Plans for 300 new homes including affordable housing and assisted living at Chatham Waters progress

Contracts have been exchanged to build a further 300+ homes at Peel L&P’s Chatham Waters in Kent extending the development’s residential offer to affordable housing and a nursing home for people with dementia and other care needs.

The news also brings forward the development of more public realm and green space for communities at Chatham Waters.

The regeneration business has signed agreements with Legal & General Affordable Homes (LGAH) and specialist healthcare developer Montpelier Estates to deliver the new homes, subject to planning approval, in the Central area of Chatham Waters as part of the next stage of the consented masterplan for the development.

Peel L&P will act as the developer for LGAH’s £40m scheme of 237 homes for shared ownership and affordable rent which will be split across two blocks into 1 and 2-bed apartments and 3-bed town houses.

Montpelier’s £12.5m development will bring high quality homes for elderly people with the need of nursing care in 72 ensuite rooms and five assisted living apartments. The ground floor will also feature a bistro café, small cinema, spa and beauty salon, keep fit and activity spaces for both residents and the local community to come in and share.

Two planning applications are due to be submitted for the developments in the summer alongside a separate planning submission for more green space for the community next to the schemes which will include trees, planting, seating and play areas.

Just 36 minutes from London St Pancras by train, Chatham Waters offers residential, commercial, retail, leisure and education space. The 26-acre destination is already home to a University Technical College, Marston’s family restaurant, Asda Superstore and extensive public realm.

Almost 400 of the 950 homes which have planning approval at Chatham Waters are now finished with 199 homes for private sale at X1’s The Manica Building which opened in December last year and 193 homes for private rent at Long Harbour due to complete next month.

Over £100m has already been invested at Chatham Waters and around 700 full time jobs created, worth £19m to the local economy each year.

James Whittaker, Peel L&P’s Executive Director of Development said: “We’re working with Medway Council to deliver the Chatham Waters masterplan which uses brownfield land to create a world-class waterfront destination with sustainable communities, quality homes to suit a range of needs and green spaces for people to enjoy.

“This is another major step in the delivery of our approved mixed-use vision for Chatham Waters that will provide much needed affordable homes and multi-generational living and we’ve almost completed around half of the homes in this masterplan.

“These new partnerships with LGAH and Montpelier would take us to around 75% which is excellent news to help address local housing shortages and attract further investment and new jobs to the area.”

Ben Denton, Chief Executive of L&G Affordable Homes said: “We are delighted to be working with Peel L&P on the development of 237 affordable rented and shared ownership homes at Chatham Waters.  This scheme takes our overall pipeline to over 6,500 affordable homes across the country and will provide much needed affordable housing for Medway residents.” 

Anna Ciesielska, Director of Montpelier Estates said: “We are delighted to be able to work with fantastic team at Peel L&P to deliver a new service providing essential nursing care to the local community. Around 80 new full-time equivalent jobs will be created, and the local people will be invited to join activities and events such as cooking demonstrations, wine tasting evenings, film screenings and the chance to take advantage of all of the facilities on offer.”

Subject to planning approval, work is expected to start on the residential and public realm projects around spring 2022 with an estimated two-year completion.

Photo: Chatham Waters public realm and Central Zone