Kidbrooke changes: TfL’s major housing development beside station takes great strides

Anyone who has passed through Kidbrooke on the train over the past decade can’t have failed to notice a complete transformation of what was the former Ferrier estate.

Berkeley Homes’ Kidbrooke Village has seen a large number of blocks rise directly beside the station. Funny looking village, this you may think.

And while developer-speak does seem pretty silly here, the area is a pleasant place to be, with a new station also constructed next to a square.

Square beside new station. TfL development to rear

However it’s the other side of the tracks where major change has been ongoing over the past year, as land belonging to Transport for London is being transformed into 619 homes.

This is Kidbrooke Station Square and a joint project with Notting Hill Genesis.

It’s a welcome attempt to utilise land around stations to provide housing. not only does this provide custom for public transport and reduce need for private car ownership, it utilises income from renting or selling homes to fund the network.

Housing tenure is split 50 per cent private, 157 shared ownership and 152 affordable rent.

It’s not yet complete, but already we can see that Kidbrooke will have some of the highest density housing around its station in London.

Transport-oriented development

And that’s not all, as what must be one of – if not the – biggest council estates to rise in decades is also set to rise a short distance away.

TfL development

Transport for London and Network Rail land to the north of the station has been transformed over the past year as work on an eventual 619 homes begun.

Beside station

It’s all pretty simple stuff with a number of boxes dotted around the site.

Dull forms

Let’s hope government cuts to rail do not hit this area too badly, as given housing numbers here and shortly down the line at Lewisham, any reduced demand should quickly come back in years to come.

Station footbridge

Upon completion, housing will sit around a new bus interchange.

Approved late 2019 with work underway

This is a smaller building in what looks like glazed red brick:

A second entrance and exit is located on this side of the station.

Many stations this size would be well-staffed for many more hours than Kidbrooke appears to be.

The station building was rebuilt but plans for ticket gates were dropped due to the need for staffing. Indeed, the main new station building is often closed with access via a side gate.

New station

One set of doors at the station didn’t work when I was there. Side gate it was.

The other entrance and exit directly beside TfL’s 619-home development doesn’t appear to be anymore than the existing gate in plans. It’ll also serve 450-homes to be built by Greenwich council.

 

Despite over 1000-homes coming in near proximity no station building looks set to be built, let alone ticket gates or associated staffing.

Southeastern seem willing to be content losing revenue. Or rather the DfT and Treasury who actually run the system do. Axe staffing, fail to install gates and make it easy to avoid paying and many wont.

Kidbrooke Village

While TfL’s site is the one showing most change over the past year, Kidbrooke Village continues to grow. It’s now set to reach 5,300-homes. An increase of around a thousand above original masterplan totals.

Beside station

A further three blocks near the station are nearing completion.

Three Berkeley Homes blocks nearing completion

They’ll be very much in keeping with existing blocks.

View from the south of Phase 3

A number of other plots are also now underway.

Kidbrooke Village phases

Phase 5 will see blocks lining Kidbrooke Park Road on what is currently green space. Other blocks to the east are now underway:

Phase 5 blocks

Berkeley have named this phase Waterlily Court.

They sought and gained approval to increase heights and density:

Revised block at Phase 5.

This phase is big on curved balconies.

 

And finally one other plot now underway is a leftover from previous phases.

Now rising
Greenwich Council

Greenwich Council are also set to build around 450 homes on areas of land formerly part of Thomas Tallis school.

There are actually two plots here located side by side. The first plot that gained approval is for 117 homes and named Kidbrooke Park Road North.

Greenwich council development

Then followed a subsequent proposal for 322 homes at a site vacant and formerly part of RAF Kidbrooke from 1917 to 1965 and then Thomas Tallis School from 1971 until 2011.

Greenwich Council plans

This is called – you guessed it – Kidbrooke Park Road South.

Looking through hoardings

The proposal proved controversial with a number of trees recently removed.

Site entrance. Not the most attractive streetscape

The street here could certainly be improved with much, much clutter.

Entrance

The authority put out a story in March about work underway but nothing much was happening at street level or visible from the top deck of a 335 bus.

Pedestrian access

It’s clearly obvious that all this new housing brings more people, but it really was noticeable how footfall was so much higher than a previous walkaround.

That brings us to future problems. This area is set to see higher levels of congestion when Silvertown tunnel completes according to TfL.

Red circle at Kidbrooke junction denotes increased traffic post Silvertown. Kidbrooke sees one of the biggest increases in SE London

While the Mayor and TfL are very careful in their wording on how Silvertown will apparently alleviate traffic at the immediate mouth of the existing Blackwall tunnel, it’s a different story beyond as two tunnels of traffic use the same infrastructure beyond.

That’s an issue with thousands more residents moving to the area.

Even now, residents don’t have great options to reach nearby amenities. There’s an underpass that isn’t the most welcoming, and if pedestrian seek to cross roads there’s no “green man” evident at any crossing here.

No signals for pedestrians

With TfL now pretty much locked into higher levels of vehicles and congestion here, is it unlikely they’ll install signals and phased crossings for pedestrians?

Will “traffic flow” continue to be the priority -as it already is – as more vehicle converge?

With thousands of homes on either side of the junction, a station and bus interchange one side and an Aldi supermarket and major school the other, pedestrian flows over the road will be extremely high.

No signalised green light for pedestrians. It’s run and hope here

It gives the impression of a potential flashpoint that Silvertown Tunnel impacts, and one that many never considered.

Well, it’s a few miles away from the tunnel mouth and according to the Mayor, TfL and many tunnel supporters that’s all that apparently matters – or was ever thought about.

Work on Greenwich Council’s 450 homes is expected to start soon.

When all sites are finished, Kidbrooke would have seen almost 6,400 new homes with 5,300 at Kidbrooke Village, 619 at Kidbrooke Station Square and 450 at two Greenwich Council plots.

That’s assuming Berkeley do not attempt to revise up agreed totals at the final major plot to be built, and it’d be surprising if they don’t. It’s beside the railway west of the station with minimal issues of overlooking nearby sites.

Low rise among high rise housing

Then there’s the retail park with Aldi among this development, which looks a prime candidate for mixed-use in years to come. Kidbrooke will keep changing for some time to come.

 

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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.

5 thoughts on “Kidbrooke changes: TfL’s major housing development beside station takes great strides

  • It’s just a shame that Greenwich Council are digging up grass areas less than half a mile from here to build flats on on the Rochester Way.
    Surely the better bet would be to add another floor or two to the Kidbrooke Road North and South blocks rather than obliterate green spaces? Not only would these flats be nearer the station and the Aldi supermarket, it would be more environmentally and psychologically sound to keep open green areas for the local community?

    Reply
    • There’s 20,000+ people on the waiting list and the number of households in emergency and temp housing has doubled in 3 years to over 1,600 (which is costing taxpayers huge sums due to a lack of social housing), both sites are needed.

      Reply
  • a fixed % of all those flats will have people trying to take a train, and nearly all will go in the central london direction. With people starting to go back to work, I really wonder if this will fit, no matter if they can increase the frequency. I suppose at blackheath no one will fit in anymore

    Reply
    • It’ll be revealing of the Treasury try to cut back even further on trains along the line – oblivious to all the new housing. They’re hell bent on cuts

      Reply

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