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Chatham Maritime, SEEDA’s flagship site in the heart of the Thames Gateway, is a testimony to how an area subjected to neglect and economic decline can be bought back to life. This 140 hectare site, once part of the Naval Dockyard and Royal Navy barracks and on the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) list of potential World Heritage Sites, is once again thriving. The renaissance of Chatham Maritime is well underway, with 1,000 homes built on St Mary’s Island. Affordable Housing has been pepperpotted so that Chatham Maritime offers a balance of social rented, shared ownership and owner-occupied properties. Attractive play areas and 10 hectares of parkland have been created to ensure children have safe places to play. A day nursery, primary school that can take up to 400 children, a three GP doctors’ surgery and community centre all add to the sustainability of life on St Mary’s island. A beautiful three kilometre river walk and boardwalk runs around the Island. A further 700 new homes are planned. St Mary’s Island has been brought forward through a joint partnership with private developer Countryside Properties Plc. Meanwhile, overlooking the award-winning, 300-berth marina, two state-of-the-art towers of apartments are being built, along with bars and restaurants. Future proposals also include the development of the Interface Land, jointly owned by The Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust and SEEDA, to provide over 1000 further homes in a residential-led mixed use development More than 100,000m² of new offices have been built, providing accommodation for companies such as Lloyds of London, XIS Insurance, mhs homes and Kent Police Constabulary. In total more than 3500 people now work from Chatham Maritime. Other attractions at the site include a pub with hotel accommodation, 2000 seat Odeon cinema, a nursery, a 90 bedroom hotel, and several restaurants. The Dockside Outlet Centre features more than 80 shops, including Marks and Spencer. Dickens World, a visitor/entertainment attraction themed on the work and times of the Victorian novelist Charles Dickens, opened summer 2007. Chatham Maritime has its own education quarter. A £100 million campus comprising a unique mixture of historic and contemporary buildings to house the Universities at Medway, made up of the University of Greenwich, University of Kent, Canterbury Christ Church University and Mid-Kent College. Student numbers are now at more than 6,000 and adding an additional £10 million to the local economy each year. Chatham Maritime is a truly sustainable community, providing not only homes and jobs, but other key infrastructure that people need to live their lives. More than £600 million of private and public money has already been invested at Chatham Maritime
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