View source for Spembly Works

{{AFC comment|1=Vast majority of these sources are primary planning documents and such. But the more pressing issue is that this is far too long and goes into far too much detail. An article on Wikipedia should give a fairly concise overview by only summarising what reliable, published, secondary sources state. A lot of this seems like original research, which isn't allowed. A much shorter draft on just the history of the building backed up by several reliable secondary sources would work better. Otherwise, I'd recommend publishing this in a blog or something. <span style="background-color: RoyalBlue; border-radius: 1em; padding: 3px 3px 3px 3px;">'''[[User:Qcne|<span style="color: GhostWhite">qcne</span>]]''' <small>[[User talk:Qcne|<span style="color: GhostWhite">(talk)</span>]]</small></span> 20:30, 28 June 2025 (UTC)}}

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{{Short description|Former factory in Chatham, Kent}}
{{Draft topics|europe|business-and-economics|stem}}
{{AfC topic|geo}}

{{Infobox building
| name             = Spembly Works
| former_names     = The Ship
| image            = Current state of the abandoned property surrounding residential buildings from New Road Avenue, Chatham, Kent.jpg
| caption          = Spembly Works, a mid‑1950s Streamlined Modernist former factory converted into apartments, now abandoned
| location         = Chatham, Kent, England
| coordinates      = {{coord|51|22|58.7|N|0|31|12.0|E|display=inline,title}}
| status           = Residential apartments (partially vacant since 2017)
| start_date       = mid‑1950s
| completion_date  = mid‑1950s
| landlord         = Spembly Works Residents Association Ltd (head lessee from Feb 2012)
| owner            = Hillrun Ltd (freehold)
| floor_count      = 4
| map_type         = Kent
| building_type    = Residential (formerly industrial factory)
| architectural_style = Modernist / Streamlined
| structural_system = Concrete and steel frame
| current_tenants  = 33 private flats
| renovation_date  = early 2000s (conversion to 33 flats)
| material         = White‑rendered façade with horizontal ribbon windows
| developer        = Construction Link Ltd (conversion, c. 2000–2004)
}}

'''Spembly Works''' is a former industrial factory in [[Chatham, Kent|Chatham]], [[Kent]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-16 |title=Inside trashed flats in building designed to look like cruise ship |url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/inside-trashed-flats-in-building-designed-to-look-like-cruis-295130/ |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=Kent Online |language=en |quote=The former factory}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Spembly - Graces Guide |url=https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Spembly |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250622084606/https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Spembly |archive-date=2025-06-22 |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=www.gracesguide.co.uk |language=en |quote=Research, design and development and consulting engineers, of Sittingbourne, of Chatham, of Andover.}}</ref>

