AN abandoned eco barge is being given a much-needed boost by its new owners.

The Medway Eco Barge featured on TV show Grand Designs 14 years ago, and was soon crowned one of the worst projects ever featured by viewers.

But now it has new owners who have taken on the formerly abandoned boat.

Owners Sarah Burch and her husband hope it will become a “beautiful addition” to Burnham when it arrives at Priors Boatyard this month.

The huge curved tower and corrugated iron hoarding are long gone, and the entire top of the barge will soon be replaced with a bespoke living area, in keeping with the historic town and boatyard itself.

Bought for £10,000 in 2007 by Chris Miller and family, the Eco Barge was designed with what Sarah says was “no design at all”.

Chris hoped to form a completely sustainable living using recycled materials.

Unfortunately the unconventional design saw him evicted from many sites before setting the barge on an offshore mooring in Southend.

Gazette: The eco barge captured by David Abrams from an inflatable kayakThe eco barge captured by David Abrams from an inflatable kayak

New owner Sarah said: “The barge is best known for being a complete monstrosity on Grand Designs, but before this, it was a lighter barge, built in 1957 and was used mostly to transfer ballast from ships that came into the Thames, but couldn’t dock.

“The owners on Grand Designs never finished the project and it floated around Kent and then Essex, used by party pirates to have illegal raves onboard. It finally came loose of its moorings and washed up in Westcliff, where it was then salvaged.”

Some work was completed by a previous owner sometime between 2011 and 2021.

Sarah said: “Another owner has taken the crazy teepee part off the top and replaced it with a wheelhouse and did some basic work in the hull, but we intend on going from scratch and redoing everything.

“We are aware the works carried out will need redoing from a safety point of view anyway.

“We will have the barge housed at the boatyard for its renovation and use the steel frame to create an ultra modern glass-fronted building on the top.

“We have had huge interest in the renovation, particularly from people in Medway who used to look at it daily, in horror, mostly.”

On how the eco barge will be used in the future, she added: “We hope to use the boat for ourselves as a semi retirement property.”