Hello Readers,
As you will be aware if you keep up to date with local news alerts, Chatham is one area within Medway where there’s significant investment happening at the moment. One significant site is that of the former Go Outdoors, which closed back in August 2020.
Looking back, I wrote about this development back in March 2024, giving an overview of the developer Arpenteur Nightingale’s plans to develop the site into 335 homes (this has been downgraded to 319 now) and now, just over 12 months on planning has just been granted in what’s something of a controversial decision by Medway Council.
I will go through some of the reasons the decision was controversial below, but a green light was given based on a balanced decision around not wanting to leave the site empty coupled with the potential positive impact of regenerating a long-vacant site and providing much-needed housing in the town centre.
So, how does the scheme look now?
The project is still called ‘The Brook’, however plans appear to have changed slightly since I wrote my last blog, and the proposal is now for 319 flats (previously 335) made up of the following:
- 133 One bedroom
- 175 Two bedroom
- Five Three bedroom
- Six studio flats
- Commercial space on the ground floor
A block layout from Park Hood Landscape Architects
There is a significant potential issue with this scheme however, and that is how there’s no affordable housing along with just five parking spaces that are allocated to the three-bedroom apartments (I’d hate to have one of those!).
These two points have caused significant controversy and caused many to highlight that they feel the scheme is “non-compliant” with local planning policies.
It also does not meet the requirements set out in the Arches Chatham Neighbourhood Plan, which was brought into place in May 2024 and requires the following:
- 10% affordable housing or a financial contribution as a last resort (this scheme has a financial contribution of £610k as affordable housing was deemed ‘not viable)
- A maximum building height of six stories (this scheme exceeds this with some blocks being eight stories)
- A parking survey to see of local streets can cope (the developer has failed to provide this)
Of progress on the scheme, demolition work has been underway for the past few months, so it will be interesting to see how this one pans out and the impact it might have on local house prices!
As usual, I will keep you updated on progress as it moves forward.
Hasan