Strood Riverside

Date: 2006

Planning

Client: Medway Council

The Strood Riverside site is part of a much wider regeneration vision for the area set out within the Medway Waterfront Renaissance strategy. PRP are preparing a Development Brief and Master plan for Strood Riverside. PRP lead team comprises King Sturge, providing market valuation services and Scott Wilson, providing transport and environmental consultancy services. PRP Town Planning were involved in the masterplan and supplementary planning document.

Our mixed used residential led master plan proposals are dealing with the complex relationship between land-use quality, energy and land efficiency, to create an attractive place that adds to the quality of life for local Strood.

At present the site is ‘land locked’, isolated from it surroundings it is bounded by the river to the south and east and the main railway line to the west. Access is limited to one road, off a poor junction at the start of Rochester Bridge and under the railway line. To the north sitting in the bowl of the Frindsbury chalk cliff are the backs of housing.

Currently the site has a variety of uses ranging from industrial through to warehousing. There are pockets of vacant or under used land as well as a substantial affordable housing scheme. Kingswear gardens and a riverside side ‘pocket park’. The main physical asset of the area is riverside location and stunning views over the Medway currently however open space provision is of low amenity value. Strood Railway Station is on the main line to London, offers a transport opportunity to unlock potential for the site. However at present access is poor.

The aim of the brief is to prepare documentation to unlock the potential of the site, whilst providing a framework to ensure quality in terms of built environment and to contribute to the regeneration of Strood as a vibrant and balanced local community centre.