Highlights
- ArcelorMittal Kent Wire consulting on 85 redundancies at Chatham Docks site on Pier Road.
- Site owner Peel Waters plans to build thousands of homes on docks next to existing 950-home development.
- Former MP Kelly Tolhurst blames Medway Council for not designating site as commercial dock.
ArcelorMittal Kent Wire has begun consulting on redundancies for 85 employees at its Chatham Docks facility as Europe's largest steel manufacturer prepares to pull out of the Kent site.
The company, based at Chatham Docks on Pier Road, started the consultation process last week with all jobs at the site at risk. A spokesperson said, "We have informed all employees of the decision to enter a consultation process, with all jobs at the site at risk due to the severity and scale of the challenges facing the business."
The announcement follows a protracted battle between site owner Peel Waters, which wants to redevelop the area, and businesses operating there. The area's inclusion in Medway Council's draft local plan for mixed use, including housing, is believed to have been the final blow.
Redevelopment battle continues
Peel Waters plans to build thousands of homes on the site, which sits next to Chatham Waters, a 950-home development that includes an Asda and a pub.
The steel manufacturer has faced difficulties including low demand, competition from China and US tariffs, and had previously warned it would likely leave the UK if redevelopment plans proceeded.
Former Rochester and Strood MP Kelly Tolhurst said, "I'm absolutely devastated for the people at the docks because these are jobs that aren't being replicated locally for them. For some people, it will be life changing."
She criticised Medway Council, saying "They had the power to designate Chatham Docks as a commercial dock, and they've chosen not to. We are seeing an end to high-skill industrial jobs, manufacturing jobs."
The plan to close Chatham Docks by 2025 was first announced in October 2019 when 800 people worked across various businesses on the site. A Save Chatham Docks campaign subsequently put forward an alternative masterplan to maintain existing businesses.
In November last year, Peel Waters gained planning permission for a business park on part of the docks called Basin 3. The application is subject to a judicial review heard at the High Court in October, with a ruling pending.
A Peel Waters spokesperson said the company remains "committed to delivering Basin 3, a development that will provide over 300,000 sq ft of purpose-built, high-quality employment space, designed to create more jobs".
Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS)
