The Leader answered a question about the current situation at The Charter Development.
A question was submitted from a member of the public ,asking about the current situation at The Charter development in Gravesend.
The question asked:
Would the Leader of the Council please provide the community with an explanation as to why work on the Charter has stopped, and in doing so could he please confirm:
- That the Council's investment in this scheme is safe?
- What mitigation measures the Council is putting in place?
Could he please use this opportunity to completely rule out that neither the Council or Rosherville Limited have entered discussions, or planned arrangements with any London Boroughs about future occupancy of these flats.
The full response of the Leader of the Council, Cllr John Burden, was:
Work on the Charter development has temporarily paused after the main construction contractor, Henry Construction, a significant player of scale in the UK market, went into administration.
The council’s investment in the project is protected, by the terms of the development agreement we have with our development partners, Reef Group and Rosherville Limited.
Our partners, are working on viable options to complete work at the Charter. A number have been identified which are being examined in detail ahead of any decision being made.
Regular meetings are taking place to consider the practical, technical and legal aspects of the situation and how best to progress the project.
I can confirm that neither the council, nor Rosherville Limited, have had any discussions or entered into any arrangements with any London Boroughs, or any borough, district or other local authority from anywhere else in the country, with regards future occupancy of the apartments. Under this administration, no such discussions will be held or arrangements considered at any time.
I would like to add that, contrary to rumours, the development is wholly-owned by Rosherville Limited, this council’s own commercial trading company.
It is not owned by, and nor has it been built for or in collaboration with, any London borough, or any borough, district or other local authority, from anywhere else in the country.
All 242 apartments will be available to rent on the open market. We will be adopting a local-first marketing strategy when the apartments become available.
View more frequently asked questions on the Rosherville website.