Thamesmead leisure centre to be rebuilt in future
Greenwich Council’s new strategy for the future of the borough raises the prospect of rebuilding Thamesmead leisure centre in future.
The idea is in their new Site Allocations Strategy which I covered last week – which granted is full of errors and lacking information on key sites.
It offers broad outlines and not definitive plans, and for Thamesmead leisure centre states:
“There is potential for residential development to be provided above and/or adjacent to an enhanced library/leisure centre. Residential capacity of the site is dependent upon improvements to public transport infrastructure”.
The idea is no surprise and the site has long wasted a great location beside a lake. It pretty much turns it’s back on that feature. I think when built there may have been a small outside seating area but every since I started visiting (probably around the late 1990s) I never saw it in use.
The line about waiting for public transport infrastructure means little is likely to happen anytime soon. A bit odd, as it’s not a massive site and we wouldn’t be talking thousands of homes in this plot, which is some way separate to retail sheds and other areas due for a far bigger increase in homes.
There’s flats in between which would not be demolished. The clocktower is also a local landmark. It’d be possible to develop the leisure centre while designs are drawn up elsewhere.
As stated, featuring in the Site Allocations Strategy does not mean anything is imminent but simply highlights plots that may see changes down the line.
Greenwich first have to get on with the new Woolwich leisure centre. Operator GLL aka Better have financial issues, and Peabody still have masses of land unbuilt if they take the lead.