== History ==
Built in the mid-1950s,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-16 |title=Inside trashed flats in building designed to look like cruise ship |url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/inside-trashed-flats-in-building-designed-to-look-like-cruis-295130/ |access-date=2025-06-21 |website=Kent Online |language=en |quote=Spembly Works  .... built in the 1950s.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=House prices for Spembly Works, New Road Avenue, Chatham, ME |url=https://www.bricksandlogic.co.uk/place/building/spembly-works-new-road-avenue-chatham-me4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250622092043/https://www.bricksandlogic.co.uk/place/building/spembly-works-new-road-avenue-chatham-me4 |archive-date=2025-06-22 |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=www.bricksandlogic.co.uk |language=en |quote=The dominant property type is a mid-century flat built between 1936 and 1979.}}</ref> the building was originally owned by metal engineering firm Spembly Engineering (later part of [[Marconi Company|Marconi]]/Elliott),<ref>{{Cite web |title= Archived copy|url=https://cdn.rochesteravionicarchives.co.uk/img/catalog/Newsletter_29.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250621221626/https://cdn.rochesteravionicarchives.co.uk/img/catalog/Newsletter_29.pdf |archive-date=2025-06-21 |access-date=2025-06-21 |website=cdn.rochesteravionicarchives.co.uk}}</ref> the long rectangular "ship‑shaped" building housed [[research]] and [[manufacturing]]. [[Archive|Archive records]] note that "Spembly Engineering... had a site in the building they call The Ship (its shape)"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Archived copy |url=https://cdn.rochesteravionicarchives.co.uk/img/catalog/Newsletter_29.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250621221626/https://cdn.rochesteravionicarchives.co.uk/img/catalog/Newsletter_29.pdf |archive-date=2025-06-21 |access-date=2025-06-21 |website=cdn.rochesteravionicarchives.co.uk |quote=They had a site in the building they call The Ship (its shape)  ....}}</ref> and by [[1961 in the United Kingdom|1961]] [[Employment|employed]] hundreds there.<ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=https://cdn.rochesteravionicarchives.co.uk/img/catalog/Newsletter_29.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250621221626/https://cdn.rochesteravionicarchives.co.uk/img/catalog/Newsletter_29.pdf |archive-date=2025-06-21 |access-date=2025-06-21 |website=cdn.rochesteravionicarchives.co.uk |quote=By 1961 Spembly had 250 staff working on a variety of projects including [[nuclear power]].}}</ref> The property was designed in a [[Streamline Moderne|Modernist / Streamlined]] style, with a smooth white façade and horizontal bands of windows so as to "reminiscent of a cruise ship". Contemporary accounts describe it as a "beacon of modern architecture" for its time.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-16 |title=Inside trashed flats in building designed to look like cruise ship |url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/inside-trashed-flats-in-building-designed-to-look-like-cruis-295130/ |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=Kent Online |language=en |quote=Spembly Works, in New Road, Chatham, was a beacon of modern architecture when it was built in the 1950s.}}</ref> The building met mid-20th-century UK building regulations of that era.

=== Original Use ===
On completion, Spembly Works served as an industrial/office factory.  It was occupied first by Spembly Engineering (a R&D consulting firm established in the 1940s)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Spembly - Graces Guide |url=https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Spembly |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250622084606/https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Spembly |archive-date=2025-06-22 |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=www.gracesguide.co.uk |language=en |quote=1940s Company established  ....}}</ref> and, after Spembly vacated in the late 1960s, by [[GEC-Marconi]] Avionics' Flight Automation Research Laboratory (FARL) from [[1968 in the United Kingdom|1968]] to [[1990 in the United Kingdom|1990]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rochester Avionics Archive |url=https://rochesteravionicarchives.co.uk/items/hopewell-drive-training-centre |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/0rW9n#selection-383.10-383.138 |archive-date=2025-06-22 |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=rochesteravionicarchives.co.uk |quote=FARL (Flight Automation Research Laboratory) was situated at New Road. The company occupied the New Road site from 1968 to 1990.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title= Archived copy|url=https://cdn.rochesteravionicarchives.co.uk/img/catalog/Newsletter_29.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250621221626/https://cdn.rochesteravionicarchives.co.uk/img/catalog/Newsletter_29.pdf |archive-date=2025-06-21 |access-date=2025-06-21 |website=cdn.rochesteravionicarchives.co.uk |quote=At the end of the year the Lab left its home at New Road in Chatham, following the expiry of the lease on the premises  ....}}</ref> A [[1948 in the United Kingdom|1948]] museum report confirms Marconi‑Elliott (now [[BAE Systems]]) used the building until [[1990 in the United Kingdom|1990]], when the lab relocated and the "splendid New Road building has now been converted into luxury apartments".<ref>{{Cite web |title= Archived copy|url=https://cdn.rochesteravionicarchives.co.uk/img/catalog/Newsletter_29.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250621221626/https://cdn.rochesteravionicarchives.co.uk/img/catalog/Newsletter_29.pdf |archive-date=2025-06-21 |access-date=2025-06-21 |website=cdn.rochesteravionicarchives.co.uk |quote=The splendid New Road building has now been converted into luxury apartments.}}</ref> Thus for roughly four decades it housed [[avionics]]/[[Research and development|R&D]] functions. The ground‐level layout likely included offices, labs and employee facilities (e.g. canteens), though no detailed floor plans are publicly available. The building had multiple floors (at least ground plus three storeys above) with concrete/steel construction, ribbon windows and flat roof typical of the period.  (Later conversion plans show it had 4 storeys – ground plus first, second and third floors.)

