News & Updates

We are now into the seventh year of the Rochester Riverside development. Phases 1,2 and 3 are (mostly) complete. Phase 7 is well underway with a few residents moved in and work will commence on Phases 4,5 and 6 (once Furrell’s Road and Doust Way are open).

The Residents’ Association was formed in May 2023 and the 13^th November 2025 will mark the third annual general meeting. The Residents’ Association has 240 members signed up to the mailing list which is fantastic and there is also the Rochester Riverside Facebook page.

This year the Residents’ Association have:

• Published four quarterly newsletters.
• Held a Christmas and Summer event.
• Amanda and Gerry have been monitoring the planning permission, providing feedback and liaising with the Council to make sure Residents’ views are taken into consideration. This is with regards to the Rochester Riverside development as well as the new development that is being done by a separate builder at Acorn Wharf.
• Been on walk rounds with the gardening contractors to clarify the work that should be undertaken.
• Pushed for the replacement of dead trees and fixing of the pavement in the area outside the Co-op.
• Met with Hyde each month to update and push for resolution on issues like the leaks in Bigg’s Apartments.
• Spoken with Icosa Water about the time it took to fix the leak earlier in Autumn.
• Liaised with the Council regarding the yellow box junction turning right from Gas House Road.

There are still challenges to face and issues to address:

• Ensuring the consistency and transparency of maintenance fees. There still seem to be errors and omissions with regards to the fee estimates and actuals that are provided.
• Ensuring that fees for regular maintenance are planned and a suitable sinking fund is created. This particularly relates to the blocks of flats.
• Parking on the development.
• Theft and post especially for flats.
• Information provided upfront and liaising with residents before work is undertaken (e.g. the dredging of the overflow near Furrell’s Park).

There has been a lot of feedback regarding the maintenance and grounds work company. Groundworks have now been replaced with Pinnacle from October 2025 under the tender process and we do owe it to them to see what they can do. John Healy Contracts Manager with Pinnacle Group Grounds Maintenance team will be doing a walkaround on the 21^st November 2025. Many of the staff from Groundscapes transferred over to Pinnacle following the transition and some have already left as the role under new management proved to be too much work!

We also welcome Mick Scarfe who is the new manager of the Affordable Housing buildings on Cory’s Road taking over from Tom Coveney and he is a welcome addition. He has really pushed to rectify the longstanding roof leak which has been a real problem for the residents of one of the Bigg’s Apartment blocks in particular.

There have been many snags, and a high proportion of residents have had to refer their property issues to the NHBC. The number of leaks has been high and it is unclear whether this is being considered when commencing new phases.

There have been some headwinds:

• The merger/acquisition of Countryside and Vistry in November 2022. This did leave a void in communication, and a lot of enquiries did go without a timely response. Alex Hodge at Vistry is very helpful but there was a long period of time when it was unclear who to contact (Countryside or Vistry) if there was an issue with your build.
• Contractors going out of business.
• The nature of the joint venture between Vistry and Hyde. Once something comes under the remit of the Hyde Estate Management Team for Rochester Riverside, we as residents become responsible for its cost (unless it’s being handed over to the Council). Hyde will want to make sure that the item in question, be it grounds, the crane, the parks etc. are done to plan. This can take some time to work out and rectify however. Similarly with the Council, they will not want to take responsibility of the roads, until they have been finished in line with official regulations.

We are working on a handbook for the development to answer some of the common frequently asked questions. With new residents moving in over the next 5 years there will still be a lot of new people with the same questions that you have likely had regarding parking permits, who is responsible for what, how do the management charges work etc.

In 2026 we will be working on updating the website. Mark from the committee is also liaising with the Rochester Riverside school regarding the use of the building for the community (e.g. Brownies/Scouts etc.) which could be a commercial opportunity for them and help to provide resources for the families and staff.

This is however an association for Residents’ and we will be gathering your ideas about what we can achieve and set some goals for 2026 (forms to be handed out at the AGM and distributed electronically following the meeting).

Everyone on the Residents’ Association committee is a volunteer and are offering their time and knowledge for the benefit of all Residents. I’m so grateful for their help and also grateful for former members of the committee, the wonderful work they have done and the foundations they have laid. We are all building a great community here and I look forward helping this progress in future.

Best Regards

Fiona Price – Former Secretary and acting Chairperson (until a vote is held at the AGM!)

Rochester Riverside Residents’ Association

The following emails may be useful if you receive a PCN from the council. You can cut and paste or refer to them.

