Controversial Chatham Docks plans halted by call-in request
Plans to redevelop the last working docks in Medway into a business hub have been approved by Medway Council, but the plans will not be able to proceed until after the general election.
At a special planning meeting last week, Medway Council approved the redevelopment plans brought by waterside regeneration specialists Peel Waters with eight votes for and seven against.
However, the plans have been halted by a call-in request made by former MP Kelly Tolhurst, which would mean the Secretary of State, rather than Medway would decide the outcome.
The Secretary of State has the power, pursuant to section 77 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, to call in any application for planning permission for his own determination.
However, if the call-in request is rejected, the council's approval will come into effect.
Chatham Docks is an active operating commercial port, home to industrial users including port-related waste and recycling operations, ship repairers, cement imports, steel fabricators and a national logistics company.
The plans, which include demolishing warehouses and replacing them with workspaces of various sizes, have previously been challenged by ArcelorMittal Kent Wire (AMKW), a company based on the docks site.
According to the BBC, the firm said it has a right to automatically renew its lease in 2025, which it claimed would be denied if the use of the site is changed.
It is understood that AMKW is no longer threatening legal action, but is continuing to challenge Peel Waters’ proposals, and saythe site should be safeguarded in the national interest given the “critical role” AMKW’s operations play in the UK construction sector – according to Campaign Group Save Chatham Docks.
Peel Waters said its approved plans will transform the existing brownfield land into “adaptable workspace”, bringing with it the opportunity to create hundreds of new jobs and apprenticeships in Medway.
Located next to Medway’s university cluster, the new ‘Basin3' employment and enterprise campus will act as “a catalyst for innovation and collaboration”, the firm added.
Welcoming the council’s decision to approve the plans, James Whittaker, Managing Director of Peel Waters said: “We are very pleased planning has been approved for Basin3. Our vision for Basin3 will create a dynamic, employment enterprise destination that integrates with existing communities whilst attracting new employers and business to the area, offering much needed, high-quality, new employment spaces for already established Medway businesses, and bolstering Medway’s economic growth.”
He added: “Receiving outline planning permission for Basin3 will help attract significant inward investment into Medway. We look forward to helping build an exciting new future and legacy for this employment site in Medway.”
A Medway Council spokesperson said: “Medway Council’s Planning Committee has approved application MC/24/0154, to redevelop land at Chatham Docks Industrial Estate South Side to provide a new waterside business and enterprise campus. A report will be sent to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, who will determine whether to call in the decision for a public inquiry.”
Lottie Winson