=== Conversion to Residential ===
Planning permission to convert Spembly Works into apartments by applicant Galliford Hodgson Ltd was obtained on the 27th of January [[2000 in the United Kingdom|2000]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Medway Council |url=http://archive.org/details/mc000110-grant-of-permission-for-extension-and-conversion-of-former-offices-to-2 |title=MC/00/0110 {{!}} Grant of permission for extension and conversion of former offices to 27 residential units at Spembly Works}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=MC/00/0110 &vert; Extension and conversion of former offices to 27 residential units. &vert; Spembly Works New Road Avenue Chatham Kent |url=https://publicaccess1.medway.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=ZZZZQIKNPM725&activeTab=summary |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250622091528/https://publicaccess1.medway.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=ZZZZQIKNPM725&activeTab=summary |archive-date=2025-06-22 |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=publicaccess1.medway.gov.uk |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title= Archived copy|url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5edfae99d3bf7f1ec05388af/Spembly_Works_7_March_2020.Decision.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250622080407/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5edfae99d3bf7f1ec05388af/Spembly_Works_7_March_2020.Decision.pdf |archive-date=2025-06-22 |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=assets.publishing.service.gov.uk |quote=.... planning permission was granted in about 2000 to convert it into 33 Flats.}}</ref> Developer Construction Link Limited<ref>{{Cite web |title= Archived copy|url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5edfae99d3bf7f1ec05388af/Spembly_Works_7_March_2020.Decision.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250622080407/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5edfae99d3bf7f1ec05388af/Spembly_Works_7_March_2020.Decision.pdf |archive-date=2025-06-22 |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=assets.publishing.service.gov.uk |quote=Construction Link Limited}}</ref> (the freeholder at that time) undertook the scheme.<ref>{{Cite web |title= Archived copy|url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5edfae99d3bf7f1ec05388af/Spembly_Works_7_March_2020.Decision.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250622080407/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5edfae99d3bf7f1ec05388af/Spembly_Works_7_March_2020.Decision.pdf |archive-date=2025-06-22 |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=assets.publishing.service.gov.uk |quote=Construction [Link] Limited, the then freeholder, got into financial difficulty and failed to manage the block properly  ....}}</ref> The approved conversion (completed in the early 2000s) created 33 private flats. Under the redevelopment, the industrial shell and façade were largely retained, while the interior was subdivided into one- and two-bedroom units.  For example, auction literature identifies Flat 17 as a two-bedroom second-floor unit,<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |title=Spembly Works, New Road Avenue, Chatham, Kent, ME4 6AZ - Online Auctions |url=https://www.landwoodpropertyauctions.com/lot/details/12703 |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=www.landwoodpropertyauctions.com}}</ref> and public records show at least some one-bedroom flats.  The building's cruise-ship exterior remained essentially unchanged in outline.  (There is no public record of any significant redesign of the roof or overall form.)  It appears the project was privately financed by the developer; no special public funding is noted. [[Medway Council]] granted the necessary permits (requiring compliance with modern building codes), and the first 20 flats were sold on long [[Lease|leases]] in [[2003 in the United Kingdom|2003]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Flat 15 Spembly Works, 13 New Road Avenue, Chatham, Kent, ME4 6AZ {{!}} Auction House London |url=https://auctionhouselondon.co.uk/lot/flat-15-spembly-works-13-new-road-avenue-chatham-kent-me4-6az-75133 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250622105802/https://auctionhouselondon.co.uk/lot/flat-15-spembly-works-13-new-road-avenue-chatham-kent-me4-6az-75133 |archive-date=2025-06-22 |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=Auction House London |language=en-GB |quote=The properties are each held on a lease for a term of 125 years from 1st June 2003  ....}}</ref> However, the developer soon ran into trouble: it failed to complete all works, and Construction Link Limited fell into [[receivership]] before finishing the block.

