A disused fish and chip shop in Chatham High Street is set to become a shisha bar and restaurant. Cocoturk will be moving into the former Codmate unit on the corner of Church Street and the High Street. Work is currently underway to revamp the building, with the new owner hoping it will open in the next five months. It will serve food, drink and desserts, as well as shisha, in a "strictly over 18 environment". Cocoturk recently applied to Gravesham Borough Council, which shares its licensing service with Medway Council, for a pavement license for outdoor seating and an alcohol license.
A statement on Cocoturk's website says: "We have a wide range of Shisha flavours alongside, mocktails and milkshakes to compliment your experience. "You can also browse our food menu including burgers and chicken cooked to your taste. "When it comes to shisha we have over 10 years of experience." A specialist mixologist will also be working at Cocoturk, according to its website. The building was previously occupied by Seafare and later Bells of Chatham for more than a decade, before it closed down by early 2017. It then became Codmate, which shut just months after its opening. Find out more about Cocoturk by visiting its website. A public consultation is underway for revised plans to build a mixed-use development in Rochester town centre. Property developer Donard Affordable Homes has revealed proposals for 374 homes at Bardell Wharf, located on the corner of Star Hill and Rochester High Street. The disused site could see a mix of one, two and three-bedroom flats across four buildings, including ground floor commercial space, with at least 25% affordable housing. A total of 253 car parking spaces are proposed and at least 50% of spaces will have electric vehicle charging points. All homes are set to have private amenity space, either as a balcony or terrace, while a new landscaped 14-metre wide pedestrian route through the site would also be created. The homes will be low-cost and energy-efficient, generating up to 60% less carbon than required by current building regulations, benefitting from air source heat pump systems and photovoltaic panels. Donard Affordable Homes would work alongside registered housing providers to manage and operate the new homes. Medway Council granted planning permission for 331 homes and more than 20,000 sq ft of commercial space on the same site in 2019. The original plans were devised by landowner Classicus Estates and developer Quinn Estates, although no work began despite gaining approval. Estate agent Kingsbury Stone marketed the freehold of the site a year later, inviting offers in excess of £8 million. The first four phases of the original development sold for £7,020,000 last year, while the fifth phase was separately acquired for £1,275,000. Rochester Independent College will deliver an 85-bedroom four-storey student accommodation block as part of the fifth phase, which will include a café, common room and laundry room. A consultation is now underway inviting local stakeholders to have their say on the revised plans, which have been designed by Pod Architects.
Donard Affordable Homes is hoping to submit a planning application later this summer, with a decision by Medway Council's planning committee expected in the autumn. If planning permission is granted, the developer says building work could start in spring 2023 and complete in 2025. Bardell Wharf is one of the latest schemes by Donard Affordable Homes, which has a growing pipeline of future projects that will see it deliver up to 3,000 new homes a year. It is also currently progressing developments in Chatham, Basildon, Watford and Salford. Paul Thornton, director at Donard Affordable Homes, said: “Our proposals revise the original planning permission, giving a greater range of homes and more landscaped open space. "We’re looking forward to sharing the plans with the community and hope to meet many of you during our drop-in exhibition.” A public exhibition is being held between 2pm and 8pm this Wednesday (25 May) at The Royal Function Rooms in Star Hill, Rochester. View the proposals and make comments by visiting the project's website before the consultation ends on 17 June 2022. Medway Council has missed out on achieving city status in its latest bid, the government has announced. The authority was one of 38 places in the UK that entered the Civic Honours competition last year, which was launched to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. However, today it was revealed that Medway was unsuccessful in claiming the title for the fourth time. The eight places that have been awarded city status are:
Today's announcement brings the number of official cities in the mainland UK to 76, with 55 in England, eight in Scotland, seven in Wales and six in Northern Ireland - with Canterbury the only city in Kent. Medway's latest attempt for city status follows previous bids made in 2000, 2002 and 2012, echoing the experience of Reading. The recent bid, which is available on Medway Council's website, focussed on eight key themes, including civic pride, innovation and royal links. In the submitted bid, a statement by Medway Council leader Alan Jarrett read: "Known for many centuries as the Medway Towns, today we believe that Medway is a city in all but name; we think like a city, we act like a city. "Named for the famous river that links its five towns, Medway is proud to have made some of the greatest contributions to our nation’s global standing and reputation over many centuries and is fast becoming one of the country’s economic success stories, with a reputation as a hub for innovation, creativity, successful regeneration and reinvention." The authority saw the bid - which placed Chatham at its heart - as an opportunity to raise the profile of the area to boost local growth, attract more inward investment and strengthen its public image. The document was written and designed by Medway Council's in-house team, with the only cost incurred being the printing of a small number of copies of the document.
A panel of experts and Cabinet Office ministers assessed the 38 bids before recommendations were submitted to the Queen. Chelmsford in England and Newport in Wales were among previous winners of the competition for city status - which has taken place during each of the last three jubilee years. The eight new cities will receive the award formally through a Letters Patent, which will be presented later in the year. Medway's unsuccessful bid for city status comes just months after it narrowly missed out on being longlisted for the UK City of Culture 2025 title. This week the four shortlisted places were revealed, which are Bradford, County Durham, Southampton and Wrexham County Borough, with the winner set to be announced soon. Another new store is set to open in Chatham, with the arrival of school uniform supplier Simmonds. The family-run business has revealed that it will be launching a new branch at the Dockside Outlet Centre. It hopes to open the store by 11 June this year, creating four new jobs. The new store will be located opposite casual clothing brand Lazy Jacks, which opened earlier this month.
Alongside stocking its schoolwear collection, a one-to-one measuring and fitting service for students will also be available at the branch. The business was founded by 16-year-old Sarah Simmonds in 1837 and now provides over 50,000 school uniforms a year. It supplies to more than 100 schools across the south east, including 10 schools in and around Chatham, such as Holcombe Grammar School and Victory Academy. |
Archive
August 2023
|