Across Rochester Bridge on the west bank. The Victorian terraces that joined Strood to Frindsbury, post-war Rede Common and Broomhill, Wainscott, and the new homes at Medway Gate and on the Strood Waterfront: river flats below, chalk and sand up the hill.
Strood
Strood is two kinds of ground. The town centre, the station and Canal Road sit on soft alluvium over chalk by the river, and much of it is in Flood Zone 3: the Temple Street area was once known as the Swamp, and the town flooded in 1953, 1968 and 1979. Up the hill, Gun Lane, Strood Hill and Rede Common are on chalk, and Broomhill, Wainscott and Frindsbury Hill on Thanet sand and gravel.
Frindsbury Hill has been quarried for chalk for centuries and is riddled with old workings that have caused subsidence; Medway Gate is built inside a former chalk pit. The British Geological Survey rates old workings as a significant risk around Strood, Frindsbury and Wainscott. Near the river, foundations may need to go deeper to reach firm ground. Either way, ask for the ground to be checked before you accept a price.
More than half the homes in Strood North and Frindsbury date from before 1919, from the terraces built between 1882 and 1886. Rede Common is mostly post-war.
Permissions
Medway Council
Medway Council decides planning applications, and building control is STG, across the bridge in Rochester. Unlike Rochester, Strood town centre has no conservation area, but Frindsbury & Manor Farm is one, and nearby Upnor has an Article 4 direction on its cottages. Turning a house into a small HMO needs planning permission in Strood North & Frindsbury ward. Canal Road, the Esplanade, Station Road and the High Street by the bridge are in Flood Zone 3, and Priory Road is in Zone 2, so an extension there needs a flood risk assessment and floor levels designed for it. North Street, Frindsbury Road, Cuxton Road and Gun Lane are outside the flood zones.
Services in Strood
Foundations on the river alluvium and around Frindsbury's chalk workings, taken to firm ground and inspected.
→Rear extensions on the Strood North and Frindsbury terraces, with flood levels designed in where needed.
→Rear dormer lofts on the Victorian terraces.
→Re-roofs on the post-war houses of Rede Common and Broomhill.
→Brick matching on the 1880s terraces, and flood-resilient detailing low down.
→Second fix, stairs and built-ins on extensions and lofts.
→Common projects
Strood is a few minutes from Rochester over the bridge. Say what you are planning and we'll pass it to builders who cover Strood.
Questions
Get quotes
A rough idea and a postcode is enough. We'll pass it to local builders who cover Strood, and they'll contact you directly.