HTA and BPTW Partnership secure Planning Consent
HTA and bptw partnership have secured planning consent for up to 1,400 new homes at Rochester Riverside – a transformational mixed-use regeneration project being delivered by Countryside and Hyde Housing Association. Last night, Medway Council gave unanimous outline approval for the £400 million seven-phase masterplan, alongside detailed approval for the first three phases which will deliver 489 new homes and commercial facilities.
As part of the hybrid application, bptw produced detailed designs for 459 homes, 885 sq.m of commercial floorspace, and a new 81 bed hotel located adjacent to Rochester station as part of the first three phases of the Rochester Riverside development. HTA led on the outline seven-phase masterplan for the 24.5 hectare former brownfield site, which, when complete, will deliver up to 1,400 new homes and over 8,000 sq.m of non-residential floorspace, including a brand new local primary school.
The Rochester Riverside masterplan aims to establish a mixed and diverse community, with 25% affordable housing across the entire site. In the initial three phases, bptw has created a varied range of bespoke house, maisonette and apartment typologies, to be set in a landscape that draws on the natural heritage of the site, specifically designed for the historical riverside location. bptw and HTA have been commissioned to produce the post-planning drawings in order to start on site in November and enable occupancy in the first homes in 2019.
The approval of this planning application represents the most significant step in the regeneration of this important Medway site and marks a significant moment in the site’s history that will start to deliver major regeneration benefits to the site and to the City.
The site connects the town to the River Medway, with the proposals designed to complement the fabric of the city whilst creating a new vibrant urban quarter. The design team has drawn inspiration from the wider Medway area, referencing the rich fabric found in the conservation areas of Rochester and also the character of Chatham and the Historic Naval Dockyard. Rochester Riverside will implement a public open space network that improves connectivity across the site and builds on connections to the river front. The network will provide a number of new urban spaces as well as a series of distinctive open spaces, orientated to provide views to Rochester and the Medway, forming a cohesive chain of recreational opportunities which link back to Rochester via a 2.5km circular trail.
The planning application was overseen by the bptw planning team, and the proposals for the Rochester Riverside masterplan are the result of close collaboration between bptw partnership, HTA Design LLP, Countryside and Hyde Housing Association. The project has also benefitted from an extensive and inclusive design development process with Medway Council, the Homes and Communities Agency and the local community.
