Plans submitted for major Charlton development named Herringham Quarter

A major development on the site of Charlton riverside masterplan has been submitted for approval.

This site, named Herringham Quarter and focused around industrial units and the Lydenburg Estate, will see 1,292 homes on a plot beside the Thames. This application has detailed plans for 762 of those homes.

If approved the developer and TfL have agreed to extend the newly introduced 301 bus to the area from its current Woolwich terminus – though the bus would not go to north Greenwich just west of the site. I expect many people would rather head to North Greenwich given a Zone 1-2 Travelcard is over £600 a year less than a Zone 1-4 from Woolwich.

The recently-adopted Charlton masterplan is already being revised according to this application from 7,500 to 8,000 homes under the forthcoming London Plan. I said at the time it was adopted this was a near certainty. Find me one that hasn’t increased. Greenwich Peninsula increased from 5,000 to 15,000 with owner Knight Dragon now seeking an extra 2,000 homes.

Kidbooke has bumped up from 4,000 to 5,200.

One problem this brings is forecasts for the Silvertown Tunnel – with traffic modelling already forecasting a 30 per cent increase. That was based on housing numbers in Woolwich, Charlton and Greenwich before revisions.

The affordable housing target is 50 per cent here which is higher than many – though 40% is shared-ownership.

The site surrounds a protected wharf used by Tarmac as a roadstone coating plant.

Three long slab blocks will be located west of the wharf with new public space beside the river.

Transport information is a little behind the times. It states Crossrail will open late in 2019. Try mid-2021.

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A bus-transit scheme is mentioned. A similar scheme died a death a decade ago but is bubbling away in some darkened rooms. I took a look at the scheme earlier this year. It started as a tram, then downgraded to trolley bus before becoming a standard diesel bus and expensive rebrand of a 472 bus with no increase in frequency before the axe came out.

The danger with piecemeal development across the Charlton Riverside area is we see no cohesive route for the transit becoming available when the scheme resurrects – and one would expect money from each development to go towards funding the scheme.

The nearby Rockwell development – which is going to appeal – ignored elements of the masterplan and the planned bus-transit route network forcing any forthcoming buses to take an awkward kink and an additional junction instead of joining the existing roundabout on Anchor and Hope Lane.

Parking

A predominantly car-free scheme is the aspiration. There will be 90 spaces mainly allocated towards disabled residents.

The walk to Charlton station will mean heading down Westmoor Street. Radical work will be undertaken – and it’s much needed. Pavement parking is common across the area and mentioned by developers in documents.

Pressure on health services is noted. It states that in Greenwich borough there: “an average patient list size of 2,159 patients per FTE GP, which is higher
than the Department for Health (DfH) target of 1,800 registered patients per FTE GP.”

Section 106 and CIL payments and spending priorities are not finalised.

This site will link into others on the drawing board in Charlton including Komotos plans at Flint Glass Wharf just to the east. 500 homes are planned there.

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