New marina planned for Chatham Waterfront

Medway Council is moving forward with plans to build a marina at Chatham Waterfront, close to Gun Wharf. It is hoped it will regenerate the area.

The plans for the new marina at Chatham on the River Medway, Kent are still in the early stages.

However, Medway Council’s cabinet has agreed to enter into legal discussions with Crown Estates, which owns most of the river bed beyond the shore.

The council’s development control team is also being consulted about the preparation of a planning brief for the project, which includes the development of the Riverside 4 building – formerly the Royal Air Forces Association Club. It would also provide mooring facilities on the river, from the Command House pub to the far side of Gun Wharf.

News of the new marina proposal comes as Chatham Marina (pictured above) is due to open new berths as part of a £500,000 expansion plan.

Speaking to Kent Online, the Medway councillor in charge of strategic regeneration, Rodney Chambers, said the marina could bring “significant income to the authority”, adding, “We have done our homework and there seems to be significant interest from the private sector to develop and operate such a marina”.

“It will aid the regeneration of Chatham and also justifies the significant amount of resources we’ve expended on Sun Pier,” he states.

Chambers said the marina would be a boost to tourism.

This April, 54 new moorings will be available at Chatham Marina. The development by MDL Marinas also includes a new pontoon, which lies alongside the marina’s Historic Dockyard – an 80-acre site featuring museums, galleries and warships from the Age of Sail.

MDL Marinas is the UK’s largest marina chain with 18 facilities including Penton Hook, Cobb’s Quay, Hamble Point and Ocean Village.