Archive
August 2008
Thanks to everyone who supported last week's Great Lines City Park consultation event - and particular thanks to everyone who was left standing patiently, once we ran out of chairs! Levels of interest in the park are extremely encouraging, and a feedback report will be circulated to all those present soon.
In the meantime, please mark the follow up event at Fort Amherst in your diaries - 2pm - 4pm on Saturday 13th September at Fort Amherst - and why not have a look at the photos from the event in the Photo Gallery.
August 2008
Over 150 people have registered to attend this Thursday's consultation on the Great Lines City Park, at the Royal Engineers Museum. This is a tremendous show of enthusiasm for one of Chatham's hidden heritage assets, and promises to be a very interesting evening. A second meeting will be held on Saturday 13th September. This will be chance to follow the development of plans, and for anyone unable to attend the August meeting to still have a say.
Watch this space for details, or contact chathamworldheritage@medway.gov.uk to be added to the mailing list for invites.
July 2008
Creating the Great Lines City Park
There will be a special meeting of the Chatham World Heritage Partnership at the Royal Engineers Museum, Prince Arthur Road, Gillingham on Thursday 7th August from 6pm – 8pm (registration from 5.15pm).
This summer, Chatham World Heritage Partners will create an inventive and sensitive masterplan for the Great Lines City Park. The proposed World Heritage Site application for Chatham Dockyard and its Defences presents a major opportunity for the Great Lines, and has led to a £2m bid to government to create a magnificent community park. This summer, a team of masterplanners hope to talk with as many people as possible to guide how best this money can be spent. This meeting is an opportunity to:
- Meet the masterplanners
- Learn about the process and programme for developing the masterplan
- Share ideas, and shape the plan’s vision and priorities
- Influence how the money is spent
- Support a wider community event in September
- Say what success will look like!
If you would like to attend, please register your name, address, and e-mail address (if you have one) by Friday 1st August, at chathamworldheritage@medway.gov.uk, or on 01634 331176.
Light refreshments will be provided, and there is free car parking on site. This meeting is kindly sponsored by The Aerial Reconnaissance Company.
July 2008
Free entry to Fort Amherst this summer!
The spectacular Napoleonic fortification of Fort Amherst will open free of charge this summer, from Sunday 13th July and every following Sunday until 14th September 2008. There will also be free entry on August Bank Holiday Monday (25th August) and Saturday 13th September.
Opening times are 10.30am – 4pm.
The free admission is a joint undertaking between Chatham World Heritage and Fort Amherst Heritage Trust, aimed at increasing public awareness of the future Great Lines City Park, and the World Heritage Site application for Chatham Dockyard and its defences.
Visitors will be amazed at the extent of these fortifications in the heart of Medway, and a free guided tour through the maze of tunnels dug deep into the chalk cliffs will lead to one of the finest views across Chatham and Rochester.
No need to book - just arrive on the day. Free parking is available on site (voluntary donations will be most welcome).
June 2008
In anticipation of the success of our £2m application to government's "Parklands" funding stream, the Chatham World Heritage steering group have appointed HTA Landscape Design to develop a masterplan for the Great Lines City Park. Open consultation will take place throughout the early summer, and will help guide how the money could be spent. Oliver Rock is the Senior Landscape Architect at HTA, and comments: "We are delighted to be part of this exciting and significant heritage project. Our design team are looking forward to working closely with the World Heritage Steering Group and the local community".
A meeting of the Chatham World Heritage Partnership will focus on converting aspirations for the Great Lines City Park into reality. To make sure your views help shape this major step forward for Medway, register to join the Partnership here.
Some of the team from HTA.
June 2008
The application to Parklands for £2m of investment in the Great Lines City Park has passed the second stage of assessment. A final decision on funding is expected in October. Watch this space!
May 2008
The World Heritage steering group recently submitted an Expression of Interest to government's "Parklands" funding stream, for £2m of investment in the Great Lines City Park. The project team has been formally asked to develop their proposals into a full application, for submission in early June. More news to follow!
May 2008
The Medway Mile - a free day of sporting fun within the Great Lines City Park!
