Regeneration in Gillingham

Gillingham town centre improvements

We've been making improvements to Gillingham town centre. Find out more about our improvements for:

Community safety

We've taken steps to improve safety in the town centre including:

  • 8 new CCTV cameras in the high street
  • an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera trial
  • extended parking restrictions in the high street from 6.30pm to 12am, with fines for offenders.

Since 1 January 2026, our officers have spent nearly 1,000 hours in Gillingham High Street. There is also an increased police presence to help tackle anti-social behaviour.

In Gillingham South ward, reported crime has fallen in the following areas:

  • hate crime
  • shoplifting
  • domestic abuse
  • public order offences.

police officers with 3 civilians, smiling

Housing in the town centre

We've introduced an Article 4 Direction to manage housing development.

This places tighter local restrictions on the expansion of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs). This gives us stronger powers to prevent developments that are not in the best interests of the community.

Keeping the town centre clean

We're investing in keeping the town centre clean and tidy.

This includes:

  • £100,000 of secured funding for improved street cleaning
  • recruiting an additional street operative
  • introducing a street sweeping vehicle to clean the high street daily.

Gillingham High Street now also benefits from:

  • morning cleaning and litter bin emptying Monday to Friday until 4pm
  • weekend cleaning crews on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Since August 2025, we have:

  • dealt with more than 30 reports of graffiti across the town centre
  • continued to remove graffiti from commercial and public property.

We're also exploring anti-litter initiatives at Balmoral Gardens and Great Lines Heritage Park.

Work by the Gillingham Taskforce has helped reduce littering. We've seen:

  • a reduction in the amount of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) issued for littering
  • a reduction in the amount of waste-related reports from residents compared to 2025.

Find out more about the Gillingham Taskforce.

Community events

We're creating more opportunities for residents to come together and enjoy the town centre.

The third annual Big Day Out Love Gillingham event was on Sunday 19 July 2026.

We're also developing more high street events throughout the year to:

  • bring communities together
  • increase local pride.
Group of people with Love Gillingham tote bags smiling towards the camera.

 

Arts, culture and heritage

We're celebrating local culture and history in the town centre.

This includes:

  • commissioning new murals to create a sense of community pride. The first mural has been unveiled on Railway Bridge (opposite the train station), created by street artist Luke Smile
  • planning further street art projects in 2026 to 2027.

We've also worked with the Royal Engineers to install a commemorative sign outside the Conservative Club in Sappers Walk.

Regeneration and investment

We're investing in the long-term future of Gillingham's town centre.

We worked with local residents to create an action plan to make Gillingham a better place to live, work, learn and visit.

Find out more about the Gillingham Town Centre Vision and Action Plan.

The first major project will be a £500,000 regeneration of Civic Square in the high street. Work is expected to start in autumn 2026, with completion planned for February 2027.

Gillingham Community Network

We're supporting local people to shape the future of Gillingham.

The Gillingham Taskforce has helped establish the Gillingham Community Network, a group of residents and businesses who meet monthly.

The group is helping to deliver:

  • new wayfinding signage
  • local events
  • improvements set out in the town centre action plan.

Gillingham taskforce at a meeting