Medway Council has approved plans for a new children's soft play facility above the first floor of Dockside Outlet Centre in Chatham.
The 556sqm indoor play area for young children will replace existing unused mechanical plant and ductwork with a 'visually exciting colourful addition' to the interior of the centre. In the now-approved proposals, Covell Matthews Architects, on behalf of the applicant Chatham Maritime Car Park Management Ltd, said: "With the changing style of modern retail and shopping, leisure use is becoming more and more linked and desirable to shopping habits. "With the centre currently having minimal leisure uses, especially for young children visiting with parents and carers it is particularly desirable to have a facility such as this within the Centre to complement the existing retail uses." As part of the plans, a new bridge is to be installed over the Boomers cafe to link the soft play facility with a new reception that will be formed in part of the space currently occupied by the Management Suite. Although Dockside Outlet Centre was approached for comment, no date has yet been revealed for when the soft play facility for young children is expected to open once completed. The vision for a greener Medway could be a step closer to reality as Medway Council is preparing a bid for a multi-million pound grant to become the very first 'all-electric bus city' in Britain. The local authority is seeking £50 million in government funding to develop an all-electric bus city that could see the entire Medway’s bus fleet changed over to vehicles that are fully electric, or capable of operating in electric, zero-emission mode. Speaking at the Full Council meeting on Thursday, 23 April, Cllr Phil Filmer (Con), Portfolio Holder for Frontline Services, said: "Bus operators do not currently have any plans to introduce the electric buses in Medway. "However, we [Medway Council] are planning to bid for a £50m government grant to develop an 'all-electric bus city'. "We are working with local bus providers to submit an Expression of Interest which is the first stage of the bidding process." In addition to the introduction of an all-electric bus fleet, the £50m government grant may also cover the costs to install essential infrastructure, such as charging equipment, and upgrades to the grid to cater for increased energy demand locally.
It follows a one-week trial in October 2019 of a 31-seater electric bus on the 170 service between Chatham Waterfront Bus Station and Medway Valley Park. Following the trial, the Council reviewed its success, the viability of an e-bus in Medway and looked into what infrastructure Medway would need should bus providers and operators also share an interest in introducing single and double decker electric buses across Medway in future years. The news of Medway Council's bid to become Britain's first all-electric bus city comes just months after it was revealed that Chatham was listed as one of the worst towns in the country for air quality. Independent think tank Centre for Cities reported that at least one in 16 deaths in Chatham are attributed to long-term exposure to PM2.5 pollution (particulates with a diameter less than 2.5 micrometres), ranking the Medway town close behind chart-topping Slough and London. Although the sources of pollution vary greatly between cities, the research found that PM2.5 in Chatham is almost exclusively driven by combustion in commercial, institutional and domestic activities, including coal or wood fires. Furthermore, in 2018 there were 40 days when pollution in Chatham rose to dangerous levels affecting those with pre-existing health conditions like asthma, according to the Met Office. In response to growing concerns around the environment and public health, Medway Council swiftly declared a 'climate change emergency' in April 2019. Measures to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions include a £12 million replacement of all street lights across Medway to LED energy saving light bulbs, reducing single-use plastics across the Council and a solar panel group buying scheme. It is expected that the Department for Transport will make an announcement by the end of May 2020 on which place(s) will be eligible to move forward to Phase 2, in which shortlisted places will then be assessed in more detail for funding support. Photos: Google Street View, Medway Council A developer has revealed plans for a block of 24 new flats on the site of the former NHS walk-in centre at Canterbury Street in Gillingham. Pink Fortress Ltd has submitted a planning application seeking permission to build a two to three-storey block consisting two-bed flats near the junction with Rainham Road (A2). The developer intends to provide 24 parking spaces, which should equate to one parking space per flat with gated vehicular access from a side road off Canterbury Street. Two parking bays will also be fitted with electric charging points to "meet the future needs" of residents. A statement by Edgington Architectural Services Ltd on behalf of the developer reads: "The new proposals have been carefully developed over several months, with pre-application meetings [with Medway Council] at strategic stages of the design development.
"The proposal fits well within the street landscape in terms of its scale. The appearance, whilst different from the surrounding houses, reflects a modern-day approach with different facades and projections to add visual interest to enhance the character and appearance of the area... with a tree-lined 'avenue' providing a welcome boost of landscaped beauty." Although now vacant, the proposed development site was previously home to a temporary NHS walk-in centre before the facility was relocated to Balmoral Gardens Community Healthy Living Centre in Gillingham. The land has since been acquired and will be developed by Pink Fortress Limited. Only one letter of objection has so far been submitted by a local resident highlighting their concerns about parking issues in the area. You can have your say on the planning application by clicking here, or by searching for 'MC/20/0559' on Medway Council's Planning Portal website. Members of the public are invited to share their views on the latest plans for over 200 flats on the site of the Queen Street and Slicketts Hill car parks in Chatham town centre. Developer Creval Chatham Ltd has put forward proposals to build four separate residential blocks fronting The Brook to accommodate a mixture of one, two and three-bed flats. The tallest building is expected to reach 11 storeys, despite guidance from the Chatham Town Centre Masterplan published in December 2019 suggesting most buildings in this area should be "within 6 to 10 storeys". It is expected that 100 public parking spaces and 100 private parking spaces will be delivered as part of the redevelopment of the two car parks. Leisure amenities including an on-site spa, pool and gym studio, as well as rooftop communal gardens, will also be available to the future residents. Plymouth-based architects, BRL Architects, claim that the development will "upgrade a run-down area away from the waterfront", while also contributing to the "confidence to create a new city".
To deliver this development, Medway Council entered a joint venture agreement with developer Creval to build the mixed-use housing and commercial scheme whilst retaining the existing level of parking spaces, as well as securing a significant profit share from the sale of the flats. Should the plans be given the green light, Medway Council could expect to lose around £68,000 per year in car parking income during the construction period, although it was earmarked that there will be "compensation paid by Creval to the Council for the temporary loss of car parking income". The latest plans for the car parks at Queen Street and Slicketts Hill comes years after the first planning application for the 1.7 acre site was aired in April 2013. Outline planning permission was granted for the construction of 118 homes as a mixture of one, two and three-bed flats and three and four-bed houses, in addition to 3,375 sq metres of commercial space and 146 parking spaces. Consent was granted subject to the prior approval of ‘reserved matters’ - these being the full details of the appearance of any proposed buildings and landscaping - by April 2015. Development should then have commenced within two years. A year later at a meeting in May 2014, Medway Council was expected to declare the car parks as 'surplus' and dispose of the site for development. This was not given the go-ahead due to the loss of town centre parking spaces and the deterioration of the property market. Medway Council did, however, finally agree to "bring forward the site for development, whilst retaining the car park and income" in July 2018, according to Council papers. As part of the latest plans, it is expected that at least 25% of the housing will be 'affordable' through off-site provision at a separate development on the opposite side of Queen Street in the future. You can make a comment on the planning application by clicking here or searching for 'MC/20/0222' on Medway Council's Planning Portal. |
Archive
August 2023
|