Anyone visiting Chatham town centre would be forgiven for thinking it's in a bad way.

Its Debenhams store was one of four across Kent which closed down in January.

The scene in Chatham High Street last week

Now fenced off and facing an uncertain future, it joins several other town shops to fall by the wayside.

The few shoppers found by a KentOnline reporter spoke of happier times.

Wendy Wright, 62, said: “There needs to be more done with this place, there really does.

“I have lived in Chatham for all my life and it’s absolutely gone downhill.

“On the whole, there’s nothing here any more.

“All we have, basically, is entertainment shops, betting shops, phone shops and charity shops.”

She continued: “We have too many shops standing idle and doing absolutely nowt.

“Chatham has gone downhill even in the last five years.”

The former Debenhams building is owned by international property firm Kennedy Wilson, which said this week it is "considering a range of options" for the building but added it was "too early to provide any detail”.

“I think a lot of shops have moved to a different town,” said Alan Green who lives in Borstal.

Speaking about where he does his weekly shop, he said: “There is only a Sainsbury’s in the Pentagon centre, really.

“There used to be a Tesco (which closed in 2015). I think it’s time there was another supermarket.”

Fellow shopper Richard Farrow, 59, said: “It’s getting grim. I like Primark and I liked Marks & Spencer (which left the town in 2006), but now, there are more and more charity shops.

"Today, I was looking for a hat and thought ‘where can I go’? I think the internet is putting lots of shops out.”

Last year, the council announced it had acquired the Pentagon as part of a multi-million pound deal.

Chatham resident Peter Featherstone, 63, said: “They bought the Pentagon so they have some money. I have been living down here for the last 10 years and it’s been getting worse.

“There’s shops closing all around and there’s a lot of tramps around here.”

Gail Westbury, 59, agreed homelessness was becoming a big concern in the town.

“It’s definitely gone downhill,” she said.

“I think the biggest thing that upsets people is the rough sleepers. They will sleep in any doorway.

“Whenever I come down here, nine times out of 10, there is some sort of row.

"When you have children walking down here as well, it’s not good.

“The only decent shop is Primark. I like Chatham but it has gone downhill from how I remember it.”

Vince Maple is the Medway Labour leader but also ward councillor for Chatham central.

He said: "It's clearly struggling. It is in a difficult circumstance at the moment, and we have seen that with the store closures. Most residents would have seen the closure of Debenhams.

"The Trafalgar centre has been shut for at least half a decade. There is a run of seven shops in a row that are all closed along the high street, so these are very difficult times.

"Lots of high streets are struggling at the moment, including Chatham, but I think the closure of Debenhams has had a real impact on the area."

If given the chance to boost the town centre himself, he was clear what he would do.

He said: "To talk not just Chatham, but all of the five town centres in Medway, we'd explore something known as a BID (business improvement district).

"We couldn't do a BID for the whole of Medway, however, it would have to be based on the individual town.

"It is also democratically-led so everyone can have a say. I think this is one of the things that could help, and it has never really been talked about.

"Somewhere like Chatham, or any other town centres, can really benefit from this.

"Other town centres have improved with the BID system, such as Bournemouth, and they have brought some real inward value to the areas.

"The Chatham Town Centre Forum is doing great work but if they had some structure, something that comes with being a BID, that could give people further tools to bring more shoppers to Chatham."

Medway Council says it isn't all doom and gloom as there are many positives in the pipeline.

It released a statement from Cllr Rodney Chambers, portfolio holder for inward investment, strategic regeneration and partnerships, and Cllr Jane Chitty, portfolio holder for planning, economic growth and regulation.

It said: "Chatham is no exception to any UK high street in terms of the universal challenges retail centres face and Medway Council accepts this.

"However, we have invested and continue to invest heavily in the regeneration and revitalisation of Chatham centre as we move forward with broadening the offer of the area, and our ambition for our historic maritime town to become Medway's leading waterfront university city centre by 2035.

"The council is currently bidding for Future High Street funding for Chatham High Street, being one of just 51 areas across the country to go through to the second phase of this multi-million funding bid which aims to transform high streets and make them fit for the future.

"The council has now been asked to draw up detailed proposals, based on the initial plans, to potentially unlock £10 million, which would be invested into Chatham to further economic growth, increase housing, create more jobs and provide a vibrant town centre experience.

"We have been awarded up to £1.6million through our bid for Heritage Lottery Funding for the area of 'Chatham Intra', and we are now progressing with plans to focus on connectivity of the Chatham High Street area and some of the heritage assets in this area."

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