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THIS PICTURE: Brian Weddell, head of Medway Renaissance.
“We have a lot of support from the local community. People recognise that there is a better future ahead”
they had never been there before. Robin Cooper: And one of the big plus points is that it has not been done at the expense of green spaces. We have been re-using land that was industrial. It is not taking away some of the stunning scenery that we have around the area. What do you think Medway’s best achievements have been so far? Neil Davies: They are many, and varied, I would say. I think we have demonstrated some of the delivery credentials already. We have already mentioned the universities. And we have seen Chatham Maritime, where we have worked closely with the regional development agency, and the development is still continuing there. To see the waterfront transform, in terms of what it was a few years ago, it is a fantastic prospect. Robin Cooper: One of the things I would add is support. You cannot deliver regeneration as a local authority without the private sector because that is, by and large, where the big sums of money come from. We are already seeing that with the investments that are coming in here. Also, there is a lot of support from the local community. People recognise there is a better future ahead. We don’t
have campaign groups trying to stop what we are doing. People understand what we are trying to do and I think this is absolutely crucial if you want to deliver a regeneration programme. Rodney Chambers: An example of that is how we managed to create the team of volunteer Medway Regeneration Ambassadors. I was a bit sceptical at first but people have been coming forward and they are people from all walks of life; people who have lived here for years and people who have moved here. If you ask them “why do you want to be a Medway Ambassador?” and they say “I think it is wonderful here now, but what the future holds is even better”. They paint a picture of the future of Medway as being a bit like a utopia. There is a lot of enthusiasm in the area. Brian Weddell: For me, by the end of this three-year period we will have completed some of the strategic projects. And this triggers investment worth up to £6 billion. If you add on top of that things like the power stations and the National Grid site, where a new power station is worth £4.6 billion, all these investments coming into the area will be staggering when they are all added together.” M