Kent set for High Speed 1 boom

Property prices in Kent are set to experience a significant boost, on the back of the expansion of the Channel Tunnel rail network.

From November 19th 2009 the county will be home to the new Ebbsfleet International rail station, which will be a mere 17 minutes from St Pancras station in London.

Furthermore, the journey time to Ashford will be cut from one 1 hour 23 minutes to just 37 minutes by the new high-speed link.

This change in accessibility to the capital from beautiful outlying Kent is expected to change the way people view the possibilities of living in the county, according to local developers.

Across the region property prices have usually been good value, particularly when buyers consider the superb open countryside and everything the rural environment has to offer - including major towns such as Maidstone and Ashford.

The latest house price index released by the Land Registry finds the average price for a Kentish property has increased by 7.7 per cent in the last year, and now stands at £208,361.

This new link however, according to housebuilder Hillreed Homes, makes this area ripe for growth and good investment.

"This is going to radically change people’s perspective of where they want to live," argued Jo Richards, marketing and corporate manager for Hillreed Homes.

"In truth it will probably be quicker to take the train into London from Ashford than to try and drive in from say Streatham."

"The new services will make Kent more accessible from key cities in the Midlands and north with Oxford and Nottingham via St Pancras International taking only about two hours."

Furthermore Birmingham will be about two hours and 30 minutes away, while Manchester just over three hours from Ebbsfleet International, finally the Olympic site will be only seven minutes from Ebbsfleet.