Help shape Medway’s Smart City Strategy

Last week, I had the pleasure of learning more about Medway’s emerging Smart City vision from Matthew Pinder, Smart Cities Project Officer, at Medway Council. Matthew has been tasked with delivering the Council’s corporate ambition to be the leading Smart City in the South East by 2035. A Town Planner by trade, he is passionate that taking into account Medway’s strategic position and close links to the capital and the continent, rich history, culture and environmental assets, University presence and strong science and tech hubs: it has all the necessary ingredients for a Smart City.

In 2019, Medway also announced their intention to bid to become the 4th UK City of Culture 2025: behind Londonderry (Derry), Hull and Coventry. In addition to that, the area is seeing some £1bn worth of transformational change and growth over the next 20 years, including an exciting opportunity to maximise Housing Infrastrucutre Funding on the Hoo Peninsula, a new Innovation Park at Rochester Airport, urban regeneration of waterfront sites, significant capital investment in Medway’s streetlighting infrastructure and a focus on town centre rejuvenation.

At this stage, the Council is keen to share knowledge in smart infrastructure, technology and hosting potential pilots with leading tech companies. With an eye on the UK City of Culture bid, Matthew is also particularly keen to get together with potential partners to deliver a 5G Create Competition entry specifically focused on “smart tourism” (with the likes of AR, VR and MR technology) to enhance their cultural and historic offering in the Medway towns, specifically Rochester and Chatham. This is alongside advancements in IoT, living labs, the creation of a dedicated ‘data lab’ and advancing connectivity in the area.

In the immediate term, Medway Council are looking at trials and living labs, and to speak to others that can share learning. While this is not a procurement, it is an opportunity to shape and inform Medway’s Smart City Strategy. If you’d like to learn more or have some exciting examples to share, you can get in touch with [email protected].  

techUK looks forward to working with Medway Council to realise their ambition and continue to showcase the innovations happening at the local level across the country.