The Chatham Maritime Estate sits in a bend of the River Medway, about a mile north of Chatham town centre. The Estate comprises some 140 hectares (350 acres), the major part of the former Chatham Naval Dockyard, which closed in 1984.

To the south of the Estate sits The Historic Dockyard, formerly part of the same Naval Dockyard, but now in the ownership of Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust.| To the south-east is the Royal School of Military Engineering at Brompton, and to the east Chatham Docks (also formerly part of the Dockyard).

The new Medway Tunnel emerges at its eastern portal in the centre of the Estate.

The Estate is severed east-west by two of the three Victorian dock basins built during the expansion of the Dockyard in the late 19th century.

North of these basins is St Mary’s Island|, a predominantly residential development which will eventually contain close to 2,000 new homes. The Island includes award-winning schemes such as The Fishing Village, and its growing community is served by a Community Centre|, a Primary School|, and a Doctor’s Surgery|.

The Island also has extensive parkland, a riverside walk, and several children’s play areas.

The area south of the dock basins is known as the South Maritime Estate (sometimes called the South of Basin Estate) and is primarily non-residential, with a mix of commercial, leisure and educational developments.

The westernmost basin (Basin 1) houses Chatham Maritime Marina| and the central basin (Basin 2) is home to Arethusa Venture Centre’s sail training centre|; AVC plan a permanent facility here.