Gillingham news
Gillingham news, newest first, from Medway Live: planning, roads, schools, business and what's on in Gillingham, with every story linked to its source.
Top story
Gillingham Civic Square: Work Starts on £605,000 Revamp
Work has begun on Gillingham's new Civic Square, with £605,000 for lighting, murals and seating. The market stays open and the square is due next year.
More stories
Roadworks
Lower Rainham Road Closure: Six Weeks From 16 November
SGN replaces an old gas main from 16 November after repeated leaks. A rolling closure runs from Lower Twydall Lane to Riverside Country Park; the 3C diverts.
Planning
Gillingham and Rochester HMOs: Three Refused, One Approved
Councillors refused three shared-house plans on 21 October, two against officers' advice, and approved 45 Cleave Road despite 54 objections.
Health
Medway Maritime Doctor Wins National Jaundice Care Award
Dr Helen Gbinigie won a national award for a programme that has trained 1,200 NHS staff to spot jaundice in darker skin. An HSJ final follows on 19 November.
Health
Medway GP Out of Hours Moves From Hospital to MCH House
Out-of-hours GP appointments have moved from Medway Maritime to MCH House, Gillingham. The council got three days' notice; NHS papers call it substantial.
Christmas
Ice Rinks Near Medway 2026 With Prices
Planet Ice Gillingham skates all year from £15.40; Bluewater's covered rink opens 5 November from £13. Seven rinks near Medway with 2026 dates and prices.
Schools
Medway SEND School Places: Danecourt Plan Now Over £30m
Danecourt's planned 250-place secondary for pupils with special needs is now estimated at over £30m. Councillors added £5m on 15 October.
Food hygiene
Medway Food Hygiene Ratings: 67 Fives and One 1 in September
A Rochester food shop got Medway's only 1 in September. Of 83 food hygiene ratings that month, 67 were the top mark of 5, including seven school kitchens.
Food & Drink
Medway Cafes and Coffee Shops: Where to Go
Rochester's Deaf Cat and Rochester Coffee Co, Café Nucleus's palm-tree garden in Chatham and two country park cafes: 12 Medway cafes with hours and prices.
Food & Drink
Christmas Dinner in Medway 2026: 9 Menus With Prices
Christmas Day from £54.99 in Walderslade to £110 at Upnor, December menus from £28.95: nine Medway pubs and restaurants with 2026 prices and deposits.
Soft play
Soft Play and Rainy-Day Places Near Medway
Monkey Bizz, The Fun Drum and Kidzone lead eight Medway soft play and rainy-day places, with October 2026 prices, session times and when to book ahead.
Days Out
Days Out Near Medway With Children, Checked October 2026
The Historic Dockyard, Rochester Castle and Leeds Castle lead 13 family days out near Medway, with October 2026 prices and the places that close for winter.
Police
M2 Fatal Collision Near Gillingham: Police Appeal for Dashcam
A man in his 50s on foot died on the M2 coastbound near Gillingham on Tuesday night. Kent Police want witnesses and dashcam footage: call 01634 792209.
Food & Drink
Brunch in Medway: The Best Breakfast and Brunch Spots
Eggs Benedict from £8.50 at Fort Amherst, all-day brunch at Café Nucleus and £35 bottomless brunches in Rochester: 9 Medway breakfast spots, prices and hours.
Food & Drink
Afternoon Tea in Medway: Where to Book, Checked October 2026
Afternoon tea from £25 a head at Fort Amherst and Bridgewood Manor, £28 at Café Nucleus Chatham: 8 Medway tea rooms and hotels, with prices and booking.
Sport
Gillingham Padel Club Opens on Capstone Road, 6am to 11pm
Pulse Padel has opened two outdoor courts at Elm Court Garden Centre, Capstone Road, open 6am to 11pm daily. It has now applied for an alcohol licence.
Food & Drink
Medway Pubs: The Best Pubs and Where to Drink
Medway CAMRA's 2026 Pub of the Year, an inn dating from 1199 and a railway-arch micropub: 18 Medway pubs with hours, ales and dog rules, checked October 2026.
Parks
Medway Playgrounds and Parks for Children
Capstone Farm, Riverside Country Park and the Strand lead 16 Medway playgrounds, with closing times, parking charges, cafes and toilets from council pages.
