What will it mean for Medway?

Admiral Sir Ian Garnett KCB, Chairman of Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust:
“World Heritage Site status will recognise the outstanding contribution made by thousands of Medway men and women to international maritime heritage. The Historic Dockyard is testament to the skill and dedication of those who built, maintained and manned the ships of the Royal Navy. World Heritage Site status will be a permanent source of pride in Chatham’s past, and inspiration for its future”.

Jonathan Sadler, Project Director, Chatham Maritime, SEEDA:
“World Heritage Site status will be another significant, well-deserved milestone in the regeneration of Chatham. It will encourage visitors and investment, and enhance Medway’s position as a focal point within the Thames Gateway”

Cllr Jane Chitty, Portfolio Holder for Strategic Development and Economic Growth:
“World Heritage Site status is confirmation of quality. It will enhance visitor experience and Medway will benefit from increased leisure and recreation opportunities – for example, the free opening of Fort Amherst’s parkland from spring 2011, which would not have been possible without the bid. World Heritage Site status will rightly help place Medway on the international map”.

Robin Cooper, Director of Regeneration, Community and Culture, Medway Council:
“The World Heritage Site will link Medway’s outstanding international cultural legacy with its vibrant future. Medway is poised to become an international beacon of regeneration and heritage excellence.”

Lt Col Paul Fountaine, Commanding Officer 1 RSME Regiment and Commander Chatham Station:
“With our long and internationally significant historical ties with the Dockyard, we recognise the benefits that World Heritage Site status would bring both to Chatham and to the Royal School of Military Engineering. To the young trainees of today, mastering the profession of arms in this most famous of locations, World Heritage Site status would help to bring alive the very proud history of the Corps and its links with Chatham”.

Adam Price, Friends of the Admiral’s Gardens, and Community Trustee of the Lower Lines Park:
“The World Heritage Site bid has been the catalyst for valuable projects large and small. The transformation of the Great Lines into a major community asset has been made possible by the great community interest aroused by the bid. At the other end of the scale, investment in community-led projects has increased understanding and awareness of Chatham’s international merit”

Peter Kendall, Inspector of Ancient Monuments, English Heritage.
“The combination of the dockyard preserved with its contemporary fortifications and the barracks of the garrison is of outstanding significance and not repeated elsewhere.”

Alan Anstee, Chair of Fort Amherst Heritage Trust
“The World Heritage Site bid has given Fort Amherst a new lease of life, encouraging investment in our heritage, and boosting volunteer support and community interest. Permanent free opening to the public is something we could only have dreamed of without the bid”

Stephen Gaimster, Chair of the Chatham World Heritage Steering Group
“The World Heritage Site project is an excellent example of partnership working. It is good to see such a wide variety of stakeholder support. Medway will benefit greatly from World Heritage Site status”

Vino Graffham, Resident and Regeneration Ambassador
“The Great Lines are a major asset from Medway’s past. The Great Lines Heritage Park will be a source of pride and a resource for the community. Chatham World Heritage has worked hard to involve the community in the World Heritage bid for Medway and the future is full of promise. So join in and be a part of making history.”

Judith Armitt, Thames Gateway Chief Executive:
“The identity of the Thames Gateway rests on its unique heritage as a centre for trade, maritime history and defence of the realm for centuries, and it is a pleasure to be working with you on cherishing that heritage. You have Thames Gateway’s full support”.

Michael Fernandez, Chair of the Brook-Lines Residents’ Association:
“Increased focus on the World Heritage Site will provide a fresh future for the Great Lines, a much undervalued asset. They were tremendously important to Medway’s past, and should be equally important for its future. World Heritage Site status will support funding applications for the transformation of the Great Lines into a major community asset.”

Heather Calveley, Head of Regeneration, Medway Youth Parliament:
“Medway has an inspiring past and a promising future. The Great Lines City Park will be a great destination – designed and used by the people of Medway. Its community importance will equal its heritage value.”