MedwayOne is the proposed redevelopment of the former Kingsnorth power station site – a strategic brownfield site – for new employment development. The new development would have the potential to accommodate a mixture of commercial, manufacturing, industrial, distribution, data centre and energy uses, on the Hoo Peninsula, Medway in Kent.

Leading international energy company Uniper owns the former Kingsnorth power station site, and is responsible for bringing forward plans for its redevelopment. Uniper will be submitting an outline planning application to Medway Council in early 2021. The application will set out the general principles for the development of the site, with detailed designs being approved by Medway Council under separate future reserved matters applications to be submitted by developers that locate to MedwayOne in the future.

We are unable to confirm exactly when construction activity would be completed. This would depend on which companies choose to locate at MedwayOne and the industries they are from. The individual companies would be responsible for seeking a reserved matters approval for a detailed scheme for their respective developments. For a development of this size, we expect the site to be developed in a sustainable way over a period of 10 years.

MedwayOne is a long-term development project, and it’s not unusual for a site of this size to take around 10 years to be fully occupied and developed.

The site would be accessed via the existing site entrance off Eshcol Road, which connects with the A228. We are aware of local concerns about traffic on the Hoo Peninsular, and our team is looking carefully at possible measures for managing any additional impact of traffic as a result of  MedwayOne. Uniper is working with Medway Council and Highways England to understand the potential impact the MedwayOne development could have on the local road network. The number, type and hours of traffic movements will depend on the individual businesses that choose to locate to MedwayOne in the future. However, for our outline application our technical team will test the worst possible scenario in terms of traffic movements that the site could generate. This would  determine the maximum amount of traffic movements that the site could support, without negatively impacting the wider area. To read more about the traffic assessments we have completed to date, please click here.

The proposals for MedwayOne include the potential for part of the site to be offered as a HGV layover area for around 40-50 HGVs to park overnight. This would include facilities such as showers and toilets for drivers to use, as well as overnight parking for hauliers serving both MedwayOne and other destinations nearby. Separate discussions will take place on the provision of this service with future commercial operators.

There are two jetties on site: the Kingsnorth Coal Unloading Jetty (also known as Long Reach Jetty), which was built in 1964 as part of the construction for Kingsnorth power station. The Long Reach Jetty was designed specifically to bring coal along its conveyors, which would have been unloaded from cargo ships that were specially built to navigate the waterways and dock at the jetty at Kingsnorth; and, the Oil Pipeline Jetty known as the Oakham Ness Jetty. The Oakham Ness Jetty was built in 1980 to supply oil to the now demolished Grain A power station. The forthcoming planning application does not specify a use for either jetty. The MedwayOne masterplan has been specifically designed to maintain access to enable the possible reuse of the jetties.  Any reuse of the jetties would be subject to a separate planning application.

Yes – cycle paths will be provided within the development along the main spine road, and will extend along Eschol Road, connecting to the existing cycle route.

Yes – the paths will be linked, and the site will be accessible by foot and bicycle. Outside of visitor spaces to serve specific businesses, no additional visitor parking spaces are proposed.

The Environmental Statement and technical reports which accompany the application assess any potential impact of the development on the environment and infrastructure such as highways. Where appropriate it has identified any required mitigation measures.

The Environmental Statement and the supporting Planning Statement include summaries of the mitigation measures. The documents will be submitted with the planning application and will be available online via the Councils website.

The application is supported by a Sustainable Distribution Plan, which directs HGV movements along Peninsula Way and not through Hoo.

Trip forecasts for the development have been based on the most trip intensive uses of the range proposed within the Outline Planning Application. Uses such as energy and data centres would generate fewer trips than uses such as industrial and warehousing.

The details of trip attraction assumptions are outlined in the Transport Assessment. The analysis is based upon surveys of similar sites and consistency with the trip attraction assumptions from the merging Local Plan evidence base.

Occupiers are expected to provide sufficient parking to meet requirements. The layover is intended to provide additional parking if HGVs arrive early and cannot access yards etc. The HGV layover area is a place for drivers to rest and would be available to nearby drivers, associated with the adjacent industrial areas. HGVs are therefore not expected to be in the layover area for long periods of time and therefore, we would not wish to promote a larger area, so it becomes a destination for HGV’s which are not already travelling to the peninsula.

