The Peel Group is aiming to overhaul around 26 acres of brownfield land and deliver 1.9 million sq ft of commercial property, including large areas of office space available to rent.
The scheme has been dubbed Chatham Waters and Peel’s current estimates suggest it would result in roughly £650 million worth of direct investment and could create as many as 3,500 jobs in the area.
As well as offices to rent, the redeveloped site would incorporate a hotel, residential properties, landscaped public areas, and education facilities if local authorities in Chatham give it the go-ahead.
Peel showcased their plans for the area and polled local members of the public, with 95 per cent of people reportedly convinced the project would give Chatham a worthwhile boost. Nine in ten of those asked offered their support for the scheme, Peel said.
“The feedback we received at the public consultation was invaluable and we are very pleased that so many people were supportive of our plans for Chatham Waters,” said James Whittaker, Peel’s development director.
“We have taken the comments received on board and are pleased to have submitted a planning application to the council.”
The Peel Group is heavily involved in some of the most expansive redevelopment initiatives currently underway or at the planning stage in different parts of the UK. The Liverpool and Wirral Waters projects are among the most ambitious, with 650 acres of dockside land set to be transformed at a cost of up to £10 billion over the next 30 to 40 years.
Another of the company’s schemes has seen new Grade A office spaces made available to rent in Salford via the MediaCityUK scheme in Salford Quays in Greater Manchester.
Editor’s notes: Chatham Waters is located on the mouth of the Medway Waterfront Peninsula in Kent and includes the regeneration of a 26-acre former historic naval dockyard.
The scheme, located 40 minutes from Central London, includes plans for 950 new residential dwellings and the creation of a new waterfront boulevard, including bars, restaurants, and specialist shops, over four phases, promoting an al-fresco cafe society.
As of July 2023, the X1 Chatham Waters residential tower had been completed and offered approximately 200 one-, two-, and three-bedroom luxury apartments.
A 73,000-square-foot Asda superstore had been delivered on the site in 2015.
Office space, event space, other commercial spaces, and further residential units were planned for the next development phase.
In May 2024, Medway Council approved Peel’s plans to redevelop the Chatham Docks industrial estate into a new employment and enterprise campus.