Dartford & district · Local news you can trust
National Highways intends to close A282 carriageways overnight for about seven months from 7 October, with a new 50mph limit. Estimated end: 7 May 2027.
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Air quality
Dartford Air Quality: Council Plans to Lift 3 NO2 Zones
No Dartford monitor broke the nitrogen dioxide limit in 2025, so the council plans to lift its three NO2 zones. East Hill still read 39, against a limit of 40.
Fly-tipping
Dartford Fly-Tipping: 2,583 in a Year, and the Worst Streets
Dartford recorded 2,583 fly-tips in the year to July 2026. Green Street Green Road and Knights Manor Way had 39 each, and 30 of 158 fly-tipping fines were paid.
Dartford Crossing
Dartford Crossing: Both Tunnels Shut 8pm Tonight
Both Dartford tunnels close 8pm tonight to 5am Sunday, with a one-lane contraflow across the QEII Bridge and three slip roads shut for a 999 exercise.
Planning
Dartford HMO Rules: 10% Cap Within 50m Now in Force
A new HMO is refused if 10% of homes within 50m are already HMOs. Mid-terraces are out, and two and three-bed homes near a school are protected.
Planning
Woodman Pub Dartford: 5-Year HMO Backed, Bar Protected
Officers back a five-year HMO above The Woodman on East Hill, with 87.3 sqm of ground floor kept as a pub. Councillors vote 17 September; 11 object.
Dartford Larder
Dartford Larder One Year On: 300 Households, £4.50 a Shop
Dartford Larder has supported more than 300 households in its first year, the council says. How the £4.50 social supermarket works and who can join.
Local government
North Kent Council Paused: Dartford's 2028 Date in Doubt
Ministers paused the North Kent merger on 7 September and told councils to stop implementing it. Dartford's May 2027 borough elections are back on.
Planning
Roots Allotments Hawley: 7.4m Tipi and Containers Backed
A 7.4m tipi and three containers at Roots Allotments, Hawley, are 'not inappropriate' Green Belt use, officers say. Eight objections; vote 17 September.
Dartford FC
Dartford FC 2-0 Westfield: Hayes & Yeading Next, 19 Sep
Dartford won their FA Cup replay 2-0 and host Hayes & Yeading United at Princes Park at 3pm on Saturday 19 September. Winning is worth £3,375 to the club.
Fairfield Leisure
Fairfield Leisure Dartford: New Gym Open, £923k Pledged
The upgraded gym at Fairfield Leisure is open. It is the visible part of £923,000 the operator promised Dartford's council for a five-year contract extension.
Planning
Bluewater EV Charging Approved, Solar Carport Plan Pulled
Six DC charging upstands are approved for the Village car park, at the cost of three parking spaces. A second, bigger scheme was withdrawn on 1 September.
Dartford town centre
Dartford High Street: One Empty Shop in the Core, 2%
One empty unit in Dartford's core High Street, a 2% vacancy rate against 13.7% nationally. Primark has stood empty since January; the Priory Centre is at 10.3%.
Dartford Online covers Dartford and the places around it: Swanscombe, Greenhithe, Stone, Ebbsfleet, Longfield, Wilmington, Bean and Darenth. The everyday answers live here and stay current: which week the recycling goes, where to park near the station on a Saturday, and what is being built on the plot at the end of the road.
Beyond the everyday pages, we watch the record, because Dartford is not standing still. Ebbsfleet keeps growing, the riverside at Stone and Greenhithe keeps changing, and Swanscombe, Longfield, Wilmington, Bean and Darenth feel all of it in traffic and school places long before anybody writes a headline. Planning decisions, licensing notices, crime figures and council reports are public documents. We read them, set out what they contain, and link to the document so you can see it for yourself.
If we cannot show you where a fact came from, we do not publish it.