Rochester news
Rochester news, newest first, from Medway Live: planning, roads, schools, business and what's on in Rochester, with every story linked to its source.
Top story
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.
More stories
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.
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.
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.
Food & Drink
Sunday Roast in Medway: Where to Book, Checked October 2026
Roasts from £15.95 at Cuxton, bottomless Yorkshires at Chatham's Command House, and riverside roasts at Upnor: 8 Medway Sunday roasts with prices and times.
Rochester
Rochester Weather: 7-Day Forecast and Today's Hourly Outlook
Rochester weather today: light rain, 11°C by day and 8°C overnight, with a 79% chance of rain and winds up to 12 mph. Seven-day forecast, updated every morning.
Food & Drink
Medway Restaurants: The Best Places to Eat
Omakase sushi, steak and lobster and family Italian in Rochester, plus Chatham and Rainham: 12 Medway restaurants with prices, hours, ratings, checked 24 Oct.
Rochester
364 High Street Rochester: Council Moves to Buy Empty Shop
Cabinet decides on 20 October whether to compulsorily buy the former Mak's Curry Nest at 364 High Street, empty since 2012. A buyer must cover all costs first.
Christmas
Rochester Cathedral Carols 2026: 13 Free Services and Times
Advent procession 29 November, Nine Lessons and Carols 18 and 19 December, all free and unticketed. Only the choir's carol concert, 12 and 13 December, is paid.
Rochester
Huguenot Museum Leaves Rochester: Collections to Go on Loan
Britain's only Huguenot museum has closed its Rochester High Street site after 11 years. Trustees say it is seeking a new home, not shutting for good.
Planning
Borstal Children's Home Plan: Site Notice Runs to 9 Nov
A site notice for the Borstal Street vicarage plan runs to 9 November. Oasis wants a home there for five 16 and 17 year olds, some from custody.
Halloween
Halloween in Medway 2026: Pumpkins, Ghost Tours and Scares
Pumpkin fields at Hoo and Rainham are open to Saturday 31 October and Fort Amherst's 18+ scares end on Halloween. Dockyard family ghost tours have sold out.
Christmas
Santa's Grotto in Medway 2026: Four Grottos, Dates and Prices
Hempstead Valley's grotto opens 7 November at £6.50 a child; Chatham Dockyard's Mission Christmas is £25 from 29 November, Fort Amherst from £27.50.
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.
Rochester
Rochester High Street Patrol: 26 Searched, 2 Arrested
Kent Police swabbed drinkers for drugs as a condition of entry on Rochester High Street on 18 September: 26 people searched, 4 possession notices and 2 wanted men arrested.
Rochester
Clive Road Rochester Children's Home Refused, 27 Objected
Medway Council has refused a three-child children's home at 9 Clive Road, Rochester. The 112 sqm terrace is 8 sqm under the size test and staff traffic would harm a cul-de-sac with no turning space. An appeal is open for six months.
Rochester
IPS International Rochester Clears Ofsted in Every Area
Rated requires improvement in 2023, IPS International in Rochester now meets Ofsted's standard in all seven areas, with achievement up from 52% to 65%.
Community
Three Little Words Memoir Launches in Rochester on 18 Sept
Lucy Clifford pushed three words under her mum's door at 10 to disclose abuse. Her memoir of that name is published on Friday and launched in Rochester.
Rochester
Oasis Restore Rochester: Two Ofsted Compliance Notices
Ofsted found restraint used outside the legal criteria at the Rochester secure school and served two compliance notices. The deadline is 20 September.
Community
Medway Creative Health: £400,000, 17 Projects, 5,000 People
Two years of Arts Council money in Medway: 17 projects, 200 sessions, 5,000 people, £90,000 more raised. Public event at Rochester Corn Exchange, 16 September.
Rochester
Rochester Christmas Market: 9 Days, 27 Nov to 13 Dec
Rochester Christmas Market is in Castle Gardens on nine days, 27 November to 13 December 2026. Free entry, times for each day, quiet hours and where to park.
Rochester
Rochester Dickensian Christmas: 5 and 6 December, Free
Rochester's Dickensian Christmas Festival is 5 and 6 December 2026, 10am to 6pm, free. Times, what is confirmed, parking, and two coach slots already full.
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.
Rochester
Heritage Open Days Medway: 44 Free Events, 11-20 Sept
All 44 events are free and 28 need no booking at all. Saturday 12 September is the busiest day, with 23 Medway venues open. One session has already sold out.
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.
Half Term
Medway October Half Term 2026: Dates and What's On
Council schools in Medway break 26 to 30 October 2026; the grammars start a week earlier. Twenty-two things on, with dates, times and prices from organisers.