Gillingham is the home of one-half of the former Chatham Royal Navy dockyard, which closed in 1984, and the more significant half of the redevelopment that has taken place here.

While the tourist trade is based at the historic base in Chatham and Aylesford, Gillingham boasts the Chatham marina development, with the creation of leisure, business and residential facilities. The South-East Development Agency considers this area to be so important a part of its redevelopment strategy that it is headquartered here.

This constituency has been no slouch in terms of attracting inward investment. Industrial expansion on brownfield sites has also been encouraged, although as a result protecting the small remaining amount of green space has become something of a priority.