Plans to build 179 flats at Queen Street car park in Chatham have been given the go-ahead by Medway Council. The Council-owned car park in the town centre will be redeveloped to provide one, two and three-bed flats across four buildings, with the tallest reaching seven storeys. As part of the proposals, residents will have access to on-site leisure amenities including a gym and communal games room. A total of 119 car parking spaces will be provided for residents, with a further 40 pay and display spaces for continued public use, in addition to parking spaces for 179 bicycles. In a report to Medway Council's planning committee, which unanimously approved the proposals this evening (Wednesday, 31 March), the development is hailed as an "advantage to Medway" that will contribute to the long-term regeneration of Chatham. Medway Council entered a joint venture agreement with developer Creval (Chatham) Ltd to progress the scheme and is expected to receive a significant profit share from the sale of the flats. BRL Architects, who designed the flats on behalf of Creval, hopes the new homes could bring in more than 560 new residents close to the town centre, "boosting the potential customer base and potential income to local businesses". "Bringing new homes close to the town centre can only boost both the day-time and night-time economies of the town centre," the Plymouth-based architecture firm added, "as well as raising the overall profile of the area." One of the conditions for approval is that the developer must provide at least 25% affordable housing - but this may be built as a separate block of flats opposite the major development. It is earmarked to be located on land owned by mhs homes on the opposite side of Queen Street currently occupied by a row of houses. A separate planning application for this is expected in the near future, although the affordable housing may be included as part of the main development proposals if the site does not come forward. The plans approved this evening come years after an initial application to build 118 homes and commercial floorspace on the car park was approved in 2010 - however, this scheme was later abandoned.
At a meeting in 2014, Medway Council was expected to declare the car park as 'surplus' and release the site for redevelopment. This was not given the go-ahead due to concerns around the loss of town centre parking spaces and the deterioration of the property market at the time. The Council finally agreed to bring forward the site for redevelopment, whilst retaining the car park and income, in 2018, according to Council papers. New plans for the car park were then submitted last spring, but these were slammed by Historic England suggesting it needed a 'substantive redesign' due to its scale and impact on the Great Lines and the landmark Naval War Memorial in backdrop of the site, prompting the developer to withdraw the application. Nearby to the car park, Medway Council's plans to redevelop the Pentagon Shopping Centre are gaining momentum, with a secret public sector organisation looking to move in and occupy part of the shopping complex.
Pete Willer
1/4/2021 10:46:08
Although it's more strain on the infrastructure, Hospital, Police, roads etc, this must be better than what is there at the moment. Obviously it's another carpark lost but Medway council have a habit of selling of their land. Comments are closed.
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