Can Chatham Ascend?

New coworking space in the Pentagon is at the heart of Chatham's regeneration plans

“Ascend is exciting because you don’t see it that much in other councils. It’s exciting that we are doing that as part of the regeneration of Chatham,” says Cllr Harinder Mahil, Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder for Economic and Social Regeneration and Inward Investment. He views Ascend as part of a wider regeneration of Chatham, highlighting the work around Garrison Point and the Paddock to show it all coming together.

Ascend on the first floor of the Pentagon.

Ascend is Medway Council’s new coworking space that takes up roughly a third of the first floor of the Pentagon Centre. Does the fact that so much space has been taken away from retail suggest the centre isn’t in the best of health? “It's a tough one,” answers Mahil. “If you look around town centres, across the country, they're facing similar problems. We took a decision, as in the council in the previous term, to make sure we secured what was a very strategic location. When parts Medway become available…”  Mahil pauses, as if considering how delicate to be, before continuing, “Predatory development is happening at pace.” Medway considered the centre important to the regeneration of Medway, and Chatham in particular, and moved to take control of the site.