The site is a strategic gateway corner which heralds the arrival into Chatham where the High Street, The Brook / Union Street and the A2 New Street all meet. This is a busy major road intersection, and the principal vehicular approach to Chatham.
The site contains the former Buzz Bingo and its dedicated car park to the rear. An additional car park sits immediately to the south-east of the main building and is accessible only via Buzz Bingo’s car park. This second car park – Union Street – is currently under the ownership of Medway Council. Donard Living plan to purchase the site and it has therefore been included within the proposed development.
Given its town centre location this is a highly sustainable site with many amenities within walking distance. The train station, bus station, and Pentagon Shopping Centre are within a 10-minute walk. Victoria Gardens and waterfront are only a 15-minute walk away. As a result, development in this location presents a tremendous regeneration opportunity to create a new easterly anchor to the High Street.
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We believe in creating sustainable communities by situating them within a 15-minute neighbourhood. This means the site is within walking distance of education, grocery shops, healthcare, hospitality and leisure, and outdoor space, such as The Great Lines Heritage Park.
The site is not within a Conservation Area and there are no listed buildings in the immediate vicinity.
The combination of the busy, wide road network and inactive street frontages from the site have created an area that is not currently appealing to pedestrians. This development offers an opportunity to provide a welcoming street scene so that it is more pedestrian-friendly.
The gyratory system has a tremendous impact on the town centre. When the Brook and Best Street were developed to meet at a new junction with the A2 New Road, Chatham town centre was split from the rest of the surrounding areas, including the site of the former Buzz Bingo.
Roads to the west of the site provide up to six vehicle lanes serving the Brook, plus a central reservation in the middle to segregate two-way traffic. It is met by Best Street which has up to three vehicle lanes to direct traffic north or south. Best Street and the Brook meet at a larger junction with the A2 New Road where through traffic is directed east or west. The A2 New Road at this junction has up to six vehicle lanes with a central reservation. These major routes and junctions had a negative impact on the existing built form and this can be seen where buildings turn their backs on the road.
The proposed development would face the road and have the effect of a more deliberate built form, which would be more attractive from the road, creating more of a gateway to the High Street.
The site is separated from the 14-storey tower blocks along Bryant Street, which dominate the south-eastern approaches to the town, by New Road.
The proposals offer a tremendous opportunity to repair some of the damage done as a result of historic developments in this part of Chatham.
