Clean-up starts on derelict land

Five wharves are closing to make way for the development

Working on building a wall between the Medway and Rochester riverside is getting under way after the award of a contract for the initial work.

The progress, announced by South East England Development Agency and Medway Council, follows several set-backs.

At one stage a developer pulled out, and existing businesses on the land threatened a legal challenge to plans.

A contractor will now build a new river wall, clean up and raise the largely derelict area to prevent flooding.

Proposals for the site, which is more than 84 acres, include 2,000 homes, a hotel, school and space for retail and business development.

Planning permission was granted in June and earlier this year the scheme was awarded more than £42m by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

The plans are now with the Government Office for the South East which has yet to give a response.

The contract was awarded to a civil engineering joint venture Edmund Nuttall/Van Oord.