A planning application was submitted last month by Medway Development Company Ltd to radically redevelop the waterfront area of Chatham town centre, subject to approval. The Council-owned development company has pushed forward proposals put together by Guy Hollaway Architects and Exterior Architecture to redevelop the existing Globe Lane car park through the delivery of 176 high-quality residential apartments, at least 1,141sqm of commercial floor space, remodelled riverside open spaces, and a pay & display car park. Picture Credit: Guy Hollaway Architects The development will contain 5 separate buildings with 176 market-led apartments (56 x 1 bed apartments, 119 x 2 bed apartments and 1 x 3 bed apartment) and 1,141sqm of ground floor commercial space, offering opportunities for restaurants, bars, "spill-out" cafes and offices. The existing retail unit housing the B&M store (previously Staples) is not included as part of the proposals and will remain. New open spaces will also be created with the construction of a new civic plaza space to the south of the Rat's Bay Pumping Station, a children's play area, water jet features, wildflower planting and terraced seating/viewing platforms within the riverside gardens by Chatham Library. The plaza is described as being "flexible"; large enough to accommodate different uses such as an ice rink, pop-up markets, or a 400 seat outdoor cinema facility. The unattractive brick facade of the pumping station will potentially be re-imagined through art murals and eco planting to soften its appearance within the public realm of the area. A total of 119 car parking spaces will also be provided, with 89 spaces allocated for residents in the form of surface and under croft parking, as well as 20 public pay & display spaces and a further 10 spaces allocated for a car share programme. This will incur a loss of about 53 parking spaces overall at the existing Globe Lane car park. 176 covered cycle spaces are also expected to align with the Council's aspirations for more sustainable urban travel options. Picture Credit: Exterior Architecture The waterfront site has been subject to redevelopment since initial plans were drawn together back in the early 2000s. Medway Renaissance Partnership was a subsidiary project of Medway Council which strived to bring forward this site for regeneration, before it was axed in 2010 due to cost-cutting measures by the Council. Over the years, several planning applications were submitted - ranging from John Lyall Architects' £25 million mixed-use scheme back in 2011 including an 80-bed hotel and 111 apartments, to previous proposals during 2016 for up to 115 apartments with 17,706 sq ft of ground floor retail space. Plans for a hotel have since been dropped from the development. Picture Credit: John Lyall Architects A grant of £2.9 million from the Growing Places Fund was used to unlock and remove barriers to the development of the Chatham Waterfront area. Medway Council issued a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) during August 2018 due to unsuccessful negotiations with A2 Dominion, Peel Ports and Watts Charity, who are the third party landowners of the site.
The Chatham Waterfront Development Site (CWFS) is one of Medway Development Company Ltd's flagship sites, as part of Medway Council's challenging objective to deliver more than 29,000 homes by 2035. The housing company was formed to develop and invest in at least 12 Council-owned sites across Medway, with the support of a £120 million capital programme over an initial five-year period. You may visit the dedicated page on the Planning Portal website to view detailed documents and CGI designs associated with the Chatham Waterfront development (MC/18/3659). |
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August 2023
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