Originally the 33 flats were offered with 125-year leases from June [[2003 in the United Kingdom|2003]] at a nominal [[ground rent]] (£75 per annum).<ref name="auto"/>  (A [[Lease|Head Lease]] dated Feb [[2012 in the United Kingdom|2012]] to the residents' management company confirms the lease terms of 125 years from 1 June 2003.)  No lift appears to have been installed, and tenants later reported that some apartments were "baking in the summer and freezing in the winter," suggesting minimal [[Building insulation|insulation]] or [[Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning|climate control]].  No common amenities (like a [[gym]] or [[laundry]]) are mentioned in sources. It is unclear if dedicated parking was provided; being in a town centre location it may have relied on street parking. [[Fire escape|Fire escape routes]] would have been updated to meet regulations at conversion, but by [[2009 in the United Kingdom|2009]] Council inspectors found serious deficiencies.

== Ownership and Management ==
After the conversion, ownership was split.  Construction Link Ltd remained freeholder until [[2010 in the United Kingdom|2010]]. In 2009 a receivership granted 13 of the unsold leases to Wigmore Homes Ltd (headed by leaseholder Sam Low).<ref>{{Cite web |title= Archived copy|url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5edfae99d3bf7f1ec05388af/Spembly_Works_7_March_2020.Decision.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250622080407/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5edfae99d3bf7f1ec05388af/Spembly_Works_7_March_2020.Decision.pdf |archive-date=2025-06-22 |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=assets.publishing.service.gov.uk |quote=In 2009 receivers were appointed for Construction Link Limited and they granted 13 new leases to Wigmore Homes (UK) Limited ("Wigmore").}}</ref> The remaining 20 flats were owned by various private purchasers or [[Company|companies]]. In late 2009, 19 leaseholders formed the Spembly Works Residents Association Ltd (a Right-To-Manage company, company no. 06771466) to take over management.  The freehold itself was bought at auction in 2010 by Hillrun Limited. Under a negotiated deal, Hillrun granted the Residents Association a new long head lease (125 years from 2003)<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title= Archived copy|url=https://www.allsop.co.uk/api/file/96de7fd6-44cd-11e9-bb03-0242ac110002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250622090657/https://www.allsop.co.uk/api/file/96de7fd6-44cd-11e9-bb03-0242ac110002 |archive-date=2025-06-22 |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=www.allsop.co.uk}}</ref> in Feb [[2012 in the United Kingdom|2012]]; the Association thus became [[Landlord|nominal landlord]] responsible for upkeep.

The Residents Association (formed 11 Dec [[2008 in the United Kingdom|2008]], dissolved 22 June [[2023 in the United Kingdom|2023]])<ref>{{Cite web |title=SPEMBLY WORKS RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/06771466 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/sUS4j |archive-date=2025-06-22 |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk |language=en |quote=Incorporated on 11 December 2008  .... Dissolved on 22 June 2023  ....}}</ref> had three [[directors]]: Andrew P. Christie, Rosemary C. Ings and Samuel Low.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SPEMBLY WORKS RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION LIMITED people - Find and update company information - GOV.UK |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/06771466/officers |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/kxPvF |archive-date=2025-06-22 |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk |language=en}}</ref>  Its articles assigned it full management duties: it was "responsible to keep the premises at all times in good and substantial repair" and to comply with all statutory health/safety obligations. Initially, management was delegated to a firm (KDL Law and its agents, then Omnicroft Ltd). The Association frequently clashed with recalcitrant leaseholders (notably Wigmore Homes, which owned 13 flats and ceased paying service charges from 2010 on).<ref>{{Cite web |title= Archived copy|url=https://s47657.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/wigmireutj.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250622105334/https://s47657.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/wigmireutj.pdf |archive-date=2025-06-22 |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=s47657.pcdn.co |quote=Of the 33 flats, 13 remained unsold until 2010 when the Tenant bought all 13 from fixed charge receivers.}}</ref>

