Students tour new Bellway development in Ebbsfleet Garden City

December 16, 2022

Bellway hosted students from North Kent College on an educational site visit at its new Alkerden Heights development in Ebbsfleet Garden City. The visit was organised to help pupils with the design project that they have been developing as part of Bellway’s partnership with the college. In this collaborative task, the students are working on designs for a show home as well as a sales cabin.

A budget of £45,000 has been allocated for them to realise their vision for the four-bedroom Bowyer showhome, which is due to open to the public next March.

This project was assigned to the students in October when Sales Manager Yasmin Graham and Sales Advisor Jessica Reynolds from Bellway Kent paid a visit to their campus in Dartford to brief them in person.

The students have also been working with Technical Manager Tom Jones to design the layout for the new sales office which is due to open at Alkerden Heights in January 2023.

Tom, who accompanied the students on their visit to the site, said: “This site visit gave the students a visual demonstration of the construction work we carry out to turn our designs and plans into homes and developments.

“On-site learning is important to give students a practical understanding of what they are taught inside the classroom. Having seen the construction work at Alkerden Heights, they will now be better equipped to tackle their task to design the showhome and the sales office.

“Since the students were here in person to see it all in action, they were also able to gain an authentic sense of the way we work in the construction sector. So, this experience will encourage them to consider a career in this industry with more confidence.”

Ryan Searle, one of the students who attended this site visit, said: “This trip gave me a physical and visual understanding of our project because it put into perspective how big the site really was. I was also able to take a range of photos to help me with my designs.

“Visiting Alkerden Heights helped me grasp the possibilities of this project and gave me a better understanding of the foundations of each Bellway home being built there.”

Another student from North Kent College, Murtaza Mahdawie, said: “This visit gave us a better understanding of how the construction industry works, and how the war in Ukraine affected Bellway and tons of other homebuilding companies.

“We got an insight into each role in the industry. Bellway also showed us the process of building from the ground up which you can only witness in an on-site visit.

“During our time at Alkerden Heights, there was a lot to look at and take in. I also got plenty of helpful information for my Bellway project from Tom Jones. So, I am most grateful for this site visit.”

Bellway is building 182 new homes at Alkerden Heights across 11 acres of land, with 136 homes available for private purchase, and 46 properties allocated to provide local people with affordable housing.

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