St Mary's Island, Medway
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Coordinates: 51°24′23″N 0°32′42″E / 51.406434°N 0.545025°E
| St Mary's Island | |
 The topsail schooner, Julia, with St Mary's Island behind |
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 St Mary's Island
St Mary's Island shown within Kent |
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| OS grid reference | TQ766706 |
|---|---|
| Unitary authority | Medway |
| Ceremonial county | Kent |
| Region | South East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CHATHAM |
| Postcode district | ME4 |
| Dialling code | 01634 |
| Police | Kent |
| Fire | Kent |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | Gillingham though soon to be Rochester and Strood |
| List of places: UK • England • Kent | |
St Mary's Island, is part of the Chatham Maritime development area in Medway, South East England.[1] It is located at the northern end of Chatham, adjacent to Brompton and Gillingham. Once part of the Royal Dockyard, Chatham, the area had consisted of a mixture of sports fields and warehousing during the later years of the Royal Navy's time in occupation.
It is locally believed that, during the Napoleonic Wars, St. Mary's Island was used as a burial ground for the French POW's who died on the prison hulks moored in the Medway.
In the late 1990s, government agency English Partnerships and housing developer Countryside, came together to build homes on the island, under the development name Countryside Maritime. In due course, some parcels of land were allowed to be developed by other builders, including Redrow.
As well as several hundred new homes, there is a primary school (recently expanded), a community centre, a doctor's surgery and a late night pharmacy. There is extensive open space between housing parcels, as well as sports fields and play areas.
There are riverside walks and cycle paths on the island, and many of the paths in the middle of the Island give views of the surrounding area. There is also a big fenced out dog run, where islands residents can let their dogs off the lead.
A number of restaurants and other amenities has opened recently. Chimichanga, Nando's, Pizza Hut, Subway, DickensWorld, and the Dockside Outlet Centre precinct are all within a ten minute walk. This also includes a local grocery shop and The Ship and Trades pub. The western lock basin now houses a marina.
Since 2008, with the growth of island community, Youth Club "The Island's Castaways" has been established providing loads of activities for children. Also, for retired member of the community, there is St. Mary's Island Active Retirment Association (SAINTARA) that is also successfully running since 2008.
Recent developments include a large Hotel and two apartment blocks situated on the Marina. This will also house a gym and restaurants[citation needed].
There is permanent road access onto the island, with good local security, making the island safer than the average new housing development[citation needed].
[edit] References
- ^ "Chatham Maritime" article on SEEDA website. Retrieved 2010-08-25.
http://www.smira.info/index.html
http://www.stmarysisland.uk.com
