Plans for a 158-home development on the site of a family-run car dealership in Chatham High Street have been amended. The proposals put forward by Option Two Development Ltd involves the demolition of the existing Grays of Chatham site to make way for four blocks of up to ten storeys. A total of 158 homes are earmarked, which would include one and two-bedroom flats, as well as ground floor commercial space for shops, cafés, restaurants or a gym. The development also includes a new river walk along the River Medway, accessed from the High Street, as well as a 'plaza' and amphitheatre, which the developer suggests could be used for performances and events. The plans propose 45 car parking spaces - five of these having electric vehicle charging points - and 184 cycle parking spaces. Option Two initially submitted the planning application in February this year. Family-run car dealership Grays of Chatham has been trading in the High Street for more than 80 years, selling thousands of bicycles, motorbikes, vans and cars. The firm was founded by Don Gray in 1938, initially selling bicycles across the road at 16 High Street. He was later joined by his brother Norman and the business quickly expanded to include the sales of motorcycles, three wheelers and cars, both new and used. Don left the business in the late 1960s to pursue other interests, while Norman was joined by his sons Herbert and Donald. The dealership continued to grow, opening further garages in Maidstone, Sittingbourne and Gillingham, as well as petrol stations in Medway, Sittingbourne and Cobham. Today the business continues to be run by the family, now in its third generation, with Donald's son, Peter, joining the firm in 2011.
It currently remains unknown if Grays of Chatham will relocate to a different site within Medway. A decision by Medway Council to approve or refuse planning permission is expected by 14 September this year. To view or comment on the planning application, visit Medway Council's planning portal by clicking here. Work to redevelop an empty department store in Chatham High Street could cost just over £17.8 million, a council report has revealed. Plans are moving forward to revamp the former Debenhams building, which closed in 2020, into a mixed use development with ground floor commercial space and flats on the upper floors. Medway Council recently bought the site for more than £2 million using a grant from the government’s Future High Streets Fund, as part of its bid to regenerate the high street and increase town centre footfall. The redevelopment of the town centre site is estimated to cost £17,878,916, which will be funded from short-term borrowing and repaid through the sale of the homes.
At a cabinet meeting next Tuesday (5 July), councillors are set to recommend Full Council to approve the addition to its capital programme to fund the project. The authority's development arm, Medway Development Company, is expected to help review options for the future of the building. The council says it aims to provide a location that drives growth, improves visitor experience and ensures future sustainability while supporting residents’ needs. Although specific details of the options remain unknown, the repurposing of the ground floor commercial space will be completed by March 2024. Planning permission has been refused for a Costa Coffee drive-thru earmarked for Medway City Estate. Medway Council rejected the plans for the drive-thru this month, which would have seen the 24/7 coffee shop built off Anthonys Way on the industrial estate. The application by Goldex Investments - the UK's largest Costa Coffee franchisee - also included a classic car storage warehouse. Several issues were highlighted as reasons for refusal by the council, including pedestrian safety, the layout of the site and the impact on surrounding roads.
It also raised concerns that the drive-thru could become a source of odour contamination for a nearby wastewater treatment facility managed by Southern Water, as well as flood risk issues and the impact on habitats such as Whitewall Creek. Despite the recent refusal, Goldex has continued to invest in its portfolio of Costa Coffee branches in Medway. It opened the doors to its newest coffee shop at Chatham Maritime this month, while its branch in Gillingham High Street underwent a £300,000 makeover in March. Goldex's other Costa stores are located in Rainham, Rochester High Street and Rochester Riverside, on Cory's Road. Goldex was approached for comment regarding the refusal of its plans for the drive-thru, but Future Chatham did not receive a response. A disused department store building in Chatham has been bought by Medway Council in a multi-million-pound deal. The council announced today that it acquired the former Debenhams building in the High Street, which closed in January 2020, for £2,205,000. Although it says that it is currently "reviewing options" for the building, initial plans revealed in February this year earmarked the property for 76 flats and over 1,000 square metres of ground floor commercial space. Medway Council hopes that the building "drives growth, improves visitor experience and ensures future sustainability whilst supporting residents’ needs" once redeveloped in the future. The building was purchased without using a Compulsory Purchase Order through the government's Future High Streets Fund, which saw Medway Council allocated £9,497,720 in January last year. Other projects that will be funded by the grant include a new healthy living centre and innovation hub in the council-owned Pentagon Centre; a conference, co-working and events space in St John's Church in Railway Street; and a creative and collaborative workspace at The Brook Theatre. The funding will also be used to transform The Paddock, a historic greenspace between Chatham Waterfront Bus Station and the Pentagon Centre. All of these projects are set to be completed by March 2024. Leader of Medway Council, Cllr Alan Jarrett, said: “We are committed to supporting our high streets and the acquisition of the former Debenhams building is the latest step to help regenerate Chatham town centre.
"This large retail store has remained vacant for some time and we are reviewing plans on how best to put it back into use. “By acquiring buildings in our high streets, like The Pentagon Shopping Centre and Mountbatten House, we are able to help shape the future of the area. "These acquisitions, alongside Medway Development Company’s Waterfront and Garrison Point developments - which will provide high-quality housing in the centre of Chatham, will bring more opportunities to our emerging city centre and demonstrates our commitment to ensuring Medway continues to thrive by supporting the local economy, businesses and provide more jobs.” The former Debenhams building was originally built in 1979 as an Allders department store. Allders went into administration in 2005, with Debenhams taking over the prominent building in the High Street in April of that year. The closure of Chatham's Debenhams branch was announced in April 2019, when the retailer marked it out as one of 21 other locations across the country to be axed as part of cost-cutting measures. |
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