The event takes place at the Black Lion Leisure Centre, Medway Park on Sunday, 27 July 2008 - four years to the day until the start of the Games in London.
Hundreds of people of every age and ability completed last year’s mile, with families with pushchairs, and milers in fancy dress running side by side with Olympic and Paralympic legends Steve Backley and Danny Crates.
The climax of this year’s event will be the mass one-mile fun run at 4pm, but with sport galore available throughout the afternoon and free swims all day, it promises to be a great family day out. From 1.30pm to 6.30pm, milers will be able to try their hand at everything from hockey to hulahooping as sports clubs and organisations lay on taster sessions in the indoor and outdoor arenas. There will also be the chance to find out about healthy lifestyle opportunities in Medway, sign up to become a sports volunteer or learn about Medway’s 2012 activities, including the transformation of the Black Lion into Medway Park - the sporting and activities zone of the Great Lines City Park
The Medway Mile is free to enter, and everyone who takes part will receive a free souvenir t-shirt in one of the five Olympic ring colours.
You can register for the Medway Mile now at the Medway 2012 website.
April 2008
There is an exciting community vacancy for a Trustee for the Lower Lines Park - also known as the Admiral's Gardens.
The park will open in autumn 2009 and is the first phase of the Great Lines City Park. It has been made possible thanks to the development of Mid Kent College's new campus, off Medway Road, in Gillingham. The Lower Lines Park will be owned and operated by an independent trust and the college is seeking a local resident to join the Board of Trustees. The successful applicant will have:
- experience of working on a voluntary or elected body,
- a strong commitment to the local area,
- an enthusiasm for heritage and / or ecological issues.
More information can be downloaded here
Click on the photo to enlarge.
March 2008
Another step towards the Great Lines City Park!
Work is underway at Fort Amherst to create an action plan for the third phase of the Great Lines City Park. Fort Amherst could become a major public entrance to the Park, providing excellent links with Chatham town centre and waterfront. Survey work is now determining what work will be required to create and maintain the site as a free-access public park.
The survey has been commissioned by the Chatham World Heritage steering group, and is being carried out by specialist consultancy The Bailey Partnership. The work is being paid for by Medway Council, the South East England Development Agency, English Heritage and the European Union.
Tony Goulden, Chair of Fort Amherst Heritage Trust, said: “We are delighted that Fort Amherst will be making as major a contribution to Chatham’s future as it did to its past. The fort is integral both to the World Heritage Site application, and to the regeneration of Chatham town centre and waterfront. The Great Lines City Park will be a landmark fusion of heritage and regeneration.”
Phase One of the City Park – the Lower Lines Park – will be complete in autumn 2009. It will feature restored defensive ditches, pedestrian bridges, panels depicting the site’s fascinating past, and recreational and leisure areas. Work began earlier this year, with a scheduled opening of autumn 2009.
Phase Two is Medway Park, the £11million sporting and activities zone of the Great Lines City Park, which will be complete in 2010. It will see the current Black Lion leisure centre expanded into a centre of sporting excellence, providing lasting local benefits from the 2012 Olympic Games. It is funded by Thames Gateway, Medway Council, and the University of Kent.
February 2008
The Modern Pentathlon World Cup will be coming to Medway Park in 2010.
Around 200 of the world’s top pentathletes will take part in the four-day competition. It is the first major international sporting tournament that Medway has ever hosted. It will inaugurate the world-class potential of Medway Park - the sporting and activities zone of the Great Lines City Park - and echo the world-class heritage of the Great Lines.
The modern pentathlon involves swimming, fencing, show-jumping, shooting and running. It was introduced to the Olympics by the Games’ founder, Pierre de Coubertin. It was designed to simulate the experience and expectations of a 19th century soldier, and exemplifies the skills required behind enemy lines.
The Great Lines is no stranger to sporting spectacle. Throughout the mid 19th century siege exercises by the Royal Engineers attracted vast audiences, and were a public display of skill, strength and stamina. Crowds were known to number 70,000.
November 2007
The Friends of the Admiral's Gardens held their second AGM yesterday, and reflected on a year of very positive contributions towards the new public park on the Lower Lines.
