Medway Council has confirmed that it does not currently have any plans to develop the soon-to-be vacant Debenhams department store in Chatham High Street themselves.
With just under two weeks before the Debenhams store shuts its doors for the final time, Future Chatham has understood through a Freedom of Information request that neither Medway Council or its own housing provider Medway Development Company are planning to develop the site in the near future. A Medway Council spokesperson said: "Medway Council and Medway Development Company are not currently planning to directly develop the site. "The closure of Debenhams in January 2020 is clearly disappointing news for Chatham and we are liaising with the landlord of the building to understand their future plans." When asked about the Council's position on the existing rough sleeping issue outside the department store, especially once it closes, it was made clear that Medway Council will "discuss how best to mitigate rough sleeping in the covered front entrance in the meantime" with the landlord of the building. No plans have been revealed by the landlord yet, although local residents are already sharing their suggestions for what the department store could be used for in the future, with ideas ranging from a discount supermarket to co-working office spaces. Medway Council's current disinterest in developing the department store comes just months after it decided to purchase the empty Mountbatten House office block to potentially deliver up to 112 flats. Debenhams has held a presence in Chatham High Street since April 2005 when it acquired the former Allders department store, later refurbishing the building in July of that year. The store's closure was first revealed back in April 2019, when it was understood that Chatham's branch will be one of 21 other locations across the country to be axed as part of cost-cutting measures to make the business "fit for the future".
Robin Searle
4/1/2020 19:33:59
Could it be converted to a town centre police station???? Comments are closed.
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