New riverside apartments are finally taking shape despite some setbacks.

The first two blocks of the council-led Chatham Waterfront development – next to Globe Lane and the town's bus station – will be completed in six months time.

The project is fronted by Medway Council's development arm Medway Development Company (MDC) and managed by Claritas.

It began in 2020 and will eventually provide 175 apartments.

Councillors, council officers and members of staff from MDC were shown around the site yesterday to mark the topping out of one of the blocks.

There will be five blocks with underground parking and up to six commercial units.

The first two blocks of 47 homes are due to be completed by September.

Another block of 71 homes for private rent is due to be finished early next year, with the remaining two set for completion in the summer or autumn of next year.

Two-bedroom apartments will be available to buy for between £280,000 and £300,000, while a one-bedroom will be £215,000.

Some potential residents will be able to make use of the government's First Homes scheme which means first-time buyers can get a 30% discount.

When the works are complete, MDC hopes it will join up with its other town centre projects under way in Chatham.

These are Garrison Point on the former Whiffens Avenue car park, which will consist of 115 apartments, and Mountbatten House which is across from Chatham Waterfront.

During the event, company director, Cllr Adrian Gulvin (Con) said the scheme to regenerate the former office block to provide 164 homes was progressing well with the asbestos stripping complete.

Council leader Cllr Alan Jarrett (Con), said of the Chatham Waterfront development: "Progress was undoubtedly hampered by Covid and it was also hampered by the complexity of the site in terms of the number of utilities that run across the site, so that didn't help.

"There were some very old ship timbers that we found that had to be removed and stored.

"I think under the circumstances, progress has been about as good as it could be.

"This is the second of our first two developments here and this is larger than Garrison Point, so it's making a real statement in terms of the council's ambition for the city centre and how we can bring more people living in the city centre and genuinely helping to increase growth and prosperity.

"It's a really important development for us and we're delighted at the progress we are making.

"What we are seeing at Garrison Point is a good proportion of Medway-based people moving in, so we're creating homes that will appeal to Medway residents and people will want to move into Medway for the first time.

"We have excellent transport links here so it's ideal for people if they want to commute to London, for example, or commute to elsewhere in Kent.

"I think the price point is really competitive and it will appeal to a big cross section of people, and I think there's a good opportunity for young families."