Docklands-style waterfront living in Kent: new 'green' neighbourhood offering commuter homes in historic Medway town

Kent’s historic Medway towns are an obvious place for Docklands-style waterfront living. Decline set in during the Eighties when the royal dockyard at Chatham closed.

But new fast rail links and ambitious regeneration are beginning to entice London commuters two decades after Eurostar trains first cut a swathe through this region.

Medway Renaissance is a co-ordinated project that aims to transform eight miles of riverfront, linking several towns into an 8,000-home “linear city”.

Chatham is at the centre, with high-rise apartments and family houses being built alongside a protected Georgian area, a new 300-berth marina and retail complex plus leisure attractions.

St Mary’s Island, once a dumping ground for the naval base, has been transformed into a 150-acre “green” neighbourhood with boardwalks alongside shops, cafés and restaurants.

Traditional Kentish-style designs are mixed with contemporary-style architecture — bold colours, timber cladding, sun decks and steeply pitched roofs. And there are splendid water views.

Azure, the latest phase, includes three-storey, four-bedroom houses from £505,000. Call 01634 891200.