PDSA vets in Abbey Wood on the move as new 272-home development set to begin

PDSA vets in Abbey Wood are set to leave their existing unit and move into adjacent Thislebrook industrial estate for three years under plans submitted to Greenwich Council.

The current site and car wash will be demolished with 272 homes set to be built on site.

Abbey Wood Eynsham Drive project

Once complete, the vets will move back into a new home within the development.

New blocks viewed from Harrow Manorway

Plans for 272 homes were approved in December 2018 on appeal at City Hall. You can read about that here.

The developer will pay £1.3 million to Greenwich Council via the Community Infrastructure Levy.

However of that £1.3 million, just £50k has been allocated to the long neglected Abbey Wood estate which sits opposite and beside the site.

Abbey Wood estate. Greenwich were content for no money from £1.3m CIL income to improve the area

That £50,000 was a late goodwill gesture from the developer as Greenwich Council planners failed to allocate a single penny to the forgotten 3000-home estate during discussions as to how income should be spent.

Courtesy Google. Entrance to shopping parade on Abbey Wood estate

Of course, that’s when they pay the authority. Greenwich have seemingly been failing to ask for millions of pounds over recent years despite high levels of development. I the most recent data, they were bottom for collecting CIL out of any London borough, and over the past five years are tens of million below councils in London that actually have seen lower levels of development.

Even accounting for different levels of rates in different authorities, the difference is vast and so far, unexplained.

Taken from TfL meeting notes

TfL’s explanation for low rates doesn’t seem to apply in Greenwich, given housebuilding and new retail in areas such as the o2 put the borough in the top five boroughs in London.

Borough CIL rates levied on developments are also not that much different to many other London boroughs. Not enough to put the authority last at any rate, and located so far behind.

Many complaints regarding new developments follow a pattern of “what about doctors” or “what about parks” and so on from new residents. Well, millions are there for improved services associated with new builds, but it takes the authority to at least collect them, and then spend it to the benefit of local people.

 

 

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J Smith

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.

4 thoughts on “PDSA vets in Abbey Wood on the move as new 272-home development set to begin

  • Are there any new doctors surgeries being built to cover all the new residents

    Reply
    • The NHS have asked Greenwich Council for more money to be allocated for health from incoming funding. Greenwich have often refused.

      Reply
  • You showed some pictures of the area around the shops in eynsham drive, there are many more streets on the estate that need tidying up especially the trees that are overgrown and need pruning, also there are lots of pathways that hedges and bushes are blocked because the council do not trim them.

    Reply

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