CHATHAM Maritime has been given a 20th anniversary present by being rated the UK’s best regeneration project.

The turnaround of the former naval dockyard site over the past 20 years was recognised by expert judges at a ceremony at London’s Hilton Hotel.

Bosses of the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), which is responsible for the site, were presented with a chromium-plated trophy at a glittering award ceremony hosted by Gryff Rhys Jones, presented of the Restoration television series.

The accolade for an important area in the Thames Gateway regeneration scheme from East London to Swale comes 20 years after the devastating closure of the dockyard in 1984.

Chatham Maritime saw off tough competition to win the trophy. Rivals included the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich, a wharf in Kidderminster, and projects in South Wales, Brixton and Coventry.

Paul Hudson, SEEDA’s director of regeneration, and Jonathan Sadler, who spearheads the Chatham Maritime project from headquarters in The Observatory, collected the award.

Mr Hudson said he was delighted, especially as it showed powerful recognition by experts in the building industry.

“We often take our own projects for granted but this award shows that Chatham Maritime has national significance,” he said.

“It can only put us on a broader national stage. We were the only regional development agency to win any of the 18 awards. It will certainly give us a basis for re-promoting Chatham Maritime.”

Since SEEDA took over Chatham Maritime from English Partnerships, the project has generated around £400m, with SEEDA investing around £150m.

It has created some 5,000 jobs, with a further 5,000 living on the site, mainly on St Mary’s Island. “We are continuing to deliver and that’s the watchword in Thames Gateway,” Mr Hudson added.