Roadworks as part of a £1.4 million regeneration project at Chatham Railway Station will officially commence next week. Expected to be completed by March 2019, the project will include:
An infill 'raft' structure will also be installed to accommodate a wider pavement between the train station and the bus terminus. Medway Council successfully secured a £700,000 grant from the government’s Local Growth Fund through the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) to contribute towards the £1.4 million upgrade, with Network Rail match-funding through its National Station Improvement Programme. The works are part of the wider £4 million Chatham Placemaking Project, which is nearing its completion, with further works commencing in the New Year between Military Road and Dock Road to form a new public square. During the roadworks, the railway station will remain open as usual and train services will not be affected. However, routes to the station may be disrupted and road users are advised to expect potential delays in the immediate vicinity. Supporting economic growth In a recent press release, John Halsall, managing director of Network Rail south east, said: “With passenger numbers on the railway continuing to grow, it’s vital we continue to invest in improvements which make travelling by train simpler and more pleasant. “We’re proud to be working with Medway Council and Southeastern on this fantastic project which will improve the station area, boost links with local public transport and help support economic growth in Chatham and the Medway towns.” First impressions count Christian Brodie, Chair of SELEP, added: “We are pleased to have been able to support this project. The train station is often the first impression visitors have of a town and making clear connections between this gateway, the bus station and town centre is a really important link for the wider regeneration of the whole area. “It’s good to see real examples of the local community benefiting from the support of the Local Growth Fund secured by SELEP and our partners at Medway Council. We can already see these improvements to the public space will be instigators for further private investment into the town centre.” To view detailed provisional plans for the Chatham Railway Station improvement works, please visit the dedicated page on the Medway Council Planning Portal. With special thanks to Network Rail for providing the key information and CGI impressions
Dave Jones
29/11/2018 21:02:27
Is that taxi lane wide enough for taxis at the back of the rank to leave when they need to? Doesn't look like it is.
Future Chatham
29/11/2018 21:42:33
That's right, seems like the redesigned taxi lane will only be single lane.
Bryan
1/12/2018 16:19:59
This looks really exciting and will constitute an excellent first impression of Chatham. However, the notices displayed at Chatahm Station suggest the raft, which enables much needed widening of the pavement, will not take place until the future. Is this correct?
Future Chatham
1/12/2018 22:04:32
Hi Bryan, thanks for your comment. I've been told by other people as well that the posters at Chatham Railway Station state the raft structure is now planned in future phases. It seems like this is now the case; I'm assuming they may have had to amend the final plans since the last time I checked the relevant documents. My apologies for the confusion.
Bryan
1/12/2018 23:53:20
Thanks for the response. I hope this is not the case or Mr Halsall isn't keeping his organisation's side of the agreement. If this is the case, then the most important part of this project has been abandoned. Pedestrian access to the bus stops and rail station is very narrow and, I believe, dangerous. We should all challenge Network Rail south-east and Medway Council as to why they have changed this. The plans on the Coucnil website, which your webiste refers to, states that planning permission has been given. Chatham does not deserve another "half-cock project".
Dazarene
4/12/2018 13:55:56
For such limited space I really like the design, well done to everyone who worked on this. Hope the raft build isn't delayed too much.
John Barnes
30/9/2019 10:34:24
When will the drop off point be finally opened?? Comments are closed.
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