The new park includes natural play areas, social spaces, a community kitchen garden and enhanced connectivity through the site.

Waterside regeneration specialists, Peel Waters have marked a placemaking milestone by celebrating the completion of a brand-new public park at Chatham Waters in Medway, Kent.

The new green park which spans over half an acre, has completely transformed the former industrial brownfield land into a scenic and sensory central corridor, running through Chatham Waters from the entrance point to the River Medway. The network of new accessible paths through the park also provides attractive and convenient routes for residents, workers and visitors across the growing neighbourhood.

Over 80 new trees and 15 different varieties of shrubs have been planted, with species chosen to provide habitats for wildlife and pollinators for bees.

Plenty of open space for residents and the community to enjoy has been designed into the scheme. Over 1,000m² of lawn has been laid, providing areas for residents to relax in and play games, with benches and picnic areas installed to encourage residents to sit, socialise and utilise the park.  Two circular feature benches that wrap around semi-mature trees and shrub planting have also been designed into the park.

With a growing number of families choosing to live in Chatham Waters, large play areas have been created. Families can enjoy a timber rope bridge, stepping stumps, climbing net, play boulders, balance beam and see-saw, as well as large natural play areas for children to explore and stimulate their imagination.

A focal point of the park is the community kitchen garden area, which includes a small fruit orchard and raised planters for residents to grow herbs and vegetables in. The area has been named ‘Andrew’s Allotment’ as a tribute to Andrew Malcolm Dickson who was part of the Peel Waters team and project managed several of the developments at Chatham Waters for many years. With over a thousand residents currently living at Chatham Waters, it’s hoped that the community take pride in nurturing the garden and enjoy planting and growing their own herbs and vegetables.

More than £150million has already been invested into Chatham Waters by Peel as part of their ambitious regeneration of the former industrial site. Improved infrastructure, a large ASDA Superstore, a Marston’s family pub and restaurant and the Waterfront UTC, have all been delivered within the waterside neighbourhood, in addition to over 600 new homes of which more than 80% are occupied by local people from the Medway area. The new park has added to the existing green spaces, the dock gardens and the waterfront promenade, bringing the total of public realm created by Peel Waters within Chatham Waters to over 3.5 acres.

A ceremony which brought together key members of the community with representatives from the public and private sector took place to celebrate the opening of the new park. During the event the final tree was planted by James Whittaker Managing Director of Peel Waters with Greg Dickson and Lara Elsegood, the son and daughter of the late Andrew Dickson; marking the completion of the new park at Chatham Waters.

James Whittaker, Managing Director of Peel Waters said: “We’re really pleased  to launch this next phase of public realm at Chatham Waters. This new park links up the front of Chatham Waters to the wider neighbourhood and opens up what I believe to be Medway’s biggest asset – the river.

“Before we built this new park, this site was previously used for heavy industry and was inaccessible to the public. By working with our partners, landscapers, urban designers and Medway Council, we’ve been able to regenerate this area into high-quality public realm, creating a place where people can meet, children can play and pets can be walked.

“It’s an amazing environment we’ve created here and we’re really proud of what’s been achieved.”

Lauren Edwards, MP for Rochester and Strood, attended the event and added: “I was delighted to be at the opening of the new park at Chatham Waters. It’s a beautiful garden and open space that I know is really going to benefit the residents. This is what I want to see more of across my constituency – communities, not just houses. It’s important that everyone has access to great green spaces where they can meet, socialise, and really foster that sense of community.”

The park was constructed by local contractor Keady Construction part of the O’Halloran & O’Brien Group. The Kent based organisation have already successfully delivered over 400 of the homes at Chatham Waters on behalf of Peel Waters for Legal and General Affordable Homes and X1 Developments.

David Fridd, Site Manager at Keady Construction, part of the O’Halloran & O’Brien Group, who oversaw the delivery of the park for Peel Waters said: “I have lived in Medway all my life and I haven’t seen or worked on any other schemes quite like this one. It is beautiful.

“I feel really proud of what we have delivered here, together with Peel Waters and Legal&General Affordable Homes. As I say I am a local man and what we have produced here at Chatham Waters with quality affordable accommodation for local people, quality public realm amenity for all to enjoy and a quality playground for the children to play on, it’s absolutely superb. I’m really looking forward to bringing my family here to enjoy this space and make memories together.

The new park at Chatham Waters is now open.