Azure at St Mary’s Island

One of the most iconic regeneration schemes in south-east England, the regeneration of St Mary’s Island is a 50-50 joint venture between Countryside and Homes England, under the name of Countryside Maritime Limited. Over the last 26 years, the partnership has been transforming the 150-acre former Royal Naval dockyard, a formerly uninhabitable place, into a sustainable mixed-use community - delivering 1,700 new homes, alongside green spaces and public amenities.

Born from a shared vision between the partners, the aspiration for St Mary’s Island sought to provide much needed investment to the Chatham Maritime area and provide a range of high-quality homes. Throughout the regeneration of St Mary’s Island the partners have effectively combined their skills, knowledge and expertise to improve, design and effectively deliver a scheme that positively contributes to the local area and community: Countryside, with its reputation for placemaking and creating places people love, and Homes England, renowned for its business and community building skills – a clever, mutually-beneficial partnership which has since established a successful, thriving neighbourhood. In this way, collaboration between the parties ensured effectiveness of the design and delivery of this innovative scheme. A key aim for the partnership was to address the local housing need. 13.6% of homes on St Mary’s Island are affordable which, alongside 62 units as part of an Extracare Facility, contributes to the housing accessibility and availability for residents of Kent. The project also provides a plethora of convenient amenities, including shops, schools, a hairdresser, a GP surgery and pharmacy.