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Work will begin in spring 2010 on the provision of a dedicated bus priority lane to the North-West/South-East of Corporation Street. This follows a public exhibition in December 2009 and is part of Medway Council’s Quality Public Transport Corridors initiative. The project aims to reduce congestion across Medway and improve air quality through improvements to local bus services. It will include bus priority measures to improve reliability, the creation of high quality bus stop waiting facilities and real time travel information.
Quality landscaping and public realm treatment is also an important part of the scheme, including improved lighting, tree planting, reduced street clutter and high quality materials. A strategy for the public realm along Corporation Street has been produced which will help ensure that this quality is achieved. Together, it is hoped that all these measures will make this area more attractive, accessible and pedestrian-friendly.
Development Framework.
A six-week programme of public consultation ran from Monday, 4 August to Friday, 12 September 2008, giving local residents the chance to influence decisions about the regeneration of Corporation Street, a key arrival point for many people entering Medway.
Following the public consultation, the framework was revised to take account of the views the council has received. It was then adopted as a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD). This means that it will always be taken into account alongside other planning policies when the council considers planning applications for Corporation Street and it will guide land owners and developers on the development potential of their sites within the context of the overall vision for the area. As an SPD, it will be part of the council's Local Development Framework. This means landowners, retailers and residents have the right to be consulted on proposals for Corporation Street before they are finalised.
Residents and traders were asked for their views on a draft development framework that will guide development of this through-route that carries the main A2 trunk road between historic Rochester and the flagship Rochester Riverside regeneration site.
Cllr Jane Chitty, Portfolio Holder for Strategic Development and Economic Growth, said: “It’s vital that local people help shape Corporation Street’s future. It’s an area that suffers from traffic domination, dereliction, a weak image and poor identity. Our ambitions for its future are driven by the fantastic Rochester Riverside project and the keen interest in Corporation Street being shown by developers and landowners.”
The framework document lays down principles that will guide the development of this area and sums up the council's ambition: “An elegant, tree-lined street, backed by fine new architecture, which forms an attractive and efficient route between key areas of Medway. In its own right, it will be an attractive place to live and work or to walk or drive through. The new development, together with associated public realm improvements, will bolster the economy of historic Rochester and provide a link to the new community at Rochester Riverside.”
Main objectives for the area are listed as:
- development that reflects the character of central Rochester;
- integration with Rochester High Street and Rochester Riverside;
- attractive, high quality public open space;
- an active environment that complements Rochester High Street and the evolving Rochester Riverside development;
- improved street-level activity along the length of Corporation Street, with a strong focus at Rochester railway station;
- measures to help reduce the way the railway and Corporation Street cut off the High Street from the Riverside.
The following documents are available to be downloaded:
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