Planning for Housing in Medway

Housing is integral to the creation of sustainable communities. Whether owned or rented, a home provides people with stability and security to grow and plan for the future.

Yet in Medway, housing, or the lack of housing, is an urgent problem.

For many years, the delivery of housing in Medway has fallen significantly behind the targets set by the Council. The result: declining housing availability and affordability.

With overall housing demand expected to remain very strong, there is an acute need to build more houses in sustainable locations and which cater for a variety of community needs.

Map Key

	Illustrative site boundary
	Medway Unitary Authority Area

The Site

Hoo St Werburgh is a large village to the south of the A228 Peninsula Way. The focal point for the village lies to the south east around the junction of Main Road and Bell's Lane. In recent years, the village has grown with development occurring to the east of Bell's Lane.

As the largest settlement on the Hoo Peninsula, Hoo St Werburgh offers a range of facilities and services. It also acts as a service centre for smaller settlements in the wider area.

Our emerging development proposals are ideally situated on the urban edge of Hoo St Werburgh in a sustainable location that provides walkable access to the facilities and services of the village.

Map Key

Illustrative site boundary

Our Vision

Our vision is to create a high-quality sustainable development, which responds to its surroundings, and has strong links with the local area.

The emerging development proposals are for up to 240 new homes. A mix of housing types and tenures (including affordable housing) will be provided.

info Click on the map markers to read more about our vision.

At the heart of our proposals is a strong focus on high-quality design and creating a public realm that promotes well-being and active living, with convenient public transport links, and that integrates with the surrounding community.

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	Information about our vision
	Proposed housing
	Proposed roads
	Proposed and existing footpaths and cycleways
	Existing and proposed tree planting
	Proposed play area
	Proposed attenuation basin

Healthy by Design

Our emerging development proposals are underpinned by "Healthy by Design" principles and seek to create a neighbourhood that is safe, attractive and well planned to provide residents with opportunities to participate in physical activity and recreation.

The creation of attractive public spaces will also promote community interaction and contribute towards an increased sense of belonging.

info Click on the map markers to read more about our "Healthy by Design" principles.

Outdoor green spaces will be designed to encourage walking and cycling, with a network of new and improved footpaths also strengthening links to the surrounding area. Residents will be able to access a range of facilities and amenities, including The Hundred of Hoo Academy School, by foot or bicycle.

Residents will also have convenient access to public transport through the creation of a new combined bus and cycle route through the development. This will encourage sustainable travel and provide connections to Hoo St Werburgh itself and the wider area.

Tree planting will be incorporated along the bus and cycle route. Green corridors will be provided towards to the north east of the scheme, alongside a community orchard.

New and existing residents in the local community will have enhanced facilities for recreation and play. A Locally Equipped Area for Play will be positioned in the north east of the scheme and an incidental play area created in the south west, allowing for "play on the way" activities.

Map Key

	Information about our vision
	Proposed housing
	Proposed roads
	Proposed access road
	New and improved cycle and footpaths
	Existing and proposed tree planting
	Proposed play area
	Proposed attenuation basin

Supporting Nature

Nature conservation is important in helping to protect wildlife and the ecosystems we share with them.

Our emerging development proposals have been designed to support nature through a combination of retention and management of existing habitats where possible, the creation of species-rich grassland and tree planting within the public open space, and installation of a surface water attenuation pond and wildlife planting.

info Click on the map markers to read more about our plans to support nature.

A surface water attenuation pond will be positioned in the south west of the scheme. This will provide an attractive design feature and will be created as an ecological enhancement feature designed to benefit biodiversity.

Map Key

	Information about our vision
	Proposed housing
	Proposed roads
	Proposed and existing footpaths and cycleways
	Existing and proposed tree planting
	Proposed play area
	Proposed attenuation basin

Your Thoughts

This consultation is now closed, but comments and suggestions are still welcome.

Thank you for taking the time to read about our emerging development proposals.

Your views matter to us and we invite you to complete the short survey below.

We will consider your views and use them to inform our development proposals before submitting an outline planning application.

The outline planning application will look at the principle of the development, defining the scheme's general layout, scale and means of access.

The final detailed layout of the scheme, including the design of the new homes, will be subject to future submissions to the Council (known as Reserved Matters applications). The survey will close on Friday 28th July 2023.

Map Key

	Click to answer the survey
	Proposed housing
	Proposed roads
	Proposed and existing footpaths and cycleways
	Existing and proposed tree planting
	Proposed play area
	Proposed attenuation basin

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