== Decline, Disrepair and Hazards ==
Within a few years the building fell into serious disrepair.  In mid-2009 Medway Council's building control found it "had not been constructed to satisfy minimum standards of [[Building regulations in the United Kingdom|building regulations]]".<ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5edfae99d3bf7f1ec05388af/Spembly_Works_7_March_2020.Decision.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250622080407/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5edfae99d3bf7f1ec05388af/Spembly_Works_7_March_2020.Decision.pdf |archive-date=2025-06-22 |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=assets.publishing.service.gov.uk |quote=In July 2009 Building Control Officers of [[Medway Council]] inspected the property with the receivers and reported that it was evident that the property had not been constructed to satisfy minimum standards of building regulations.}}</ref> Over time, cumulative neglect led to catastrophic failures: by [[2015 in the United Kingdom|2015]] a Medway Council inspection documented multiple Category 1 hazards (e.g. a non‐functioning fire alarm system,<ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5edfae99d3bf7f1ec05388af/Spembly_Works_7_March_2020.Decision.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250622080407/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5edfae99d3bf7f1ec05388af/Spembly_Works_7_March_2020.Decision.pdf |archive-date=2025-06-22 |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=assets.publishing.service.gov.uk |quote=According to Mr Dann, the specification included a  .... new fire alarm system, working with Kent Fire and Rescue Service in respect of the compartmentation of the building for the purpose of protecting the residents if a fire broke out  ....}}</ref> inadequate fire‐stopping between floors and damaged glass compromising structural integrity). On 15 Nov [[2016 in the United Kingdom|2016]] the Council served a Prohibition Order due to fire risk.  A tribunal hearing in Aug [[2017 in the United Kingdom|2017]] upheld the order for all flats above ground floor, meaning only the six ground-floor units (Flats 1–6) remained legally habitable. All upper-storey apartments were ordered evacuated by Sept 2017. (These conditions persisted: since then the property was "empty save for flats 1-6 on the ground level" .)

Additional issues quickly arose. Vandalism, fly-tipping and squatters proliferated once the building was effectively derelict. The structure became a "sorry sight" – its windows smashed out, graffiti scrawled on walls, and rubbish strewn inside. Local reports note that opportunistic rough-sleepers and youths broke in at will, even lighting small fires inside.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-16 |title=Inside trashed flats in building designed to look like cruise ship |url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/inside-trashed-flats-in-building-designed-to-look-like-cruis-295130/ |access-date=2025-06-26 |website=Kent Online |language=en |quote="Rough sleepers have moved in," she said. "It is a playground for idle teenagers who trash the building. "It has been boarded up again and again. Fires have been lit."}}</ref>  By 2023 the entire ground-floor entrance area had been boarded up, and councillors described the site as "a magnet for anti-social behaviour".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-16 |title=Inside trashed flats in building designed to look like cruise ship |url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/inside-trashed-flats-in-building-designed-to-look-like-cruis-295130/ |access-date=2025-06-26 |website=Kent Online |language=en |quote=.... having become an eyesore and a magnet for antisocial behaviour  ....}}</ref>

Asbestos has been a concern. Some unofficial sources mentioned suspected asbestos in the building's fabric, but the landlord has denied any confirmed asbestos problem.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-16 |title=Inside trashed flats in building designed to look like cruise ship |url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/inside-trashed-flats-in-building-designed-to-look-like-cruis-295130/ |access-date=2025-06-26 |website=Kent Online |language=en |quote=Mr Wicking said: "There is always trouble in there but the police won't go in because they say there is asbestos in the roof. There isn't.}}</ref> No specific cladding issue (e.g. ACM panels) has been reported – the safety notices focused on fire alarms, glazing and general disrepair.  Mold, damp and vermin were reportedly present in the deteriorating flats, with one resident recalling floors so wet "mushrooms [grew] on our furniture."  However, no formal subsidence or structural collapse has been reported; the shell remains standing, albeit unsafe.  In September 2023, owners obtained a legal dispensation to urgently board up all remaining glass after the Council applied to court , underscoring the "very real threat of risk to life" posed by broken windows and ingress .