Walks
Walks Near Medway: Circular Routes, Parks and Riversides
Riverside Country Park, Capstone Farm and the Great Lines lead 12 walks near Medway, with distances, car parks, gate times and dog rules from official pages.
Gillingham
Gillingham Weather: 7-Day Forecast and Today's Hourly Outlook
Gillingham weather today: heavy drizzle, 12°C by day and 8°C overnight, with a 79% chance of rain and winds up to 14 mph.
Data
Medway Claimant Count 7,775: Highest Since March 2022
Medway's claimant count rose by 200 to 7,775 in September, its highest since March 2022. Under-25s account for most of the rise, and 17 of 24 wards went up.
Christmas
Medway ice rink at Christmas: Christmas Day skate £10
Planet Ice Gillingham opens on Christmas Day, 10am to 12pm, at £10 a skater. Holiday skating runs daily 19 Dec to 4 Jan at £15.40. No pop-up rink in Medway.
Gillingham
Vinall Park Gillingham to Become a Protected Town Green
Cabinet is asked on 20 October to make Vinall Park a town green, protecting it from development for good. It follows a 2023 bid by the Friends of Vinall Park.
Council
Wigmore Traveller Site: Council Approves £2.7m for 8 Pitches
Full council added £2.684m to its capital programme on 15 October to build 8 pitches at the former Wigmore park and ride. A planning application is next.
Housing
Medway Landlord Licensing Starts 4 January 2027 in 7 Wards
Every private let in seven Medway wards will need a council licence from 4 January 2027, at £840 a home or £1,600 an HMO. The wards, the rules and the fees.
Gillingham
Japanese Ambassador in Gillingham on Will Adams Anniversary
Japan's ambassador came to Gillingham on 24 September, 462 years to the day since Will Adams was baptised there. He laid wreaths at the A2 clock tower.
Remembrance
Remembrance Sunday Medway 2026: Parades and Road Closures
Chatham parade gathers 10.20am, Rochester 10.25am, Gillingham service 8.45am on Sunday 8 November. Every road closure and the free car parks, confirmed.
Gillingham
Gillingham HMOs: Councillors Refuse Three in One Night
Medway's planning committee threw out three Gillingham HMO conversions on 26 August, two against officer advice, and one is already at appeal. The six applications and how each went.
Schools
Medway Academy Conversion: Four Primaries, 1,529 Pupils
Swingate, Burnt Oak and the two Horsted schools left Medway Council control on 1 September, taking 1,529 pupils into a trust that was registered in June.
Food hygiene
Medway Food Hygiene: No Zero Ratings, 21 Score One
Not one of Medway's 2,134 food businesses holds a zero rating. The 21 stuck on a one are mostly corner shops, and every one of them failed on paperwork.
Community
Veterans' Fair: Free Museum Entry in Gillingham, 10 Oct
Medway's first Veterans' Wellbeing Fair is on Saturday 10 October, and it waives the Royal Engineers Museum's £17.50 adult admission from 10am to 2pm.
Chatham
Longhill Avenue: 16 Homes Backed on Chatham Chalk Slope
Officers recommend 16 houses beside Samuels Towers on land inside the Great Lines wildlife site, four years after the application. Kent Wildlife Trust still objects.
Rochester
Medway Fireworks: Upnor 7 Nov, Display 7pm, £13 Adults
Medway Yacht Club's bonfire night at Lower Upnor is on sale: Saturday 7 November, gates 5.30pm, fireworks 7pm, £13 adults, £7 children. No council display.
Health
Medway Flu Jabs: Booking Open Now, First Doses 1 September
Booking is open and the first jabs go in on 1 September. Medway's uptake trailed England in all three adult groups last winter, at 73.5 per cent of over-65s.
Schools
Medway Ofsted Report Cards: Howard School Rated Exceptional
Ten Medway schools now have Ofsted's new report cards. The Howard School holds the only Exceptional grade; Wayfield Primary is in special measures.
Frindsbury
Medway Roadworks This Week: Frindsbury, Lower Rainham Road
Frindsbury Roundabout is resurfaced at night this week; Cornwallis Avenue stays shut to 20 November. Lower Rainham Road closes for gas works from 16 November.
Recycling
Medway Tip Opening Times: 8am to 4.15pm, Book First
Every visit to Capstone, Cuxton or Hoath Way tip must be booked: how to book, opening times, proof of address, van rules and what Hoath Way turns away.