Dartford is harnessing the pressure of regeneration and using it to drive forward quality design and architecture in a bid to set itself apart from the rest of the Thames Gateway, writes ~Graham Harris~.

With 20,000 new homes expected in Dartford over the next 20 years, pressure on the development control team at the council could be described as overbearing. The easy option, and the apparent view promoted by most media when commenting on the Thames Gateway, would be to accept mediocrity in planning and design so the job gets done. But that's not what Dartford is about.