Angela Rayner has blocked plans for 3,500 new homes in Kent over fears of lead poisoning.
The Northfleet Harbourside project, billed as a major regeneration of brownfield land on the south bank of the Thames, was rejected by the Housing Secretary following a public inquiry.
The proposals, centred on land around Ebbsfleet United’s football ground, included hundreds of homes, a 300-bed hotel, commercial space and an 8,000-seat stadium and had been championed locally as a transformational investment.
But officials warned the scheme risked exposing residents to “adverse levels of lead”, posing “significant health risks – especially for children, pregnant women and the elderly”.
At the heart of the refusal was the site’s proximity to Britannia Refined Metals, one of Europe’s largest lead refineries.
Officials warned the problems with the scheme “significantly and demonstrably” outweighed the benefits, despite the Government’s wider drive to deliver 1.5 million new homes in England by 2029.
People living in flats at the site would be at risk of “chronic exposure to lead”, with levels up to 19 times higher than typically experienced in London.
Officials said: “Put another way, the application site is amongst the worse [sic] places in England to put residential dwellings and public open spaces.”
