Chatham Waters

The first phase of retail development included an Asda superstore and a petrol filling station on the southern part of the site near Pier Road.^[7] Waterfront UTC was constructed on adjacent land between Pier Road and South Side Three Road and was opened in September 2015 by Prince Andrew, Duke of York.^[8]

Highway works at the Gillingham Gate junction on Pier Road were carried out through section 106 and section 278 processes. The current signalised junction layout, which includes pedestrian and cycle crossing facilities, was introduced as part of the Chatham Waters redevelopment.^[9]

A pub, the Mast & Rigging, was built at the junction of Gillingham Gate Road in September 2017.^[10]

The Kell, the second major residential building at Chatham Waters, was completed in 2021.^[11] A Londis convenience store opened on the ground floor on 6 February 2024 and was opened by the Mayor of Medway, Cllr Nina Gurung.^[12]

Phase 3 of Chatham Waters includes an affordable housing development, Cavalier Court. The development consists of two blocks, Minerva Place and Victory Place.^[13]

Planning permission was obtained for a four‑storey residential care home on land at Gillingham Gate Road as part of the Chatham Waters redevelopment.^[14]

In 2021, Peel Waters published an early-stage masterplan for the wider 90-acre Chatham Docks Industrial Estate, proposing approximately 3,600 new homes,^[15] a one-million-square-foot employment zone,^[16] and around 35 acres of green space on the Medway waterfront.^[17] By that time, the Chatham Waters development had delivered around 400 homes and 750 jobs, with further plans for additional housing, a care home, and green and community space.

In January 2024 a plan submitted a plan proposing demolition and redevelopment of part of the existing industrial estate (Basin 3) as a business campus. The development parameters plan covers around 7.6 hectares of land north of Pier Road between the universities at Medway and the remaining docks, with the re‑aligned South Side Three Road providing access and maintaining a route to the northern section of the industrial estate.^[18]

Outline approval was granted in May 2024 for the development of employment space. The plans include opening part of the waterfront to public access.^[19]

The decision has been subject to political and legal scrutiny. The campaign group Save Chatham Docks, supported by local businesses including ArcelorMittal Kent Wire, argued that the port should remain a working industrial dock and proposed an alternative masterplan for industrial use.^[20] Following Medway Council’s approval, a call-in request was made to the Secretary of State, resulting in a temporary holding direction. A judicial review brought by ArcelorMittal against the Basin 3 decision was dismissed by the High Court.^[21]

In January 2024, coverage of the Basin 3 planning application noted that the Save Chatham Docks campaign was supported by the Medway Council leader, Cllr Vince Maple, and local MP Kelly Tolhurst, among others, who raised concerns about the potential loss of skilled industrial jobs if the docks were redeveloped.^[22] In May 2024, the planning committee granted outline permission for the Basin 3 campus by a narrow margin, a decision later subject to call-in and legal challenge procedures.^[23] The decision was followed by significant legal and procedural challenges that were ultimately resolved in early 2026.^[24]