anyone contemplating moving to these towns, or into any of the new developments outside them, needs to know whether the regeneration is supported by the local community. Alison Owen, of the Maidstone office of the Cluttons estate agency, provides reassurance on this issue. “There has definitely been an increase in inquiries from people wanting to buy,” she says. “Businesses are waiting for more infrastructure, but there is a local feeling that lots of money and effort has been put in to make sure that the local community feels satisfied.”

As you drive through central Gravesend, you pass row upon row of large Victorian townhouses with “To Let” signs in the windows. The properties need a lick of paint and much more in some cases. The same applies to the Edwardian holiday villas looking over the Thames. Yes, Gravesend used to be a leisure destination. This part of town is being treated to a makeover that will include a restaurant at the end of the pier.

The £106 million Gravesend Heritage Quarter scheme, to be completed at the end of 2010, includes plans for a town centre hotel, and the National Trust took over Cobham Park, the local stately home, last year. It is hoped that both venues will increase the town’s weekend appeal.

Property prices in Gravesend have fallen by less than 1 per cent from January to July, compared with a 1.5 per cent slip for the rest of Kent, according to Hometrack’s latest figures. This could be thanks to the promise of regeneration, which has boosted interest and may have given buyers and agents a sense of optimism about the future. Hometrack reports that the average property price in Gravesend is now £178,900, slightly higher than the Kent average of £168,600 but significantly lower than the Dartford average of £209,000. House prices in those areas of southeast London closest to Kent vary wildly, depending on their desirability: Deptford has an average price of £199,156 while Greenwich has an average of £239,400.

As part of the drive to create more affordable homes, villages are springing up across Ebbsfleet Valley, a newly named area of 1,090 acres between Dartford and Gravesend. These developments are close to Bluewater, the huge shopping mall that is itself an example of regeneration, having been constructed a decade ago on the site of a former chalk quarry.

Over the next 20 years, 10,000 homes will be built in Ebbsfleet Valley. Land Securities is planning two schemes: Northfleet Rise and Station Quarter North. Crest Nicholson is building The Pier, the latest phase of its 950-home Ingress Park development. Some 40 per cent of the valley (400 acres) will remain as parkland.

Between Dartford and Bluewater, 200 homes have been built in the first phase of a 264-acre development called The Bridge, designed by Wayne Hemingway. Planning consent has been received for a further 1,300 homes and 1.8 million sq ft of commercial space; there will also be eight acres of parkland. Fusion, the third phase of the 650-home Waterstone Park, a joint project between Land Securities and Countryside Properties, is now available.

Paul Williams, of the Kent Thameside Regeneration Partnership, says the proximity to Bluewater and the nearby disused quarries, which are now lakes for watersports, is great for young families. He has been working with Alan Cherry, the chairman of Countryside Properties, on ways to ensure that the new developments are as close as possible to amenities and connect with each other.

Countryside Properties’ Springhead Park development of 600 homes is ten minutes from Ebbsfleet International station. The development is aimed mainly at families, with traditional house layouts, gardens, cycle paths, a gated adventure playground and excellent bus links.

But there is also a successful first- time buyer scheme in place. Daniel Jeffrey (pictured), a 24-year-old Lordswood FC footballer, bought a two-bedroom flat through the Springhead Park shared equity scheme. This enables first-time buyers to own 100 per cent of a property for 75 per cent of the price. Mr Jeffrey says: “When I first considered buying at the end of last year I realised that plenty of opportunities had opened up for first-time buyers like me.” Two-bedroom flats start at £131,250 with one-bedroom homes for £93,750.

Not everyone living and moving to the area will commute to London. The Crossways business park is next to Ebbsfleet International station, to which it is linked by a walkway. The business park benefits more than most from the station’s links with Paris and Brussels; journey times are two hours five minutes and one hour 41 minutes respectively. The new Charles Park section of the site has let 70 per cent of its 24 units so far.

One aim of the new network of business and residential developments is to limit the use of cars as much as possible. An efficient bus system runs to Ebbsfleet International station, along with new cycle routes. However, the M25 and the A2 will be widened to cope with the influx of new drivers.

The new developments appeal to local people wanting to upgrade their property or young people living in Kent who want to get a foot on the property ladder. The challenge will be to convince other people that Kent Thameside is a desirable commuter district. As Alison Owen, of Cluttons, says: “Locally it is felt that the facilities are good — it’s just a case of proving to London residents that there are options available to them on the edge of town, in Kent.”

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