Work has begun on a new 75-bed care home complete with a hair salon, cinema, and rooftop garden.

Construction has started at Chatham Waters for the new facility with 75 beds and specialist on-site dementia care.

It is the latest part of the Peel Waters redevelopment of the area, which has recently seen the completion of 237 affordable and shared-ownership apartments in September.

Montpelier Estates, a specialist healthcare developer, and Apex Contractors Ltd have begun work which is expected to take 18 months, with the completion of the care home anticipated to be in Autumn 2026.

The four-storey, purpose-built care home features a dementia friendly bistro café, as well as a hair salon, cinema, and sensory rooftop garden all within the development.

Peel Waters says the care home hopes to relieve pressure on the NHS by providing new spaces for patients stuck in Medway Maritime hospital because they have nowhere to go.

It says once it’s constructed it can help reduce “bed-blocking”, offering a more suitable facility for patients to recover in.

The care home is on the Chatham Waters site, which Peel Waters has been gradually redeveloping since taking control of the land in 2006 and gaining planning permission for the scheme in 2013.

The ASDA superstore, Marston’s family pub and restaurant and the Waterfront UTC have been constructed, as well as more than 600 homes, from a total investment of £150million so far.

The wider site includes the controversial Chatham Docks redevelopment, which saw Basin3, a business campus, given the go-ahead by Medway Council last year.

James Whittaker, managing director of Peel Waters, said: “It is fantastic to see even more development in such quick succession of each other taking place at Chatham Waters, bringing much needed, quality, mixed tenure homes to Medway.

“The level of thought and attention to detail within this specialist development to promote social inclusion, multi-generational friendships and community building is excellent and we’re proud to be working in partnership with Montpelier Estates and Apex to bring this high-quality offering to Chatham Waters.

“This new development will bring with it a pipeline of new jobs, apprenticeships, and opportunities for our community.

“Construction and engineering students at the onsite Waterfront UTC will be able to work on live projects, gaining valuable skills and experience; whilst on completion the home will be recruiting for a variety of operational and care roles.”

Anna Ciesielska, director of Montpelier Estates, said: “We can now deliver a care home for the elderly residents of Chatham in a stunning setting, benefitting from all of the surrounding facilities provided by Peel, offering first class care and the opportunity to enjoy the lifestyle on offer.”

Dan Hollis, managing director of Apex added: “As a Kent-based contractor, we are thrilled to be working on the prolific Chatham Waters development, bringing much-needed care spaces to Medway through the construction of the new care home.

“Our team are excited to not only deliver a state-of-the-art facility, but to engage with the local community, fostering connections, offering insights into the construction process, and providing work experience opportunities.

“We look forward to working closely with Montpelier Estates and Peel Waters to bring this vision to life and make a positive impact on the lives of future residents.”