The Rochester Riverside regeneration project Kent | UK

A Transformative Regeneration Project in Kent, UK

Owned by Medway Council and its partner, South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), Rochester Riverside is a part of the Government’s Thames Gateway growth area, one of Europe’s largest regeneration schemes. 

The Medway area is located in Kent and includes the towns of Rochester, Gillingham, Rainham, Chatham and Strood. Medway has experienced sustained growth and diversification during the last two decades. 

Rochester Riverside is a flagship project within the Medway Council regeneration programme. It is a 32 hectare brownfield site with a 2.5 km frontage along the River Medway selected for the development of a mixed use complex including up to 2,000 new homes, shops, hotels and cafes, offices, educational, health and community facilities and recreational areas. 

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The Rochester Riverside regeneration project
The Rochester Riverside regeneration project
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The river frontage consisted of wharves, sheet piles, timber and concrete retaining walls, with some structures in a derelict state. The entire frontage was to be rebuilt as part of the scheme which aimed to protect against flooding risk, renew the river frontage and remediate the contaminants resulting from the old Gas Works site. The remediation of contaminated soil was processed through innovative methods, allowing treatment on site, including bioremediation.

Increased ground levels were achieved by importing up to 400.000 m3 of sand, dredged from two locations in the Thames Estuary and transported by barge to the site. The contractor used extensive vertical band drains made of geotextile material, allowing to accelerate the settlement of ground below the newly placed fill. 

Based on this evaluation, a front / flood protection wall in hot rolled steel sheet piles, offering the best technical and cost-effective solution, was chosen. The site utilised steel sheet piling for virtually the entire river frontage, creeks and wharves. The 2.5 km long sheet pile walls are approximately 15 m deep, and are topped with a concrete capping beam. 

In some segments of the wall the sheet piles are placed in front of the existing structure with the void filled with crushed concrete. Due to the close location of future buildings to the walls, a full range of wall support systems were employed, including existing raking pile anchors with relieving platforms, raking “A-Frame” concrete piles, ground anchors, raking steel tubular piles and double steel sheet pile wall gravity structures.

Supplies were handled in close and efficient co-ordination with the contractor BAM Nuttall / Van Oord Joint Venture. A particular challenge was to minimise the chances of any handling damage to the coating in transit. The material was shipped in special vessels from Luxembourg’s inland port in Mertert to Rochester, UK. Materials were swiftly and efficiently handled by the contractor’s Kobeko 7100 crane, using protective lifting gear for unloading and loading onto trailers for transfer to the nearby storage area.