A VACANT haulage yard next to the railway station in Gillingham could be turned into a café, offices and a large car park under new plans.
Plans have been submitted to change the use of the former Roses and Sons yard at Station Road, a site that has been vacant since 2020.
Britannia Parking is seeking to create offices and a café delicatessen on the ground floor of the site as well as a 82 capacity car park complete with 12 electric vehicle charging points.
The plans said the café would provide a welcoming shelter for users of the Station Road Transport Hub, something they said the station currently lacks.
“The car park will serve several purposes,” the plans said. “It adds capacity to the existing station car park and its location is sufficient proximity so it can also serve both the town centre and surrounding employment uses.”
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It added: “With the growth of Gillingham, it is likely increased use of the railway station will result.
“With the existing station car park already well used, this proposal will enable additional parking to support the use of the railway over car travel.
“The introduction of a café will ensure a more pleasant environment.”
The site was previously part of the Oake Wood’s meat processing factory before it was used as a haulage yard for J.H. Rose and Sons from 1986. T
he business ceased to operate in 2020, but the site was temporarily used for rental van parking which has now ceased.
Gillingham Town Council supported the plans at a meeting of its planning committee on Monday (September 22).
They said they would welcome it as a “positive contribution” to the regeneration of the Station Road area and the wider town centre.
“The development will bring a vacant site back into active use, support local employment, and provide additional amenities for both residents and visitors,” they said.
“It is consistent with the aims of the Gillingham Neighbourhood Plan which encourages mixed-use development and economic growth in this key area between the station and town centre.
To view and comment on the plans, visit the planning section of Dorset Council’s website and search reference P/FUL/2025/05075.
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Gillingham doesnt require another cafe as it already has enough and the one nearest the station is the best cafe in town why would we want an established business to suffer. The town has no town centre as such at the end of the high street there is already empty properties that should be invested in. We dont need a car park either parking in Gillingham has never been an issue.
I’m not surprised the builder who gets paid by the closet cafe to the station is opposed to the idea.
Sounds like Gillinghams station is getting a bit of a facelift! Good to see the old haulage yard finally having a purpose again, rather than just being a dusty placeholder since 2020. Bringing a café and offices to the mix sounds like a smart plan – always useful to have more places to grab a coffee and pretend to work while avoiding the town centre rush. The car park expansion is a definite win too; its about time they addressed the well used status of the current one. Maybe now commuters will have a slightly less stressful place to wait for the train instead of parking illegally. All in all, sounds like a positive contribution to the Station Road area – lets hope the café serves better coffee than the planning meetings!
Tris Stevens
Very much need more parking for the station. With ever more housing coming to the town and surrounding areas it will and is already needed.
Great news, hope it goes ahead. Anyone who uses the train station for commuting will know how busy the car park gets. It always feels like a forgotten bit of town. With potential offices as well that might bring business to the planned cafe and the existing cafe near there. Sounds like a win, win to me.
They should consider turning them into studios or workshops for small businesses to bring people in.