Abbey Wood and Crossrail
With Crossrail construction finally swinging into action and contracts being awarded, I wondered what impact this would have upon Abbey Wood. Once open, Crossrail will mean that Abbey Wood will be only 10 – 15 minutes from Canary Wharf. It’s hard to envisage Abbey Wood changing radically, but with any big transport infrastructure improvements you’ll see big developers tagging along with ludicrously named developments. Looking at places such as the area around Deptford Bridge DLR station shows what a new link to Canary Wharf can do.
With trains running every 5 minutes to Canary Wharf, Liverpool Street and Paddington the place will undoubtedly look a lot different in 10 years. I discovered there is already a big planning application in for a site close to the station. Details here
This is land owned by Gallions Housing Association and was used as offices before they recently vacated the site.
To the left can be seen a 2008 masterplan for a wide ranging area near the station. This also includes a derelict industrial site that belonged to Siemens which is not part of this development, as well as Lyndean industrial estate which although apparently still functioning, looks like it’s hardly occupied and in a very poor state. Neither site look long for this world.
Much of the site would consist of blocks such as this. It looks pretty generic – yellow brick, zinc strips and roof, blue glazed brick on the ground floor hiding the car parking. The rest of the site will be housing.
Despite the glossy renders, the timeline for these appearing is unknown. Planning and consultations have been going on since 2007 before it was submitted last year. Given that it’s a few years til Crossrail arrives, the plans could go through a number of changes or delays to capitalise on rising land prices as Crossrail approaches. The interesting thing is not really this development, but what changes will happen in the coming years to forgotton parts of South East London. Expect lots more of this kind of thing popping up in Greenwich and Bexley Councils planning applications.
I have lived in Abbey Wood for 40 years – and seen immense (and awful!) changes occur. I don’t know anyone here who wants Crossrail and the effects that living near it will cause to us – both through the long building project and the implications of how the area will inevitably alter afterwards. This has become an area of high density housing – with much more to follow. Heaven help us! – glad I’m in the end years of my life!
Try to be positive, hopefully it will put up house prices. Maybe you can cash in your equity and escape to somewhere sunny and peaceful.
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I believe house prices will rise – but we won’t be going anywhere hot and sunny! Hospitals (for serious issues) loom large in our lives and the benefit of being near London means that the speciality care is within our reach. Anyway ‘better the devil you know…’
I believe the next generation will benefit more from the ongoing developments, but I certainly don’t begrudge them a better lifestyle