Massive regeneration plans that could have seen a champagne bar added to the roof of a former office block have been scaled back to make savings.

The redevelopment of Mountbatten House in Military Road, Chatham, will no longer feature a rooftop restaurant or glass lift due to rising construction costs.

An application has been made to update the previously-approved planning permission and includes a redesign of the entrance.

The Medway Development Company (MDC) is in charge of the plans to convert the tower block into 164 apartments, along with restaurants and a public square at the front.

Medway Council bought Mountbatten House in 2021 for just under £2 million after it had sat vacant for many years.

However, the application by MDC to amend the designs would mean the rooftop restaurant is replaced with a residential roof terrace.

Initial designs had a glass lift that would take diners up to the new venue, which would have had far-reaching views over Chatham and the River Medway.

There was even a suggestion it could be home to a champagne bar.

However, a report by DHA Planning made on behalf of MDC, said: "Spiralling costs have resulted in the need to amend the scheme to reduce costs.

"With the fire regulations for the glass lift and rooftop restaurant it was clear that this element of the scheme would have a considerable impact on overall scheme viability."

The ground-floor restaurants and retail spaces will remain part of the plans.

Other changes include alterations to the balconies that will be added for each of the apartments and the addition of parking spaces for the nearby Chatham Waterfront development.

The change means 40 parking spaces will be available for the MDC-run development on the other side of the Globe Lane bus station.

Last year work was completed to strip out the insides of the 1970s’ office block and it was expected that by the end of the year the tender process for construction would begin.

Mountbatten House has been dormant since 2007 when insurance provider Scottish Widows moved out, before being bought by the council for just under £2 million in 2021.

The authority also purchased the attached Pentagon Shopping Centre which has plans in progress to develop the first floor into a Healthy Living Centre (HLC) and Innovation Hub, a proposal that has been in the works since 2021.

At Full Council on January 23 councillors voted unanimously to allocate more funding for the delivery of the HLC.

Rochester and Strood MP Kelly Tolhurst (Con) has suggested knocking the Pentagon down and building housing in its place.

Her suggestion has been roundly rejected by the council.