Woolwich tower gains a new name: The latest look at the Sky Sail site

A development of two towers beside the Thames in Woolwich long known as Mast Quay has apparently gained a new name.

It’s now named Sky Sail according to this application detailing external finishes.

Two towers are rising in this phase after a near-20 year delay. The small windows are a giveaway of it’s now-dated design.

The same colour scheme, massing and overall design from the Millennium is retained.

Render show a glazed façade which explains the “Sky Sail” name:

While a number of towers can be seen rising in the area bringing Greenwich Council a fair bit more income, we again see housing estates within a few metres are in shoddy condition and neglected.

The flytipping isn’t great but that’s not really down to the authority, but the broken wall certainly is and has been left like this for years. Google Streetview spanning a decade shows it.

In recent weeks I’ve been again visiting estates in the vicinity of various major new developments. Many of them are in poor shape, with Greenwich Council’s departments time and again failing to allocate income from new developments to benefit local residents in some of the most deprived areas. They also fail to conduct routine maintenance, yet manage to find time for ever more street clutter.

The condition of various estates borough-wide is again worth highlighting and a new post will follow shortly on that topic. It’s shameful. From Abbey Wood to Woolwich to Greenwich it’s a similar story.

Street level

One key test of Mast Quay – I mean Sky Sail – is how it integrates with Woolwich Church Street. The first phase ignored quick on-foot connections for the car park access road and a bloody great fence.

That prevents a direct pedestrians route from the site to the adjacent bus stop:

In future a segregated cycle lane is due along here, and how the second phase of the development meets the street will be key.

On the bright side a revamped section of Thames path is due to open upon completion.

As with its neighbour, ground floor level is given over to parking with no homes at ground floor level due to proximity with the Thames.

The area over the road is well worth a visit by the way, with St Mary Magdalene tucked away and a rare pre-war building in an area of various post-war estates.