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The Historic Dockyard and Chatham Maritime make the
Finals of Prestigious Regeneration Award
13 December 2004
 Chatham Historic Dockyard and Chatham Maritime have been jointly shortlisted as one of just four finalists for the prestigious Deputy Prime Minister’s Sustainable Communities Award, to be announced early next year.
Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust (CHDT) and the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) are now joining forces for the Awards, with the overall winner to be announced during The Delivering Sustainable Communities Summit 2005, being held at the GMEX/Manchester International Convention Centre on the evening of Tuesday 1 February 2005.
The news comes just days after the 140-hectare Chatham Maritime site was announced the winner in the 'Challenging Regeneration Project' category at the Regeneration Awards 2004, hosted by Griff Rhys Jones at London's Hilton Hotel on 29 November.
SEEDA's Chatham Maritime Project Director Jonathan Sadler: "It is fitting that such an exemplar site should receive this recognition in its 20 th anniversary year. Together with The Historic Dockyard we have created homes, jobs, leisure facilities, office space and a thriving education quarter here in Chatham on a site that back in 1984 had a very bleak future."
Chief Executive of Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust, Bill Ferris, added: "The Historic Dockyard Trust set out to create a vibrant community 20 years ago, with residents, commercial tenants, volunteers, staff and visitors integrating to create a very special place. Being named finalist in this prestigious award is tremendous recognition for the Trust’s long-term work."
Chatham Dockyard was closed in 1984 triggering significant economic hardship for the Medway Towns. More than 7,000 jobs disappeared, and along with them, the education and training the Dockyard had provided to workers. This was subsequently followed by a number of other industrial closures in the area.
A 140-hectare brownfield section of the former dockyard site, now known as Chatham Maritime, was taken over by the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) in April 1999. The Historic Dockyard Trust took over a 32-hectare part of the site which included the UK ’s highest concentration of listed buildings and scheduled monuments. While the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust (CHDT) was established to predominately renovate and find new uses for these historic buildings, SEEDA has been responsible for the creation of a host of new office buildings, homes and universities being built on its site.
Active partnerships with local, regional and national bodies were established and both areas have achieved sustainable design in the renovation of historic homes and buildings.
The Historic Dockyard now provides homes for 400 people, jobs for 1,000 in approximately 100 small businesses and organisations and receives 15,000 volunteer hours support each year. Meanwhile 3,500 people now work and 2,000 residents have made their home at Chatham Maritime.
Working together in ever greater partnership SEEDA and CHDT are now developing a vibrant mixed-use development on their boundary land. Seen as critical to the integration of their sites, the development of homes, shops, hotels, bars and restaurants on this sensitive historic location will be the successful culmination of more than 20 years practical regeneration undertaken by two separate bodies with common objectives.
The CHDT works to a detailed five year plan, and there is long-term planning in place with SEEDA to bring the two sites back together. Both Chatham Maritime and The Historic Dockyard are fully functioning communities: residents and local people are very proud of the development, and this underpins their sense of civic values and responsibilities.
CHDT and SEEDA are now working in close partnership to create a vibrant, mixed-use development on an eight-acre section of land that straddles both
their boundaries. Plans include homes, a hotel, bars and restaurants, with both organisations taking into account the sensitive, historic location of the site.
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