LSI Architects appointed to develop long term vision for Hoo Peninsula Community Hub

LSI Architects have been successful in securing an appointment by Medway Council to complete a feasibility study as a result of Rural England Prosperity Funding, considering a range of options for making Deangate Community Parkland and the nearby Grain Coastal Park popular tourist destinations and a gateway to the Hoo Peninsula in Kent.

The Hoo Peninsula is also set to benefit from nearly £3million of national lottery heritage funding to celebrate its unique heritage and habitats. A planning application for Deangate Community Parkland was submitted in November 2023 with planning approval given in February 2024.

Aiming to help residents discover and celebrate the heritage and habitats of the Hoo Peninsula, the ‘Whose Hoo’ project is led by Medway Council, but brings together a wide range of partners, including the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Kent County Council, Gravesham Borough Council, Slough Fort Preservation Trust, Medway Swale Estuary Partnership (MSEP), wHoo Cares, Homes England, LV21 and the North West Kent Countryside Partnership (NWKCP).

LSI and the design team, including Landscape Architects Sheils Flynn, Viability Consultants Counter Culture and Cost Consultant Playle & Partners, have been appointed to develop a long term vision for Deangate as a ‘community hub’ including the provision of new community and visitor facilities.

The project, which has received an initial £400,000 investment from the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF), hopes to boost tourism and unlock community and economic benefits throughout the Hoo Peninsula by enhancing the coastal offer for quiet informal recreation.

Director Mirja Mainwaring said: “We are delighted to have been appointed to work with Medway Council to support the vision for the Hoo Peninsula. The Hoo Peninsula is rich with wildlife and places for people to visit and this is a really exciting opportunity to improve the visitor experience at what is already a really attractive destination.”

This appointment follows LSI’s ongoing relationship with Medway Council, with several projects currently underway, including the regeneration of the Pentagon Shopping Centre in Chatham to provide a new healthy living centre.

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