An ambitious riverside project featuring nearly 200 new homes overlooking a castle and cathedral has been unveiled.

The Strood Waterfront project aims to transform the former council headquarters and include a cafe and waterfront bar.

The land, which was once home to an industrial factory before becoming home to Medway Council, has been empty for several years following the local authority’s move to Gun Wharf in Chatham.

Although plans were announced in August about potential new housing on the brownfield site, the council has now confirmed Medway Development Company will oversee the scheme – which is behind Strood Retail Park.

Plans have now been put forward to build 185 homes, made up of 63 houses and 122 apartments.

The houses would feature two, three and four-bedroom homes, while the apartments have either one, two or three bedrooms.

A quarter of the properties would be classed as affordable housing, with homes for first-time buyers part of the project.

They will be designed with sustainable technologies to provide a low carbon future-proofed living.

The project will include 128 parking and 248 cycle spaces.

There are also plans for a cafe and waterfront bar overlooking the River Medway, Rochester Castle and the cathedral.

Improved green space will be included as part of the development, including a new riverside walk.

Planning documents from the developers explained: "Our vision for the Strood Civic Centre site is to deliver exemplary architecture, exciting new landscaped areas and accessible public realm spaces.

"It will be thoughtfully designed to complement and enhance the surrounding neighbourhood to benefit both current local and future residents.

"It will be a place for people to live and enjoy, with sustainability and community at the heart of the proposals, while [also] complementing the local heritage of the site.

"The residential-led scheme will secure the regeneration of this highly sustainable brownfield site, and will provide an outstanding legacy for Strood into a place which everyone can be proud of for decades to come."

It continued: "It is located in a prominent corner of the town.

"The proximity of the Strood Civic Centre to the High Street makes it the perfect location for residents to participate in the community, and for the wider community to enjoy Medway riverside."

A consultation has been created to seek people's views on the proposal, and will be open until midnight on January 31.

This will then be followed by a planning application being submitted in winter this year, and, if given the green light, lead to construction beginning in 2025.

Medway Development Company was created by the council to deliver high-quality residential developments across the area.

It invested £120 million to fund the company’s programme.

Elsewhere, Medway Council was awarded almost £4 million in government funding to pave the way for multiple residential developments across its Towns - including for the Strood Waterfront Project.

A £1.7m ring-fenced grant came from the One Public Estates Brownfield Release Fund specifically to deliver the scheme.