New homes in Kent: The Vale

The Eurostar station at Ebbsfleet has put a part of North Kent once riddled with quarry pits back on the map and opened up villages and towns in the wider area to commuters.

Chancellor George Osborne announced £310 million extra funding for Ebbsfleet last month, citing its "fantastic infrastructure" as the reason for approving a 15,000-home garden city there. Newcomers will find the country's fastest trains offering an 18-minute commute to central London, excellent motorway connections and "next-generation" high-speed fibre-optic cabling.

Sleepy Kentish villages within a few miles of this stark modern transport hub are reawakening as commuters search for semi-rural homes that are a convenient drive to the station.

The Vale, in Southfleet, falls into this category. A former salad farm backing on to open fields is being turned into a hamlet of 32 houses grouped around a duck pond. The Kentish-style homes have been built with reclaimed materials that give them a mature, weathered look. A classic oast house has been converted, too.

Prices from £399,950 to £930,000 for a 2,565sq ft home with a double garage. Call Millwood Designer Homes on 01474 230160.