From: “soyinka, suraj” <suraj.soyinka@medway.gov.uk>
Date: 23 May 2025 at 14:06:23 BST
To: “warner, david” <david.warner@medway.gov.uk>, “webb, jayne” <jayne.webb@medway.gov.uk>
Cc: “constantinides, alex” <alex.constantinides@medway.gov.uk>, 
Subject: RE: Gas House Road yellow box

Dear Jane,

 Thank you for your email below.

 I would like to advise that there are three separate locations situated along Corporation Street of which yellow box junctions (YBJ) are present and enforceable. These three YBJs share same location name – Corporation Street but with different junctions.

• Corporation Street – junction with The Esplanade – Normal YBJ rules apply
• Corporation Street – junction with Gas House Road – Discretionary exemption apply
• Corporation Street – junction with Bardell Terrace – Normal YBJ rules apply

The YBJ at Gas House Road junction is the only one with discretionary exemption for Rochester Riverside residents for vehicles exiting from Gas House Road and turning right (Forced stop). I can confirm this discretionary exemption rule for Corporation Street – junction with Gas House Road does form part of our operational guidance. The rule gives our camera enforcement officers the opportunity to review every footage from Gas House Road junction and decide where forced stop have been witnessed for vehicles exiting from Gas House Road and turning right for which a PCN will not be issued.

The normal YBJ rules are still applicable to the other two YBJs (Corporation Street – junction with The Esplanade and Corporation Street – junction with Bardell Terrace) for every member of the public. The rules for entering and using a yellow box junction are:

•             Entering:

You may only enter a yellow box junction if your exit is clear and there is enough space beyond the box for your vehicle to clear it without stopping.

•             Turning Right:

You can stop in a yellow box junction when turning right if you are prevented from turning by oncoming traffic or other vehicles waiting to turn right.

•             Penalty:

Stopping in a yellow box junction when it is not permitted is an offense and can result in a fine.

So, it is important to identify which of these junctions the contravention has occurred. If any resident feels that a PCN has been wrongly issued to them for exiting from Gas House Road and turning right, I advise them to follow the appeal process.

 Please be assured that our operational guidance represents a foundation upon which fairness and discretion can be applied. The council has the discretion to cancel a PCN at any point in the appeals process.  All representations will be considered, and each case will be decided upon its own individual merits.  Any extenuating or mitigating circumstances will be considered.

 I hope that this has clarified the situation and once again thank you for contacting us.

 Kind regards,

Suraj Soyinka | Parking Enforcement Manager | Medway Council

The Whitehouse, Chatham Waterfront Bus Station, Globe Lane, Chatham ME4 4SL

Direct dial: 01634 331650 | Web: medway.gov.uk | Twitter: @medway_council | Facebook: Medway Council

——– Original message ——–

From: “warner, david” <david.warner@medway.gov.uk>

Date: 13/08/2024 16:05 (GMT+00:00)

To:

Cc: “constantinides, alex” <alex.constantinides@medway.gov.uk>,

Subject: RE: Gas House Road yellow box

 Dear Amanda,

 Thank you for the below.  I do apologise that I have as yet been able to come back to you on this matter.  

 It is correct that it is entirely legal to wait on a yellow box if you are waiting to turn right and are prevented from doing so by oncoming traffic.  I appreciate here that it is likely to be turning right out of the side road where the yellow box is of benefit.  I shall refer your enquiry in relation to this specific site to the project team overseeing the development of the enforcement proposals to gather their comments.

 I shall come back to you.

 Kind regards,

David Warner | Transport Engineering Manager | Transport & Parking | Medway Council  01634 331742 | Gun Wharf, Dock Road, Chatham, ME4 4TR

——– Original message ——–

From: “warner, david” <david.warner@medway.gov.uk>

Date: 06/09/2024 15:48 (GMT+01:00)

To:

Cc: “constantinides, alex” <alex.constantinides@medway.gov.uk>,

Subject: RE: Gas House Road yellow box

 Good afternoon, Amanda,

Further to below, I can update that the service providers overseeing the introduction of the enforcement for existing restrictions have confirmed that a vehicle would be permitted to enter the yellow box if turning right from Gas House Road and would not receive a PCN for doing so.

 I hope the above is of use.

Kind regards,

 David Warner | Transport Engineering Manager | Transport & Parking | Medway Council  01634 331742 | Gun Wharf, Dock Road, Chatham, ME4 4TR

Please find below this quarter’s newsletter which includes details on the AGM on the 13th November 2025.

Dear All

Please note that on Tuesday 16th September 2025 there will be a planned power-cut for Rochester Riverside from 8am to 5pm. You can find more information in the attached notice letter.

Come and enjoy the sunshine with the neighbours!

Let’s celebrate our lovely community, with drinks, food (bring something to share), activities for the little ones and great conversations.

More details to follow, save the date!