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Donard Homes plan to build blocks of flats at Bardell Wharf, Rochester set for approval

Plans to demolish warehouses to make way for blocks of nearly 400 waterside apartments look set to get the nod.

Proposals to transform the derelict Bardell Wharf site near Star Hill in Rochester have been put forward by Donard Homes.

An architect's impression of how the Bardell Wharf development in Rochester could look. Picture: POD Architects
An architect's impression of how the Bardell Wharf development in Rochester could look. Picture: POD Architects

Councillors are due to decide on the plans on Wednesday (November 16).

The scheme would include demolishing all existing warehouses and industrial buildings on site to make way for 374 flats.

The homes would be between one and three bedrooms and set across three blocks, the highest of which would be 11 storeys high.

The plans also include 253 parking spaces, access from Bardell Terrace, highway works on the junction between Corporation Street and the High Street, and three commercial units.

Affordable housing would account for 10% of the homes on the site.

Councillors previously approved plans for 331 flats there in 2019 but the planning permission has now run out.

Developers want to build three blocks of flats on a former industrial site. Picture: POD Architects
Developers want to build three blocks of flats on a former industrial site. Picture: POD Architects

More recently, they gave permission for part of the site to host a four-storey accommodation block to house boarding students from Rochester Independent College.

Objections to the plans for the flats were put forward by the City of Rochester Society, which said the scheme was oversized and would impact the High Street and Chatham Intra conservation areas.

These comments were echoed by Historic England, who felt the height of the buildings could impact the historical skyline of Rochester.

In recommending approval for the development, the council's planning officers concluded they would need to attach conditions to the build in order to ensure materials and architectural details are sympathetic to the surroundings.

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