Thamesgate Shopping Centre — Local services in Gravesham

Small, local shopping centre. Currently, inside there is Wilkos, Specsavers, Pound land, Superdrugs, The Works, Farm Foods, CEX, Burger King, Gregg's, Brighthouse and Top Cut Hairdressers. There's an eyebrow threading stall in the middle, plus a fruit and veg stall and a lovely handmade gift/furniture stall. The shops are mostly budget stores, no clothes shops. There's no cash machine inside, but there is if you walk outside into the town. The multi storey car park isn't free, but it's reasonable enough (£1.10 up to 1hr, £2.10 up to 4hrs). There are no toilets, but the Burger King is part of the community toilet scheme and you're welcome to use their toilets. At the entrance from the town centre, there's pretty much always homeless people outside, it seems to be one of their prime spots. They don't harass you half as much as the charity workers outside the...

I'm not a local, I visited the shopping centre with my husband and 5 week old baby, on a Sunday afternoon.

After having a coffee and changing the baby, we tried to return to the car park but the shopping centre was closed at the Burger King entrance. We ask the staff inside and they said security goes home early on Sunday. So then we tried the entrance on the other side, that was also closed. We then spotted someone walking up the ramp into the car park, so we did the same.

I found this to be dangerous as I was pushing up the pram, it was getting dark and there are no lights on the ramp and a car could come or leave at anytime. This is the first shopping centre I have been to that does not has have an entry/exit to the car park at street level. Even the local man walking in front of us said this...

Not really the centres fault. Just a consequence of lack of investment and not a hell of a lot in it for families or people. Dominated by the kind of shops you expect to find in a middling town where people don't have much disposable income. That said recently significant improvements have been made. The investment has taken the place from being the ubiquitous setting of every horror movie to somewhat decent to be fair.

Parking is good, affordable, one way streets infuriating and people meh. All in all the kind of place you won't remember and certainly won't return to if its out your way. Sadly because Blue Water is 5 minutes away it depresses the local area.

Developments etc are in the off. Signs of gentrification, artistic coffee shops etc are springing about. So perhaps this is a...