The government is expected to announce this spring whether to approve a major Thames-side development that opponents say could lead to the loss of a key freight wharf supplying a significant proportion of aggregates used on London’s roads — with the Port of London Authority warning the loss would be permanent.
The Northfleet Harbourside Development proposes 3,500 new homes, a 300-bed hotel, offices, shops and an 8,000-seater stadium for non-league Ebbsfleet United on the Thames in Kent. The Planning Inspectorate submitted its report to the Secretary of State for Housing on 12 December 2025.
The scheme was granted outline planning permission by Gravesham Borough Council on 30 April 2024, attracting 330 letters of support alongside 61 objections. Because the development departs from the local plan, the decision was referred to the Secretary of State for review. The Planning Inspectorate examined the scheme at a public inquiry before submitting its report to the Secretary of State on 12 December 2025.
Robin’s Wharf, which sits within the development site, handles 250,000 tonnes of aggregates and road-building materials each year. Those materials — mined in Scotland and Northern Ireland and transported up the Thames — are a critical part of London’s construction supply chain. The Port of London Authority, Kent County Council and Glencore-owned Britannia Refined Metals all formally opposed the scheme at the Planning Inquiry, warning that the closure of the wharf would have immediate and potentially irreversible consequences for London’s roads, housing and infrastructure.
Outline of the proposed development site at Northfleet.
A significant proportion of London’s road-building aggregates arrive by water. Rerouting that supply onto the A2, M2, M20 and M25 — already among the most congested routes in the South East — would add cost and delay to construction projects across the capital.
The PLA — the body responsible for the UK’s largest port and busiest inland waterway — took the unusual step of acting as a Rule 6 party at the Inquiry, retaining planning lawyers Russell Harris KC and Robert Walton KC to make its case.
In their closing statement, the PLA’s lawyers said:
“This is an application which from its very beginning has been driven by the Applicant’s naive and unrealistic ambitions to create an improbable footballing empire.
Wharves such as Robin’s Wharf will become increasingly more important to ensure a steady and adequate supply of minerals into key markets including London. Without sufficient wharves on the Thames, the materials needed to deliver the much-needed new targets on housing growth and related infrastructure would come at greater cost.”
The development has also attracted scrutiny over those behind it. An investigation by The Times found links between the scheme and the family of Dr Abdulla Al-Humaidi, the Kuwaiti businessman behind the failed “Dartford Disneyland” theme park who was declared bankrupt in the UK in 2023 and has been convicted of financial offences in Kuwait. He denies wrongdoing and is appealing the decision. His cousin Abdullah became chairman of Ebbsfleet United following the bankruptcy.
Ebbsfleet United’s current average attendance is around 1,300. The proposed stadium would hold 8,000.
NHDevco said the project “has the support of the community, Gravesham council and Ebbsfleet United supporters” and described opposition as coming from “a small number of organisations with a commercial interest.” The Secretary of State’s decision is expected this spring.
Historic aerial views showing the long-standing industrial use of the Northfleet site and surrounding Thames wharves.
