Medway Council could sell off two community centres and lots of car parks in the Towns
Published: 00:01, 03 June 2016
Updated: 09:54, 03 June 2016
Medway Council is looking to sell off some of its community centres and many of its car parks and even a day care centre used by people with learning disabilities.
The council proposes to sell off at least four car parks, two community centres in deprived areas of Chatham and Aboround House, in Woodlands Road, Gillingham, which is currently used as the day centre.
Members of the cabinet will meet on Tuesday, June 7, to decide whether or not to sell of the various sites.
They include the Whiffens Avenue car park, in Chatham, a small car park in the centre of Rochester which is solely used by disabled motorists, near the Kings Head pub, as well as an unofficial car park on the Esplanade in Rochester, and one in Magpie Hall Road, in Chatham.
Papers reveal the council think there is adequate disabled car parking facilities in Rochester as the new multi-storey car park in at Rochester Riverside has 24 new spaces.
The authority also wants to sell its Hook Meadow Community Centre which includes a library and its White Road Community Centre, on the White Road estate.
The authority’s cabinet members will be asked to give the proposals the green light to either demolish, redevelop the seven sites.
It is hoped other organisations may want to take over the running of the community centres, but some buildings could possibly be demolished to make way for housing or other developments.
The Whiffins Avenue car park in the centre of Chatham could be sold-off to make way for housing as cabinet paper say there is still adequate parking in the town.
The move comes after council leader Cllr Alan Jarrett and head of resources Cllr Adrian Gulvin asked for a review of the sites and car parks to see if they were suitable for development.
The building in Woodlands Road, which is currently rented out by a charity, could be sold off to make way for a new housing development.
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Lynn Cox