Three consultants have been appointed to develop masterplans for Chatham town centre in Medway – the biggest section of the Thames Gateway regeneration zone.
Medway’s regeneration programme, with development sites at Chatham, Rochester, Gillingham and Strood, includes 16,000 new homes, a £160m expansion of Chatham Pentagon shopping centre, a £78m investment in arts project centres, and a £60m ‘Dickens World’ theme park in Chatham Maritime leisure complex.
Dr Ken Yeang, of architectural firm Llewelyn Davies Yeang, who is to develop a masterplan for Chatham Waterfront, is planning a mixed-use scheme on the 17-acre site, located between the River Medway and Chatham’s Pentagon shopping centre.
Dr Yeang said: “There may well be the opportunity for a landmark building on Chatham Waterfront, perhaps a development combining residential and commercial use and a viewing tower.”
Urban Initiatives and Maccreanor Lavington will work on another two Chatham town centre sites, Station Gateway and The Brook, respectively.
Mark Bradbury, Head of Chatham Development at Medway Council, said: “Working with internationally acclaimed figures such as Ken Yeang and our design champion Sir Terry Farrell is a wonderful opportunity for Medway and a statement of our intent to deliver buildings, places and spaces of the highest calibre.”
Bradbury added: “As well as having some of the world’s top architectural talent, we are also close to appointing private sector investment partners some of the world’s biggest regeneration investors – who will bring a £1 billion of business to Medway over the next ten years.”
References: EGi News 18/08/06