As this is an Outline Planning Application, how the potential HGV layover area would be managed has not yet been determined.

The HGV layover area would be managed to prevent unauthorised access and misuse of the facilities. The facility will be for short-term stop overs for drivers of HGV vehicles only, and therefore anyone stopping over for longer than the allocated period will be required to leave.

Yes, all HGV drivers will be able to use the facilities, however the facility is not intended to be a “destination” rather than serving vehicles already travelling to the peninsula.

The units shown in the masterplan plan illustrate parking in accordance with current industry standards. The final configuration will be determined at the reserved matters stage and will be in accordance with industry standards at that time.

The management of lorry parking will be for individual occupiers to control. The Sustainable Distribution Plan will also include a monitor and manage aspect in this regard.

The proposals do not necessitate the need for a further access road, as demonstrated in the supporting Transport Assessment (TA) which forms part of the Environmental Statement. The TA does, however, identify other mitigation necessary which will be secured by the Outline Planning Application.

The access road within the site is wide at 7.3 metres which can allow two large vehicles to pass. Parking is prevented along its length and managed on site to move on any stationary vehicles. Gates to plots (where provided) are set back. The potential HGV layover area will also provide a parking facility for HGV drivers, so they do not block roads.

The two jetties lie outside the application area. Oakham Ness Jetty to the east is some distance from the development area and comprises an oil pipeline that serves a now demolished power station at Grain. It is designed for the transportation for oil only and therefore its potential for re-use is limited. However, the development proposals do not prejudice its future re-use.

Long Reach Jetty which extends from the southern boundary of the main development area, would require substantial adaption for an alternative use (other than for the transportation of coal). Without an identified end user, it is not possible to include the jetty within the application because we do not know what works could be required to make it suitable for re-use. However, the site masterplan does not prejudice the re-use of the jetty and should an end user come forward, a separate planning application could be made to make it suitable for re-use.

There are no identified end users/occupiers at present. However, the Outline Planning Application seeks permission for a range of potential uses covering light industrial, storage and distribution, and data centre and energy uses. These are the same types of uses that already occupy Kingsnorth Industrial Estate and London Medway Commercial Park, with the exception of the data centre.

The “Energy Hub” seeks to describe the potential for energy provision on the site which could work/operate with other businesses on the site by providing a source of energy supply, that could also serve the wider local area.

This is currently unknown and will be subject to the final occupiers/energy uses that come forward.

There is no specific location for the Energy Hub at present as the masterplan is flexible, so it can be located where it best meets the needs of the site. However, any energy development will need to adhere to the building height parameters, which might exclude some uses from certain parts of the site i.e. where the height limits are lower.

There are no plans at present to automate the sluice gates, but this will be reviewed as the application progresses.

Any additional infrastructure that is required will be provided on site to meet the needs of the development.

The Environmental Statement includes a detailed assessment of the potential impacts of the development on ecology and sets out a series of mitigation measures, which will be secured by the Outline Planning Application permission if granted.

The rabbit population may sometimes require controlling, for example where they burrow into the flood defence bunds. Any control will be carefully considered and carried out in accordance with guidance on animal welfare.

These non-developed areas will be secured as part of the parameter plan/masterplan that will be submitted for approval and shows these as non-developed areas for landscape, ecology, and drainage.

The nature reserve is to the west of the main access into the site in Parcel 1. This area is not shown for development and will be retained and managed for the benefit of ecology and landscape.

The supporting Environmental Statement includes an assessment of the proposals impact on Air Quality and sets out appropriate mitigation measures.

We expect the development could create around 700 temporary construction jobs over the lifetime of the build.

We expect that many of these jobs would be available to local people, however, this cannot be guaranteed. Construction jobs would be subject to any specialist construction requirements, which would be determined by the future occupiers and through reserved matters applications for the detailed design of the buildings.

Part of the attractiveness of the site for potential occupiers is the availability of a local labour force. Our Socio-Economic Impact Assessment has looked the at employment trends and unemployment figures in Medway. Evidence suggests that employment created by the development could benefit local people.

Any contributions secured by the Outline Planning Application need to be reasonably related to the development. Unfortunately, this would not cover contributions towards a medical centre.

Majority of the land outlined in blue on the site location plan accompanying the application is mostly covered by ecological designations (SSSI, RAMSAR, SPA). There are no proposals at this stage to develop this land.