Council will not rule out dock housing development

About 800 people are currently employed at the Chatham Docks

The deputy leader of Medway Council said the authority would not rule out erecting a housing development at Chatham Docks.

The council must find space to build more than 28,000 houses by 2040 in order to meet its national housing targets.

Teresa Murray said she “doesn’t want to predetermine” the outcome of a public consultation, but the authority was looking at all possible areas.

A campaign group said: “We’re going to fight as long as it takes.”

Medway Council’s Local Plan will set out a strategy for meeting the government’s housing targets, which are 1,667 homes per year for Medway, and 28,339 by 2040.

Chatham Docks have been added to a list of a number of sites to be considered for development, despite Labour leader Vince Maple previously opposing the idea.

Deputy leader of the council Teresa Murray called on “everybody with an interest in the future of Medway” to have their say.

“The important thing is to hear from developers, land owners, people of any organisation and individuals about what they would like to see,” she said.

“We’re not the land owners. It’s on us to work with land owners and possible developers and maybe even come to a conclusion where we could have a mixed development with employment and housing on that site.

“But giving an absolute guarantee would mean I am trying to predetermine the outcome of the consultation, and I’m not going to do that.”

'No other asset like this'

About 800 people are currently employed at the docks.

Phil Taylor, from Save Chatham Docks, said it would be “nonsense” to build houses on the site.

“It is important that Chatham Docks is protected. Not just for me and my business, but all the other businesses and the people of Medway town. There is no other asset like this everywhere else,” he said.