All are welcome at Friends' meetings. With works due to begin on the park in the New Year, now is an ideal time to find out more. For more information, contact the Secretary, Adam Price at aprice_nthgill@hotmail.com
August 2007
Medway Park - the sporting and activities zone of the Great Lines City Park - received a massive cash boost this week, with £5m of investment committed from national government. Plans include an eight-lane athletics track, a purpose-built gymnastics centre and the complete refurbishment of the Black Lion. The University of Kent at Medway has already pledged £3m to the project.
For more information, please visit the dedicated Medway 2012 website at www.medway.gov.uk/london2012
August 2007.
Disappointing news has been received regarding our application to the 'People's Millions' programme, for £75,000 of lottery support. Competition for funds was described as 'intense' and Medway was unfortunately not selected. Despite this, the Great Lines City Park project is making strong progress: the Lower Lines Park has recently received planning permission, and a decision on government funding for Medway Park (the sporting and activities zone of the Great Lines City Park) is eagerly awaited. A further request for funds has also been submitted to government, to help investigate and establish future management arrangements for the Great Lines.
July 2007
To celebrate planning permission being granted for the eagerly awaited public park on the Lower Lines (see below), the Friends of the Admiral's Gardens have unveiled their new leaflet. Please click here to download.
All are welcome at Friends meetings. To find out more, please contact the Secretary, Adam Price at aprice_nthgill@hotmail.com
June 2007.
The first phase of the Great Lines City Park project will hopefully receive the official go-ahead within the next few weeks. Mid Kent College have tabled exciting plans to unite their existing campuses on a single site at the Lower Lines (next to the Universities at Medway).
As well as building new college facilities, Mid Kent College will work in partnership to develop a public park. The proposed park will restore heritage features – such as the defensive ditches – and provide information panels telling the story of the site. There will be play areas for children, and relaxation areas. The park will be owned by a Trust, who will ensure the long-term care and maintenance of the park, and ensure it is a community asset for years to come.
A proposed name for the park is the Admiral’s Gardens. A Friends of the Admiral’s Gardens group has already been set-up, and is looking forward to seeing the park become a reality.
To find out more about the Friends group, contact the Secretary, Adam Price at aprice_nthgill@hotmail.com
May 2007.
Medway Council has submitted an application to the BIG Lottery Fund’s “People’s Millions” programme, for a £75,000 project for the Great Lines. The “Great Minds on the Great Lines” project would run throughout 2008.
A project leader would work with residents and visitors to the Great Lines, to gather recollections and impressions of what the site means to them, and what it should mean for Chatham’s future. These would be produced in a guidebook to the Lines, complete with detailed maps of the site, highlighting ‘commuter’ and leisure routes.
A favourite recollection would be reproduced in a public landmark – such as a new gateway entrance to the Great Lines, a new seating area, or a sculpture. The community will choose the landmark.
The project application was submitted in May 2007. If it passes the first assessment stage, it will enter a televised competition on Meridian News, in November 2007.
May 2007.
Medway Council is proposing a major investment in the sporting and activities zone of the Great Lines City Park, to celebrate the London 2012 Olympics. "Medway Park". will deliver benefits for 2012 and beyond, targeting the sporting elite and the community at large.
The first phase of this project will be focussed on the existing Black Lion Leisure Centre. It will include:
·a radical overhaul of the Black Lion Leisure Centre
·a new purpose-built gymnastics centre alongside Jumpers, offering world-class training and facilities in all gymnastic sports
·a new athletics track
·specialist sports therapy and sports science resources.
To find out more, please visit www.medway.gov.uk/london2012
January 2007.
The Living Landmarks application for the Great Lines City Park, submitted to the Big Lottery Fund in 2006, has unfortunately failed to make the final stages of the competition.
Medway Council would like to thank all partners for the tremendous support they gave the project – and in particular the local community, who responded to consultation requests with imaginative and insightful suggestions.
Rejection by the Big Lottery Fund does not spell the end for the Great Lines City Park project by any means: the Great Lines are a very important part of Chatham’s World Heritage application, and project partners are committed to securing other funding sources to take the project forward.
September 2008 DRAFT docs
