HIF and connecting for Medway's future
Medway is planning for its future, with growth that benefits our communities and values our area.
If we plan positively for growth, we can make sure that wider services are in place to support new housing.
We have secured £170 million from the Housing Infrastructure Fund to invest in improving transport and environmental infrastructure on the Hoo Peninsula in the next few years.
Planning for Medway’s growth
Medway’s population of 277,855 (in 2018) is anticipated to continue to grow.
Our work has shown that there is potential for development on the Hoo Peninsula. However, this is a distinctive place, with important areas for wildlife, and limited services and infrastructure. We need to plan for this growth.
Our new local plan will set out our strategy for managing growth successfully in Medway up to the late 2030s.
We need to make sure that development takes place in the most appropriate places, and that it is sensitive to the environment and supported by services.
We have a big challenge to make sure that new development does not put too much pressure on services and infrastructure.
Planning for the future of Hoo
In November 2019, we secured £170 million of government funding through the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) to invest in road, rail and environmental infrastructure.
If more homes are built on the Hoo Peninsula there will need to be improvements to:
- transport links on and off the peninsula
- greenspaces
- the environment.
Medway's bid focused on significantly improving the Hoo Peninsula's:
- transport connections
- environmental infrastructure.
This fund allows for those upfront infrastructure improvements to support housing growth over the next 20 years.