by Alan McGuinness

A project that could give Medway "the shot in the arm it’s been looking for" has been approved.

Developer Peel claims the £650 million Chatham Waters project, which was given outline planning permission last night, will create 3,500 jobs.

The huge plan will include up to 475 student apartments, a hotel with 200 bedrooms and 950 flats and houses.

Also planned is an Asda supermarket, multi-storey car park, office space, shops and university facilities.

A conference centre similar to Media City in Salford, Greater Manchester, is also envisaged to host media events, trade shows and conferences.

Medway planners were asked to consider two documents at a meeting. The first was which type of buildings and facilities would be in the four "zones" that the 26-acre site has been split into. The second was the maximum height of the buildings.

Cllr Adrian Gulvin (Con) said it was "the sort of thing Medway has needed for a long time", but planning committee chairman Cllr Diane Chambers (Con) said it was a "leap of faith" she was not prepared to take.

Although the project has been given outline planning permission, the decision has been referred to the Department for Communities and Local Government, because it goes against local development policy.

But Peel Land & Property say they wany to start work in the next 12 months.

James Whittaker, development director at Peel said, "We’re delighted that Medway Council has approved outline plans for Chatham Waters.

"It will regenerate and breathe new life into a significant area of the dockland and give the region a real economic boost.

"We will now evolve the plans further and continue to work with the Council and consult with the residents of Chatham to ensure we deliver a scheme the community is proud of.

"We will also start preparing detailed plans for the first phase and we hope to be start building on the site next year."

Gillingham FC claim approval of this plan will force the club to move out of Medway in search of a new stadium, because it’s the only suitable site for the club.

Chairman Paul Scally said a decision should be delayed until the consultation into the Core Strategy, the document which guides development in the Towns, this month.

Officers will take the outcome of this into account and wait to see what effect it will have on the proposal. Peel has 10 years to come forward with further details of the scheme.

A Gillingham FC spokesman said: "We are naturally disappointed with the committee’s decision, but the issues are not as clear cut as some may think."