Greenwich Council set to sell industrial estate at Charlton Riverside

A decision is due to be made from Greenwich Council to dispose land at Anchorage Point industrial estate in Charlton. The land is on Charlton Riverside masterplan site with 8,000 homes planned across the wider area.

Anchorage Point lies immediately north of developer Rockwell’s application for 771 homes which was rejected. To the east there are plans for 1,292 homes at Herringham Quarter. Detailed plans 762 homes were submitted in October 2019 by Hyde Housing and covered here.

Herringham Quarter. Anchorage is to left

Anchorage is a relatively modern industrial estate with at least 18 units facing the Thames with access from Anchor and Hope Lane. As a major area of employment, what happens to these businesses remains to be seen.

It houses Greenwich borough’s archive which was closed at short notice last year when it moved from Woolwich’s Royal Arsenal to make way for a Creative Quarter named Woolwich Works. It then reopened with much reduced hours.

Anchor and Hope Lane

Greenwich are apparently not choosing to develop any of the site themselves,  either directly or via their housing arm Meridian Homes. If land is sold to a private developer, levels of “affordable” housing will be reduced after a developer takes a customary 20 per cent profit margin – or up to 30 per cent in the case of some such as Berkeley Homes.

Anchorage Point entrance

Income from Meridian Home sales can cross subsidise social homes, with all income either directly reinvested in low cost housing reducing bills for emergency accommodation or spent on other council services.


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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.

5 thoughts on “Greenwich Council set to sell industrial estate at Charlton Riverside

    • Indeed. I’ve edited the post to include a little bit about it.

      Reply
  • Greenwich has passed up yet another oppportunity to develop it’s own land for much needed social housing. Shameful.

    Reply
  • I am sorry but we can’t keep claiming high % of social housing. it is a catch 22 the more you offer the more people will ask for it/play the system. Woolwich is full of council estates , Abbey wood same, and that model has proven unsuccessful and only contributing to make the area more and more deprived. There are stats showing that at least 20% of council tenants households are able to work but they are not even looking for a job (the remaining 80% or less is made of employed, vulnerable people, retired people, unable to work etc.).
    In UK, 4million out of 23.5million households are allocated to social renters. It is not a small number. Don’t get me wrong Social Housing is needed and it is a pillar, but needs to be distributed more equally. In London there are millions of people with low /average income that work hard, pay taxes, contribute positively to community but they will never be in position to buy themselves a place, and even renting one unless sharing with others. who is helping them? is it a acceptable that there are thousands of families that for generations their members have never worked thanks to the benefits system and the fact they are granted allocation of social housing and surprisingly in prime location? What example are we giving to new generations?
    shouldn’t we all aim that people is incentivized to find a job and at same time being helped with affordable homes/schemes (rental or buy).
    In London (pre covid-19)if you want to work there is jobs for anyone, how we do explain then there is so many people (able to work) that are not looking for a job at all and are still granted for a social house at expense of others.

    Reply
  • @peter: you speak from a position of ignorance and prejudice.

    A lot of working families receive housing benefit so that they can keep a home over their heads no matter how miserable and inadequate. Social housing should be for those who cannot afford to buy or pay the ludicrously high market rents, and if it includes those who don’t want to work, so be it.

    Reply

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