A former department store could be turned into new homes.

Medway Council has been eyeing up the empty Debenhams in Chatham High Street as one of the targets for a multi-million pound investment.

New details have emerged around the authority's plans for the store – which closed in January 2020 – as cabinet members prepare to consider their spending programme for the coming year.

The council had already identified the landmark building as one of the areas it would like to regenerate using money from the government's Future High Street Fund.

The £9.5m grant will also be spent on delivering a healthy living centre and innovation hub in the council-owned Pentagon Centre, a co-working space, conference and events hub in St John's Church in Railway Street, and improving the area around Mountbatten House which the council is converting into 174 flats having recently purchased it.

All of the projects are earmarked to be completed by March 2024.

A report due to be presented to cabinet members next Tuesday details how the authority wants to use the former Debenhams for "commercial use, as well as community and leisure uses on the ground floor", adding, "This will enable the delivery of residential units above the ground floor."

The current overall spending programme is £475.6 million.

The cabinet will also be reviewing other reports relating to the council's finances.

Members previously heard how officers predicted a budget gap of £33 million, however, a revision of this figure has seen it decrease to just over £18 million.

The report says: "While this represents a significant improvement on the gap presented in the financial outlook 2022/23, there is still work required to identify further opportunities to deliver a balanced budget."

A full budget will be presented to councillors for approval at the end of February.

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