Bulldozers have moved into a site where bungalows are being knocked down to make way for retirement homes.

Churchill Retirement Living was granted planning permission for 54 apartments in Rainham in 2019 and now work has begun at the site in the High Street.

Four properties in a row, between the town centre and the junction with Maidstone Road, are being demolished.

They will be replaced with a T-shaped building comprising 37 one bedroom and 17 two bedroom flats.

There will be a owners’ lounge, reception, office, communal garden and car park with 23 spaces.

The privately-owned flats will be homes for people aged 60 years and over living on their own, or those aged 60 or over with a spouse or partner of at least 55. Churchill said the average age of purchasers is estimated to be 80 years old.

The development will have a lodge manager and a 24-hour emergency call alarm service.

Churchill said the site is perfectly located for the shops and amenities of the town centre.

Stuart Goodwill, managing director of Churchill Retirement Living’s in-house planning consultancy, said when planning permission was granted: "There is a compelling overall housing need in Rainham and the surrounding area, especially for older people, and our site is in a highly sustainable and accessible location for a new development of this kind, so we believe this decision is good news for the town.

"Allowing older people to downsize will also help free up more homes for families and younger people in the local area."

Three letters of objection were submitted to Medway Council about the application. They raised concerns about the impact on traffic in the town centre and the pressure on local GP services, and also called for the existing bungalows to be retained.

Medway Council's planning committee voted 13 in favour and two against.

Planning permission included the condition that £225,000 is provided towards the provision of off-site affordable housing, £33,320.70 towards Rainham Healthy Living Centre and £23,660 to enhance facilities in the local area including Cozenton Park, Rainham Recreation Ground, and Berengrave Nature Reserve.

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