Chatham eyesore might finally become something
Plus Conservative pick Perfect, a new mural for Luton, our next election debate, and more
After years of sitting empty, plans are finally underway for the former Go Outdoors site in Chatham. Given the boarded-up nature of the town centre site, you might think people would be happy with the news, but things are never quite that simple. Further down we have news of the Conservatives’ new deputy leader following the sudden resignation of the previous one last month, a look at the new mural in the Luton area, and some early details of our next election debate.
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Chatham eyesore might finally become something
Following nearly four years of sitting empty, plans are finally moving forward to redevelop the Go Outdoors store in Chatham, along with the former Market Hall next door. The area, which previously housed Tesco, is a blot on the landscape of Chatham, providing a grim entry point to one end of the High Street.
Developer Arpenteur is drawing up proposals for the site, with initial designs showing a substantial development of 355 flats and 8 ground-floor commercial units. The plans would also create new public realm spaces, and bring the now closed multi-storey car park behind the site back into use.
Solving two problems at once, the car park, which was closed due to low usage and a constant smell of piss inside, would be reopened as rentable parking spaces for tenants of the new flats, as none of the buildings have their own parking spaces attached. The car park would also be accessible to the public if anyone ever felt like parking at this end of Chatham.
The plans are the latest in a series of significant residential developments being proposed in the area, with plans for similar blocks along The Brook and the former Buzz Bingo site also progressing. This aligns with Medway Council’s intent to convert more of Chatham town centre to residential use as part of an effort to revitalise the area.
Of course, as the plans spread on social media, comments are complaining about the proposals, presumably because it isn’t maintaining the beauty of the current boarded-up Go Outdoors store. Some users on Facebook complained that the town centre doesn’t need housing as all of the shops are closing, not seemingly making a connection that new residents would be the most likely to use local shops. Others complained about a lack of parking (apparently not reading as far as the section on the multi-storey car park) and some argued there should be new GP provision, overlooking the new Healthy Living Centre being built a few minutes walk away in the Pentagon.
While the plans may not be perfect and likely need further refinement, surely building on large-scale abandoned commercial sites is preferable to building across fields?
You can view the current proposals and provide feedback on them via Arpenteur’s website for the plans here. A full planning application is likely to be submitted to Medway Council later in the year.
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Conservatives pick Perfect
Medway’s Conservative opposition group have selected Cllr George Perfect as their new Deputy Leader following the sudden resignation of Cllr Elizabeth Turpin.
Cllr Perfect was elected unopposed to the role by the group of 21 Conservative councillors on Medway Council. He was only elected as a councillor for the first time in May last year, so this marks a rapid ascendency.
Cllr Perfect represents Rainham North and was previously appointed group spokesperson for Children, Young People, and Education following his May election. He will retain that brief alongside his new deputy leadership position.
While the Conservative group has struggled to gain much traction so far in opposition, he has been one of their stand-out performers. He comes across well in council meetings and serves solidly when speaking to the media.
In a statement, Cllr Perfect said:
“I’m delighted to become Deputy Leader of our brilliant group. The Medway Conservative Group is the most successful political group in Medway’s history, and being Deputy Leader is a great honour. I’m looking forward to continuing to be part of our Medway Conservatives leadership team.”
Leader of the Conservative Group, Cllr Adrian Gulvin, has made no secret of the fact that he is only an “interim leader” following their loss in last year’s local elections. Eyes will now be on Cllr Perfect to see if he can continue his meteoric rise within the ranks of the opposition benches.
Save the date
With May fast approaching, eyes start to turn toward the next election facing our towns. No, (most likely) not the General Election, but instead, voters in Medway and across Kent will be heading to the polls to vote for Kent’s Police and Crime Commissioner.
No, wait, come back.
Police and Crime Commissioners are elected and set local policing priorities, as well as holding the police force to account. Since 2016, the role in Kent has been held by Conservative Matthew Scott. So far, two candidates are lining up to challenge him: Labour’s Lenny Rolles and the Liberal Democrats’ Graham Colley. The latter fought for the position in 2021, coming third with 17% of the vote.
We’re happy to announce that much like the local elections last year, we’ll be holding a Medway debate in April, and all three declared candidates so far have confirmed they will be joining us to answer your questions.
We’ll have more details on the specifics next week, but if you’re excited for an evening of political debate about policing in Kent (and frankly, why wouldn’t you be?), keep April 17 free in your diaries.
New mural for Luton
Shout out to the Arches Local project, who are doing excellent work to improve the area around Luton Arches and Luton Road for the community.
They are currently embarking on a series of large scale murals through the area. They unveiled the first, a giant cabbage, at the end of last year, and now work has been completed on the second.
The new mural by artist Voyder commemorates the life of Asquith Xavier, a Windrush generation immigrant who became a British Railways guard and fought to overturn the ‘whites-only’ policy at Euston station in place at the time. He was successful in his fight, becoming the first non-white train guard at Euston, and his fight led to changes in legislation that made racial discrimination from jobs illegal. He spent the latter part of his life living in the Luton area of Chatham, and this new mural follows the installation of a plaque commemorating him at Chatham station.
Located on Hare Street, the mural can be seen on the side of the Kawasaki motorcycle shop on Luton Road. Arches Local are now in the process of seeking more ideas for murals that celebrate the local area, as well as walls to put them on. Do get in touch with them if you can help with either.
In brief
🔥 Gurkha Fire has opened in the former Fire Station location under Chatham Viaduct. The restaurant will be open daily serving Nepalese and Indian food, which looks delicious.
🚧 The School Streets scheme has now been rolled out at seven schools in Medway. The scheme will fine drivers who drive on restricted streets outside schools during designated hours.
🏥 Patients are being exposed to radiation at an “upper limits of safe” level from a radiology machine at Medway Hospital. The machine has been designated “end of life” since 2020 but continues to be used due to the cost of replacing it.
More Authority
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Footnotes
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Music that soundtracked the creation of this edition: Don’t Let Them Begin by Trust Fund, Everything But the Here and Now by Happy Accidents, Hearts of Gold by Dollar Signs, and Whole Damn Body by Los Campesinos!
Thanks. I was just surprised to see planning proposals going in without that being finalised and specifically talked about.
Was the Go Outdoors and Gala Bingo area part of the Arches Local plan? What happened to this? Wasn't it supposed to be controlling/guiding what was allowed to be developed from Luton down to the Brook?