Thamesmead transport: Greenwich Council allocate £150,000 for new study and 15,000 homes

Plans for another study into transport in Thamesmead will see £150,000 allocated by Greenwich Council as they join TfL and developers in a “Funding and Collaboration Agreement”.

This will be the latest in a continual list of studies dating back decades to improve transport for the town. Very few have ever come to fruition. The cash is coming from  Section 106 income from new developments in the borough.

Aerial view of Thamesmead

The study will look again at options for transport though financing for any large-scale project seems unlikely with TfL extremely challenged financially and central Government showing little appetite to invest nationally – and particularly in London. Even existing river crossings in the west such as Hammersmith Bridge are closed with no funding for repairs confirmed. That is estimated to require between £141 million and £163 m. Only Silvertown Tunnel is progressing.

Indicative plan reliant on improved transport

Previous projects for Thamesmead include a Jubilee Line extension and even a station and interchange plan between Abbey Wod and Plumstead which I covered here.

Proposed station never built

In more recent times a number of road crossings were proposed – the last of which was scrapped by Boris Johnson as mayor in 2009.

Since then plans for a DLR link have never progressed beyond renders though sizeable infrastructure is needed to provide up to 20,000 homes in the town.

No London overground to east and north London coming soon

London Overground is being extended from Barking to a new terminal just over the Thames from Thamesmead at Barking Riverside. However any extension has lukewarm support from authorities and given the extension is being built on a viaduct, this renders any extension via a tunnel (and it will have to be a tunnel at this point of the river) expensive and disruptive.

In terms of options for improved Thamesmead transport that do not cross the river there was the Greenwich Waterfront Transit in the 2000s, which I looked at here.

2001 plan for Abbey Wood station and terminus of transit system

It was to run from Abbey Wood station to Thamesmead then through dedicated roads in Thamesmead, the Royal Arsenal site then onto North Greenwich station broadly along the lines of the 472 bus.

Courtesy TfL. Trolley bus plans in early 2000s scheme was watered down then dropped in 2009

It was watered down to little more than a renumbered 472 bus (which was to be axed by the end of numerous changes) and the project cancelled by Boris Johnson as Mayor in 2009 along with the river crossing.

GWT map from the early 2000s before being scrapped – and before Charlton Riverside proposed

TfL did announce a couple of years back that the existing 472 would be extended to Abbey Wood but with no Crossrail running, nothing has yet happened. There is no word on where any bus layover would be positioned.

Rebuilt Abbey Wood station flyover – with no obvious space for a bus layover point here or below as road space narrowed

We know some sort of wider transit system is still bubbling away as a potential scheme – and was also supposed to run through up to 8,000 proposed homes in the Charlton Riverside masterplan area. Oddly though this council document now states it would only run as far as Woolwich.

1,500+ homes near Plumstead bus garage

It would also serve up to 2,000 new homes near Plumstead bus garage hence Peabody are also among the groups on a new board. It will be led by Greenwich Council leader Danny Thorpe and include:

• Aberdeen Standard Investments
• St William/Berkeley
• London Borough of Newham
• Royal Borough of Greenwich
• Thamesmead Waterfront JV (Peabody/Lend Lease)
• Transport for London

Peabody have joined forces with Lendlease for around 15,000 homes in Thamesmead aside from 3,000+ planned at Housing Zones. That is a driver behind the new study, though as stated if it goes anywhere in current circumstances is highly unknown. Lendlease themselves have just announced 240 job losses – and Peabody still have a large amount of undeveloped land six years after Housing Zone status was awarded. They have only complete 66 homes and have failed to sell all of them almost a year after completion.

 

 

 

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I've lived in south east London most of my life growing up in Greenwich borough and working in the area for many years. The site has contributors on occasion and we cover many different topics. Living and working in the area offers an insight into what is happening locally.

3 thoughts on “Thamesmead transport: Greenwich Council allocate £150,000 for new study and 15,000 homes

  • Why waste money on yet another study? Everyone knows what needs to be done and that is a DLR or Overground extension. Alternatively what about an Elizabeth Line extension from Abbey Wood to Thamesmead?

    Reply
  • Looking into the future, until and unless we see more housing or industry being built and a volume of people, the best plan are some more bus routes which are adaptable to meet need. Railways..Tube Lines are pie in the sky for another 50 years. Looking into the future is hardly Greenwich Council forte..they are more successful at destroying the past

    Reply

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