Medway celebrates a decade of design

Developers from across the UK attended an awards ceremony to celebrate Medway’s continued regeneration.

Medway’s finest developments were honoured at the first-ever Medway Design and Regeneration Awards last week, which celebrated the past 10 years of new development in the area.

Medway has witnessed extensive regeneration, with a number of new developments already in place. The ongoing transformation of Medway is helping to make the area an even more desirable place to live, work, learn and visit.

Dozens of organisations and developments were nominated and the standard was high, giving an independent panel of judges the difficult task of selecting an overall winner for each of the nine categories.

The shortlisted finalists were invited to attend the awards ceremony, which was held in the prestigious No. 1 Smithery in the Historic Dockyard, Chatham, and was part of the Battle of Medway commemorations. They were joined by TV presenter and architecture critic Tom Dyckhoff, who was guest speaker on the night, and chief executive at Design for Homes David Birbeck who was the compere.

Winning developments

• Residential minor – Manna House, Upnor
• Residential major – Centenary Gardens, Gillingham
• Residential super major – Victory Pier, Gillingham
• Public buildings, community – Medway Park
• Public buildings, education – Walderslade Primary School
• Civils and infrastructure – Great Lines Heritage Park
• Commercial industrial and retail – restaurant quarter Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre
• Restoration conservation – Command of the Oceans
• Regeneration impact – The Historic Dockyard Chatham

People’s Choice

Residents also had the opportunity to celebrate a decade of design by voting for their winning development for the ‘Regeneration Impact’ category. Victory Pier won the people’s choice and received the most nominations for its positive impact on regeneration in Medway.

Sponsors of the event

The first-ever Medway Design and Regeneration Awards were sponsored by:

• Bellway Homes
• Countryside Properties
• Redrow Homes
• Kent Development Group/Locate in Kent

‘Exciting regeneration programme’

Leader of Medway Council Cllr Alan Jarrett said: “The Medway Design and Regeneration Awards was a huge success. It highlighted some of the fantastic developments which have provided modern housing, as well as job opportunities.

“Medway is undergoing an exciting regeneration programme, attracting new residents and businesses. We are committed to ensuring Medway’s economy continues to grow and the area provides a wealth of facilities for our residents.”