PROJECT: CHATHAM HISTORIC DOCKYARD CONSTITUENCY: MEDWAY LOCAL AUTHORITY: MEDWAY AMOUNT AWARDED: £12,849,200
In 1984 the Royal Dockyard at Chatham was closed, bringing to an end 400 years of ship-building history. After the closure, the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust was established to encourage development and commercial enterprise and to preserve Europe’s most complete example of an 18th century dockyard.
The Heritage Lottery Fund has given nearly £13 million to the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust to develop the dockyard as a tourist destination and assist in regeneration through the creation of local jobs. The fund enabled a museum of the Royal Dockyard to be opened on the site in April 2001, providing a context for exciting interactive exhibitions.
Another major element of the HLF funding was the creation of the ‘historic warships attraction’, bringing together HMS Gannet (1878) and HMS Ocelot (1962) for restoration along with HMS Cavalier (1944) in an accessible environment that will ensure their long term future. In addition, there has been a major programme of building and infrastructure repair and restoration, bringing a substantial number of historical buildings back into use.
The Historic Dockyard has attracted almost 2 million visitors and is helping to support the wider retail and leisure economy of Chatham. Almost 200,000 visits to the dockyard have been made by schools and other educational institutions. In addition to the tourism and education role of the Historic Dockyard, the improvements have helped to attract 100 businesses, employing over 1,000 people, and approximately 400 residents in a range of housing units.
The improvements to the site have already had wider regeneration implications for the Thames Gateway area, in which Chatham is situated. Research by the Southern Tourist Board concludes that the Historic Dockyard is worth £20 million per annum to the local economy.