== Legal Disputes and Management Battles ==
The building has been embroiled in extensive litigation. Between [[2014 in the United Kingdom|2014]]–2023 dozens of first-tier tribunal (F-tT) cases were filed. In 2017 an [[Upper Tribunal]] appeal addressed recoverable charges on Flat 7. In March 2020 the F-tT ruled on major service-charge disputes (case CHI/00LC/LSC/2019/0054). This decision confirms that "Spembly Works...was originally an industrial building which had been converted into 33 residential flats" and that each leaseholder was liable for 1/33 of the common costs .  Major costs accumulated (by [[2020 in the United Kingdom|2020]] the Association claimed nearly £1.7 million in service charges, partially offset by Wigmore's 39% non-payment ).  A more recent 2023 tribunal (case CHI/00LC/LDC/2023/0072) dealt with urgent repair charges (mostly boarding up glass).  The tribunal confirmed the building is "a converted building to 33 individual flats currently under prohibition notice," and approved a £115k bill for immediate glass removal and boarding.

Separate legal actions include Wigmore Homes' own appeals (e.g. an [[2018 in the United Kingdom|2018]] Upper Tribunal decision cut in half the service-charge liabilities Wigmore faced ). Some leaseholders (through the Residents Association) challenged the reasonableness of charges and management.  The management company (Spembly Works Residents Association Ltd) itself was "the Respondent" in these cases, acting as head landlord .  (Notably, at one hearing the Association's director was Andrew Wicking – an accountant who took over management in [[2019 in the United Kingdom|2019]].) Throughout these proceedings, the Association repeatedly asserted that emergency works were needed but unaffordable, while some leaseholders countered that the company had failed in its duties.

== Declining Condition and Safety Actions ==
By late 2017 all flats above ground level were vacated, and the site was formally fenced off<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lead or Rumour info - - abandoned hotel in chatam kent {{!}} Leads, Rumours and News... |url=https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/abandoned-hotel-in-chatam-kent.137835/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250622090910/https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/abandoned-hotel-in-chatam-kent.137835/ |archive-date=2025-06-22 |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=28DaysLater Urban Exploring Forums |date=6 May 2024 |language=en-GB |quote=Not talking about spembly works are you? Saw pic of a fence up round it now}}</ref> by Medway Council as a hazard in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-16 |title=Inside trashed flats in building designed to look like cruise ship |url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/inside-trashed-flats-in-building-designed-to-look-like-cruis-295130/ |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=Kent Online |language=en |quote=A [[Medway Council]] spokesperson said: "We became aware that the privately-owned building remained a hazard to the public and so took action to arrange the installation of fencing to make the site secure.}}</ref>  Council officers have stated publicly that the building remained unsecured and dangerous.  As of 2023 it is essentially derelict: no firefighting or rescue access is maintained, major staircases are partially collapsed, and the roof and upper walls are unprotected.  The freeholder (Hillrun Ltd) and head lessee (Residents Association) have both lamented that there are insufficient funds to make it safe. Medway Council remains involved through regulatory notices, but no public funds have been allocated for repair.

=== Ownership and Financial Structure ===
The freehold of Spembly Works has been held by property firm Hillrun Ltd since its 2010 [[Auction|auction purchase]] .  The 33 flats are held on individual long leases (mostly 125-year terms from 2003).<ref name=":0" /> Many of the leaseholders are private individuals;<ref>{{Cite web |title=Search results - HM Land Registry Open Data |url=https://landregistry.data.gov.uk/app/ppd/search?county=MEDWAY&district=MEDWAY&limit=all&paon=SPEMBLY+WORKS,+13&relative_url_root=/app/ppd&saon=FLAT+5&town=CHATHAM |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250622090630/https://landregistry.data.gov.uk/app/ppd/search?county=MEDWAY&district=MEDWAY&limit=all&paon=SPEMBLY+WORKS,+13&relative_url_root=/app/ppd&saon=FLAT+5&town=CHATHAM |archive-date=2025-06-22 |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=landregistry.data.gov.uk |language=en}}</ref> however, at least three flats are owned by companies (for example, Spembly 6 Ltd holds Flat 6 , Wigmore Homes Ltd owns 13 flats, and Shokar Properties Ltd owns three flats).  Each flat's lease grants its owner a share in the Residents Association company (formerly the Right to Manage company).   When the head lease was granted in 2012, Spembly Works Residents Association Ltd took on a collective repair obligation: its lease explicitly requires it to "observe and comply with all...health and safety...obligations" .  In practice the Association is funded by its 33 shareholders (one per flat), but massive arrears developed.  For example, one tribunal recorded that Wigmore Homes alone owed about £631,662 in unpaid charges as of 2017 .  These arrears and legal disputes have prevented any major refurbishment.

