Saltrock has opened the doors to its new branch at Chatham's Dockside Outlet Centre. The lifestyle clothing chain launched the store last Monday (18 July), creating five jobs in the local area. It sells a range of surf-inspired men's, women's and children's clothing, as well as water sports gear including surf boards, body boards and paddle boards. The opening of Saltrock has taken the shopping centre to full occupancy, following the recent arrivals of Simmonds, Lazy Jacks, Reed in Partnership and a Department for Work and Pensions job centre this year.
A spokesperson for Saltrock said: "This is a great step for the Saltrock Brand in Kent. "The Saltrock Dockside Chatham will offer surf inspired casualwear for men’s, women's & kids and gear for locals and visitors alike. "This will be our tenth new opening of 2022 and we’re extremely excited to join the Dockside Chatham line-up." Founded in Devon in 1988, Saltrock has over 50 stores across the UK. The Chatham store is the clothing chain's second in Kent, with the brand already having an outlet in Whitstable. The next phase of a project aiming to improve road safety in Luton Road, Chatham is underway. Luton Road has been closed to traffic between Upper Luton Road and Castle Road for four weeks since yesterday (Monday, 25 July). Temporary traffic lights will then be in place for a further two weeks from Monday, 22 August. The works include installing new speed cushions, improving crossing points, replacing street furniture and footway resurfacing. New raised tables will be built at the junction with York Hill and outside Christ Church, with some bus stops also set to be relocated and improved. Drivers are being diverted along Capstone Road, Pear Tree Lane, Hempstead Road, Hoath Way and the A2. Access is being maintained for residents living in the surrounding roads. Buses are using an alternative route and are not able to pick up or drop off passengers between Street End Road and Castle Road in either direction.
Arriva has confirmed diversions for the following affected services: 166, 169 & 113: Buses will run via Maidstone Road, Walderslade Road, Churchill Avenue, Burma Way, Wayfield Road, Street End Road and then back on normal line of route (same in both directions). 177 (towards Walderslade): Buses will run via Maidstone Road, Walderslade Road, Churchill Avenue, Burma Way, Wayfield Road, Street End Road and then turning around the roundabout back to its normal line of route. 177 (towards Gillingham): Buses will run its normal line of route to the end of Street End Road, then turning around the roundabout back up Street End Road, Wayfield Road, Burma Way, Churchill Avenue, turning right into Walderslade Road and then onto Maidstone Road. 179: Buses will run via Maidstone Road, Walderslade Road and then back on normal line of route (same in both directions). Service 176 is not affected by the road closure. The works are the latest phase being undertaken as part of a wider road casualty reduction scheme, which started in August last year and continued during the October half term. It's hoped the changes will reduce the number of serious crashes and injuries, and improve the look and feel of the road, which can influence a behavioural change in motorists. Further works are programmed in the October half-term period when the roads will be closed again from 24 October for one week. Two car parks in Chatham town centre have been put up for sale after plans for 179 flats allegedly stalled. The pay-and-display car parks in Queen Street and Slicketts Hill, owned by Medway Council, are now being marketed by estate agent Harrisons Chartered Surveyors. Plans put forward by developer Creval (Chatham) Ltd to build 179 flats were given the go-ahead by Medway Council's planning committee in March last year. The council's cabinet met on 5 April this year to discuss a confidential report and make decisions relating to the development of the car parks. Medway Labour & Co-operative Group requested a special 'call-in' of the council's business support overview and scrutiny committee to reconsider two of the decisions made by the cabinet. The meeting took place behind closed doors on 5 May and gained cross-party consensus, with several key recommendations put forward to the cabinet for consideration at a future cabinet meeting. The recommendations include introducing an improved system of governance and accountability for projects with budgets above £100,000 or a duration of more than 3 years, and to ensure that no services or projects tendered go against the council's policies. The recent listing of the car parks relates to the leasehold of the site. The estate agent's website says: "The council is wanting the buyer of the site to develop it and is not expecting the car parks to be retained or replaced." The leasehold is being offered for 250 years and will contain a clause allowing the council to take back the site if development is not started within five years of the lease being granted. Once the development is completed, the council will transfer its freehold ownership for a nominal sum plus costs. However, if the potential buyer doesn't complete the development within 10 years of the grant of the lease, the council can terminate the lease. Plans to develop the town centre site were first mooted in April 2010, when Medway Council granted outline planning consent for a scheme of 118 homes and commercial space - although it did not come to fruition.
At a cabinet meeting in May 2014, the council declared the car parks surplus for development. This was not taken forward due to concerns about 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 development, whilst retaining the car park and income, at a cabinet meeting in February 2016. By 2020, the council entered a legal agreement with Creval to deliver a scheme. According to a source, it's believed the deal between Creval and the council proved unsuccessful and will not progress. However, BRL Architects, the architects behind Creval's plans, insisted the development was still going ahead. Steve Rickhards, director at BRL Architects, said: "We can confirm that our client Creval (Chatham) Ltd, having successfully obtained Planning Consent for their redevelopment proposals for the site, which included receiving the unanimous support of the Council’s Planning Committee, remains fully committed to delivering this exciting and much needed regeneration project for Chatham in conjunction with the Local Authority." Offers for the car parks are being accepted until Monday, 29 September. A £1.1m facility providing secure cycle parking has opened at Chatham Railway Station. The new cycle hub, located on Railway Street, features 280 parking spaces. The facility also has electric bike charging points, a DIY repair stand with tools, a pump and additional CCTV coverage. It can be accessed 24/7 using a personalised key fob, as part of a subscription service starting at £25 for 3 months. Access to non-paying members of the public is not possible, with key fobs only issued to subscribers at the station's ticket office. Previously the station had just 30 spaces to park bicycles, but the new hub is fitted with hydraulic-sprung, two-tier racks to maximise the amount of spaces available for cyclists. It is hoped the new cycle hub will help encourage sustainable, environmentally-friendly travel to and from the station.
Southeastern delivered the project with support from Network Rail, Medway Council and Sustrans, a UK-based walking and cycling charity. The government contributed £800,000 as part of its Cycle Rail grant programme, with a further £300,000 in match funding from Medway Council towards the Chatham Railway Station forecourt improvements, which included plans that supported the delivery of the new cycle hub. The authority's contribution was funded by the Local Transport Plan Fund, which included the shared pedestrian cycle path from Chatham Railway Station through to St Johns Square. New lifts are also set to open at Chatham Railway Station later this summer, providing passengers with step-free access from the ticket hall to the platforms for the first time. Find out more about Southeastern's cycle hub service by clicking here. |
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August 2023
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