Medway Local Plan (Regulation 18, 2023)

Hi. I'm keen to see better cycling routes. For example: clearly connecting medway valley leisure park, rochester town centre, chatham centre and the shopping centre at dockyard. A medway cycle super highway good for kids and adults perhaps. Some of the route is already there but not enough of it and what there needs to be better (safer, coherent, attractive to coax people on to it). E.g. going from Roch to Strood, after Roch bridge, you are forced back into heavy traffic in the one way system (round starbucks, wimpy, mcdonalds triangle). I cycle from roch town entre to Nuffield health centre sometimes but, bar the hills, it's pretty unpleasant with the driving/close after Morrisons and along Cuxton road - only the brave or mad would do it in rush hour. I'm thinking we need another car in large part because I can't happily cycle that route safely. And better bike locking facilities- they need to be sheffield cycle stands everywhere to get front and back wheel and frame. Low hoop are beyond useless for prevention of theft. I would happily provide more input and support on design of cycle routes in Medway if that's useful. I recognise this is my personal use case. I think more people would cycle to the medway estate with better routes but that needs validating - especially shift workers need to cycle safely in nighttime/early morning.

I'm keen to see Medway estate protected for its jobs and contribution to economy. I would like to see, as a Rochester Riverside resident, more sound protection - Veetee factory is very loud at night. Some trees perhaps between any industrial site and the river, to buffer sound for residents and future developments that might be impacted in a similar way. Countryside might pay for some trees if it was built into the planning and it worked - I'm not a sound expert, I expect the river amplifies the sound.

Connecting up the centres of amenities in medway seems important. E.g. A bus route that runs from Strood retail park, to Rochester railway station, to chatham pentagon, to the dockyard, every 30 mins would be good, without changing. Connecting those centres seems important to get people out of cars. The intent to encourage more offices near around chatham, seems a good idea. Perhaps put in a foot passenger ferry (and for bikes) from the medway estate to sun pier running week days e.g. between 11 and 3 - might be interesting for bringing the estate people over to shop/use amenities.