The company Spembly Works Residents Association (company number 06771466)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Basic Data: SPEMBLY WORKS RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION LIMITED - Basic Company Data {{!}} United Kingdom Datasets 💿 |url=https://gbr.databasesets.com/basic-company-data/company-number/06771466 |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=gbr.databasesets.com}}</ref> was formed on the 11 December 2008<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web |title=SPEMBLY WORKS RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/06771466 |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk |language=en}}</ref> and dissolved on 22 June 2023.<ref name="auto2"/>  Its last directors were Andrew P. Christie (appointed December 2019),<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web |title=SPEMBLY WORKS RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION LIMITED people - Find and update company information - GOV.UK |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/06771466/officers |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk |language=en}}</ref> Rosemary C. Ings (appointed February 2020)<ref name="auto1"/> and Samuel Low (appointed December 2019).<ref name="auto1"/> In the 2020 tribunal case, the judge noted that by that time the Association had taken over management and was suing leaseholders for unpaid services, while leaseholders (through Mrs. Ings) were contesting those charges. Ultimately, the association company became insolvent and was struck off in 2023, leaving the freehold owner with a derelict asset and unhappy leaseholders.

== Current Condition ==
Today, Spembly Works stands mostly derelict. All flats above the ground floor remain vacant under the prohibition order, and even the ground-level units were vacated or condemned once fencing was erected. The exterior is heavily boarded or broken, and the interior has been gutted by vandals.  Graffiti, rubbish and evidence of fires are present throughout.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-16 |title=Inside trashed flats in building designed to look like cruise ship |url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/inside-trashed-flats-in-building-designed-to-look-like-cruis-295130/ |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=Kent Online |language=en}}</ref> Neighbours report that homeless squatters, drug users and youths frequently access the premises.  Rats and other vermin have been sighted, and roof leaks and rising damp have devastated the interior finishes. Local residents describe the building as "run-down" and a local eyesore. As of mid-2025 it is not possible to safely walk inside. The site is fenced and no public entry is allowed. (A council spokesman in 2023 warned people to keep out due to falling glass.)

Because of the prohibition order and the building's physical state, mortgages or insurance on any flat are effectively impossible.  At least one bank has declared existing mortgages void, and the flats are essentially worthless except to cash buyers. In practice, owners must pay any outstanding service charges themselves – recent auction marketing warned that buyers must assume a £52,000-plus legal charge immediately on purchase.<ref name="auto"/> For example, Flat 17 (a two-bedroom on the second floor) went to auction with a £10,000 guide price, reflecting that its £52,000 surcharge plus needed works made it unsellable otherwise. Similarly, [[Zoopla]] records show that flat 3 (a one-bed) sold for only £80,000 in 2021 – well below the original values – and sales from 2004–2021 range roughly £80k–£100k.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Property details for 3 Spembley Works 13 New Road Avenue Chatham ME4 6AZ - Zoopla |url=https://www.zoopla.co.uk/property/uprn/44110099/ |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=www.zoopla.co.uk}}</ref> (By contrast, ordinary flats nearby would sell for £150k+ in good condition.)

== Community Impact and Legacy ==
The dilapidated Spembly Works has become a local landmark and eyesore. Long-time residents recall when it was "done up and rented out" in the early 2000s; its collapse into grime within a few years has drawn criticism. Council officials and MPs have occasionally cited the site when discussing urban decay in Chatham. It does not lie in a designated conservation area, nor is it a listed building, but its distinctive nautical design means many feel it is "historic" in character. Various commentators (including local online forums) have called for it to be either rebuilt or demolished. To date, no official redevelopment plan exists. The freehold owner (Hillrun Ltd) has made no public announcement of future use. Given the massive repair bill (estimates range up to £1–3 million) and continuing legal complexity, the building's fate is uncertain. In the meantime, it remains boarded-up, fenced and monitored by Medway Council as a dangerous structure.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
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