Award-winning homeless charity Gillingham Street Angels has opened a new store in Chatham High Street.
Customers were welcomed for the first time at the charity shop's grand opening last Saturday (22 October), taking over the former Argos which shut in January. The store mainly sells furniture and household items, although it also has a sports equipment section and a free school uniform bank. It is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Saturday.
The charity signed a flexible, 12-month lease with the landowner, the Rochester-based charity Richard Watts, earlier this year.
Dozens of local residents took to social media to congratulate the charity for its latest store opening, including Medway Labour Group leader Cllr Vince Maple. He said: "Great to catch up with Neil, Kim, Tracey & the Gillingham Street Angels team along with [Cllr] Simon Curry. Their new hub at the former Chatham Argos site is now open. "As well as raising funds it’s a great place to grab a bargain or recycle some previously loved items."
Its three other shops, three cafes, food bank and warehouse remain open as usual, including the Rochester store which opened in April.
The new centre in Chatham employs three paid staff and three volunteers, with people being urged to sign up as volunteers to help the charity's growing workload. Chief executive Neil Charlick, who was once homeless himself and founded the charity, said: "We are in desperate need of volunteers we currently feed 13,000 people in Medway a month and this can’t be done without the help of the community." Those interested can email [email protected] to receive an application form. Donations, including electrical goods, furniture and school uniform, are also being accepted at the new Chatham branch. The opening of the charity shop comes just weeks after the former Argos was put up for sale, with offers for the freehold of the site being accepted by estate agent Sibley Pares until 16 November. Clarks has announced the closure of its branch at Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre in Gillingham.
The shoe manufacturer and retailer confirmed that the store will be shutting by the end of this month. Its nearby branch at Chatham's Dockside Outlet Centre remains open as usual. A spokesperson for Clarks said: “Clarks confirms its store at Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre, Gillingham, will close at the end of October 2022. "We have a strong duty of care to all our employees, and we are working closely with the store team as they now go through a period of consultation. "Customers can continue to shop from our full range of products online and at our nearby Clarks stores in Chatham and Maidstone.” The retailer did not comment on the reason for the store's closure or the number of jobs affected by its decision. Chatham's former Argos store has been put on the market, with early plans for its redevelopment already on the table. Estate agents Sibley Pares recently listed the freehold of the High Street site for sale and is accepting offers until 16 November. Documents from the listing reveal that plans for a 166-home scheme with ground floor commercial space were considered in 2019. The proposed development was drawn up by Guy Hollaway Architects for the site's current owner, the Rochester-based charity Richard Watts. It included three blocks of one and two-bed flats and 83 car parking spaces. In the listing, the estate agents say the site "represents an excellent development opportunity for potential residential or alternative commercial uses." It also says: "There is a significant amount of investment being made by Medway Council in to this area of Chatham and this site provides the next logical extension to this regeneration." The Argos store closed in January and is set to reopen as a charity furniture shop run by Gillingham Street Angels this month. The award-winning charity, which helps homeless people, has taken on a flexible short term lease for the property. It will mainly sell furniture, household items and there will also be a section for sports equipment. Meanwhile, the top floor will have offices for the charity's new headquarters. The new shop is set to open in "about a week", according to Gillingham Street Angels. Martin Sissons, chief executive officer at the Richard Watts charity, said in a social media post: "We are pleased to be working in partnership with Gillingham Street Angels who have just signed the lease to take on the former Argos store in Chatham for furniture storage and sales. "We believe this is a great opportunity for all those involved and should, in time, bring far more people to that end of the High Street which can only benefit other local businesses." Before the building occupied by Argos was built, the site was home to Watts' Place - a narrow lane with a terrace of shops. Watts' Place was redeveloped in the 1960s and replaced by a building initially occupied by department store Edward Bates and a Sainsbury's supermarket.
In 1976, Sainsbury's relocated to a new store inside the newly-built Pentagon Centre. Edward Bates was sold to department store chain Bentalls in 1979, which took over the building. However, it closed in 1984 and Argos moved in shortly afterwards. An Argos click-and-collect point now replaces the High Street branch, located inside Sainsbury's at the Pentagon Centre. See the property listing by clicking here. A disused shopping centre in Chatham High Street has gone on the market, just a month after redevelopment plans were approved. Estate agents Savills and Avison Young have listed the former Trafalgar Centre and adjoining multi-storey car park as for sale. Offers for the freehold of the site are being accepted until Thursday, 10 November. It was last sold for £2.87 million in June 2020 when Aylesford-based developer Terance Butler Holdings (TBH) acquired it. TBH created plans to redevelop the site, which were given the go-ahead by Medway Council's planning committee at a meeting on 24 August. The scheme would see up to 175 flats built, as well as co-working office space and creative arts studios. As part of the redevelopment, the Trafalgar Centre - which closed in 2013 - would be demolished, while part of the multi-storey car park in Rhode Street will be retained to provide 152 car parking spaces. No affordable housing will be provided, with £500,000 in Section 106 contributions settled on instead, including money towards libraries, and improvements for transport and green spaces, such as The Paddock and Chatham Waterfront. The proposals were submitted as an 'outline' planning application, meaning more detailed plans will have to be considered at a later stage before work can begin.
This would include specific aspects of the development, such as material choices. The Trafalgar Centre was purpose-built in the 1960s as a Fine Fare supermarket, before closing in 1987. It was then taken on by shopping centre operator InShops, who reopened it in 1990 as an indoor market with more than 80 independent shops, a fast-food court, café and a creche. Budget supermarket chain Kwik Save was also part of the offering in the early 2000s. However, the centre closed in December 2013 after InShops entered liquidation and has sat empty since. See the property listing by clicking here. |
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