MEDWAY City Estate will need a major makeover under far-reaching ideas to attract high technology businesses into the towns.

The chief executive of Medway Council, Judith Armitt, says it would be needed to meet expansion following the development of a university and new high tech jobs on Rochester Airport.

She has told some councillors in a confidential report which Medway Today has obtained: "Medway already has a significant part of its economy centred on high technology businesses.

"BAE System, making highly sophisticated aviation systems, is the largest private sector employer in Medway and there are several other smaller firms in related industries," she has told the Medway Waterfront Advisory Group.

But she says the sector has to grow if Medway is to become renowned for its high tech image. That means building more executive housing to attract incoming management and business leaders. It also has to develop an innovation centre.

"The council's policy in relation to the provision of space for science and technology-based industries is to develop part of the Rochester airfield site," she said. "Beyond this it will be necessary to redevelop the Medway City Estate to provide higher quality business space."

Unlike Gillingham Business Park and the highly regarded Crossways Business Park at Dartford, Medway City Estate was developed piecemeal. No overall plan was ever in place for it.

Mrs Armitt's proposal would solve that problem. But she does not explain what would happen to the more than 500 businesses that employ thousands on the estate. She suggests that the estate should be linked to Chatham by a bridge that could be limited to the Medway Transit, pedestrians and cyclists only.

It is one of two bridges Mrs Armitt says are needed to bring the communities along the Medway together. The other would link Rochester riverfront with the Temple Marshes development.