| Client | Countryside and Hyde |
| Architect | BPTW and HTA Design |
| Number of Homes | 1,400 |
| Site Area | 24 ha |
| Other Uses | 8,000sqm |
| Local Authority | Medway Council |
| Planning Approved | January 2018 |
Rochester Riverside is a major regeneration project that will extend the city centre of one of South East England’s most historic cathedral cities with a new riverside destination of 1400 homes and a range of community and commercial facilities.
BPTW prepared and managed the submission of a hybrid planning application at Rochester Riverside which was approved in 2017, including detailed planning permission for 534 homes, an 81-bed hotel and commercial floor space in Phases 1, 2 and 3. Later, BPTW’s planning team secured a reserved matters planning permission for the development’s primary school while working alongside an education specialist architectural practice and secured an additional 154 homes in Phase 3 through a Section 73 permission. These phases forms part of a wider seven-phase development of up to 1,400 homes and significant commercial spaces located within an extensive network of public spaces and landscaping.
Our planning team played a key role in the preparation of the planning applications and led the engagement with Homes England. The team also managed a comprehensive programme of consultation to ensure the local community, businesses and Councillors were active in the design process. The project has been recognised industry wide, from receiving the Housing Design Award’s ‘Winners of Winners’ and ‘Building for a Healthy Life’ awards in 2020 to commendations in the ‘Planning Permission of the Year’ category and as a finalist in the ‘Stakeholder Engagement’ category at The Planning Awards 2018, and a nomination for the ‘Best Housing Scheme (500 Homes or More)’ category at The Planning Awards 2021.
