Medway Council has been awarded almost £4 million in government funding to redevelop unused land into housing.

The investment, totalling £3,968,371, is earmarked for various residential schemes across Medway.

In Strood, the council will spend £1.7 million on the former Civic Centre site, which lies next to Rochester Bridge, for a 171-home development.

Plans for the Civic Centre site were set to go to public consultation in the summer but this is yet to take place.

Meanwhile in Chatham, £730,000 will go towards converting part of the former Debenhams building in the High Street into flats.

The department store closed in 2020 and was bought by the council for £2.2 million last June.

Mountbatten House, above the Pentagon Centre, will receive £940,238 to turn it into 164 flats, which will be specifically used for demolition works, concrete repairs, structural works, construction access route works and utility diversions.

Gillingham is also receiving £598,133 of the funding to create 37 affordable homes.

19 of those homes will be built at Petham Green, Twydall, while 18 homes for affordable rent are earmarked for Aburound House on Woodlands Road.

Cllr Naushabah Khan, portfolio holder for housing and property, said: “We are delighted that we will be receiving almost £4million of government funding to unlock these important sites and build a range of much-needed new homes.

“This adds to a string of successful Medway bids for central government funding and is testament to the council’s reputation for ambition and delivery.

“I am particularly pleased that we will be building two developments which will be completely affordable.”

The investment is part of the second phase of the government’s £180 million Brownfield Land Release Fund, which aims to transform derelict land into housing.

Medway is among nearly 100 regeneration projects across the country to benefit from the funding and received one of the largest shares.