'Serious concerns' about plans for 229 flats at Queen Street and Slicketts Hill car parks in Chatham17/6/2020
Plans for over 200 homes, rooftop gardens and a spa on car parks in Chatham town centre have been slammed by Historic England. Developer Creval Chatham Ltd submitted its plans to build four blocks of one, two and three-bed flats on the Queen Street and Slicketts Hill car parks earlier this year. BRL Architects, who designed the flats, claims the development will upgrade a "run-down" area to boost "confidence to create a new city [of Medway]". However, in a letter sent to Medway Council's planning department, Historic England raises "serious concerns" about the redevelopment. While the organisation "acknowledges the benefits" of redeveloping the car parks, it highlights the high-rise flats would cause "moderate harm to the significance of designated heritage" including the Grade I-listed Naval War Memorial nearby on the Great Lines. Historic England claims the developer has not demonstrated that the "harm has been avoided or minimised", failing to meet the basic requirements of the National Planning Policy Framework, a document which sets out the government’s planning policies for England. "The proposal fails to meet...aspirations for high quality design," the letter from Historic England reads, suggesting a "substantive re-design" or the complete withdrawal of the planning application for further re-work "may be required".
The tallest building is expected to reach 11 storeys on the corner of Slicketts Hill, despite guidance from the Chatham Town Centre Masterplan published in December 2019 suggesting most buildings in the area should be "within 6 to 10 storeys". In addition to the 229 flats, 100 public parking spaces and 100 private parking spaces will be created. Leisure amenities including an on-site spa, pool and gym studio, as well as rooftop communal gardens, will also be available to future residents. To deliver the development, Medway Council entered a joint venture agreement with developer Creval to build the scheme whilst retaining the existing level of parking spaces and 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 site was submitted back in April 2013. Outline planning permission was granted for the construction of 118 homes as a mix 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 have then 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. The 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, at least 25% of the 229 flats will be 'affordable' through off-site provision at a separate development on the opposite side of Queen Street in the future. It is not yet known when the planning application will be considered by Medway Council's Planning Committee. Photos: BRL Architects Medway Council is pushing ahead with plans to bid for government funding towards a major tree planting programme in Medway. The potential bid for around £35,000 from the government-funded Urban Tree Challenge Fund (UTCF) would help plant at least 15,000 tree whips across 12 separate sites in Medway this December. If successful, the UTFC would award Medway Council exactly 50% of the costs for planting and establishing the trees, including weeding, watering and checking the planted trees. The remaining costs must then be met through match funding, either in the form of money or labour, such as volunteer hours and equipment. However, the Council has admitted that at present there is a 'shortfall' in cash match funding. According to documents from the Climate Change Member Advisory Group meeting on Wednesday, 17 June 2020, the Council has a 'strategy in place to meet this shortfall', but it acknowledges that cash match funding is 'much preferred for a stronger bid and reduced risk of financial issues down the line'. The news of the funding bid comes just as it has been revealed that only 116 trees were planted by Medway Council over 2019.
For comparison, Hackney Council in London has committed to planting a total of 36,000 trees up until 2022. To help tackle the climate emergency, Medway Council is exploring proposals for a 'tree sponsorship scheme' to increase Medway’s existing tree stock, although further details about this are yet to emerge. The Urban Tree Challenge Fund has been developed in response to the government’s commitment to provide £10 million for planting both large and small trees in and around towns and cities in England. Research has shown that urban trees offer a range of benefits, including cooling urban streets in the hot summer months, flood risk mitigation, and improved wellbeing, particularly when in close proximity to large populations of people. The UTCF bid is being led by Medway Council with support from the Medway Urban Greenspace Forum and Medway Norse. The deadline for the Council to submit their funding bid has been extended until 30 June 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Photos: Couleur and Giani Pralea from Pixabay New electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure across Medway Council-owned sites is to be introduced by the end of March 2021.
It has been revealed that the locations of sites have been identified, which will see a total of 32 chargers installed. According to documents from the Climate Change Member Advisory Group meeting on Wednesday, 17 June 2020, the final design of the EV chargers is 'anticipated by the end of August' with installation to be complete by late March. Medway Council is also looking to work with Kent County Council to 'explore opportunities for a county-wide charging network to include council owned car parks'. In a bid to secure private investment, the Council is expected to meet major infrastructure investment firm InfraCapital to discuss the opportunity. Although a widespread introduction of EV charging infrastructure in Medway is still a fair while away, the Council will be launching a survey at the end of June 2020 to identify demand for residential charging points. The latest development comes over a year after Medway Council declared a 'climate emergency' in April 2019. To address the climate emergency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Medway, the Council is already working on a number of projects, which includes installing new LED street lights and reducing single-use plastic items across the Council business. Medway Council has also submitted their interest to bid for £50 million to establish Britain's very first 'all-electric bus city' after the successful trial of an electric bus service back in October 2019. Photo: MikesPhotos from Pixabay Shoppers may soon be able to buy products at a new Iceland store in The Range at Chatham Dockside Outlet Centre according to new plans.
Almost two years after the retailers formed a strategic partnership, the 'store-in-store' concept will see the supermarket chain sell its food products inside the existing The Range store. Plans submitted to Medway Council show proposals to install new Iceland signage on the exterior of The Range. Currently, Iceland's food products are only available at around 30 of The Range stores. There are already five Iceland stores dotted across Medway, including the nearby store in Chatham High Street. The Range, a Devon-based company which opened its first store in 1989, is among the UK's fastest growing retailers, boasting over 175 stores nationwide and stocking at least 65,000 products. It is not yet known when the new Iceland store could open or how many jobs will be created. |
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