Woolwich market pavilion to be built on toilet block site
Plans are in to demolish a toilet block on Beresford Square in Woolwich for a new market pavilion.
This latest application follows a recent submission for wide-ranging changes to Beresford Square.
Funding comes from the Future High Streets government scheme.
The building will see Greenwich Council “appoint an operator to run the day to day business of the pavilion. It is envisioned that the commercial offer from the pavilion will be food and beverage. It may operate as a social enterprise”.
Toilet block
Toilets are planned within the new structure.
Images show plentiful landscaping, which is fine as long as it’s maintained.
The authority has a pretty poor record for doing so in the immediate area and from east to west of the borough after multi-million pound projects.
See the state of Abbey Wood around Crossrail to spaces in east Greenwich.
The last multi-million Beresford Square upgrade was a decade ago – and was poorly maintained from the beginning.
This applications claims “The ongoing maintenance of these spaces is the key to its success. Therefore, a robust and achievable maintenance strategy will be developed with the council to ensure it remains as envisioned.”
The location of the building appears to prohibit the addition of any dedicated cycling lane along Beresford Street.
Cyclists currently have to contend with buses pulling in and out of stops.
Despite TfL proposing a potential dedicated cycle lane past the site, the plans do not appear to take that into consideration.
The pavilion footprint could well constrain cycle lanes or bus stops in future.
Moving it further south would prove less of a hindrance for future street changes in order to encourage active travel.
One wonders if consideration was given to the TfL plan, which only emerged recently? Are organisations and internal Greenwich departments talking to each other?
The planning application can be viewed here.
Great idea but the location appears to be creating sticky issues in future. What’s the odds it was drawn up with RBG regen team not telling architects and landscape designers about TfL’s plan?
Ideally along Plumstead Road and Beresford Street we’d see one general traffic lane, one bus lane and one cycle lane. That would greatly help people reach the Elizabeth line and the town centre through sustainable means. This proposal makes that impossible.
Either they narrow the road for a cycle lane and buses have to share the resulting congested space or there is no cycle lane possible.
Safer to reach Woolwich Elizabeth line station to ride through the Arsenal site.
That looks like there will be no public toilets in Woolwich during the construction of the pavilion.
(Those in Vincent Road were recently demolished.)
I’ve said this before about cycle lane provision along this road all the way to Anchor & Hope Lane: Remove the stupidly wide central reservation and reposition the two lanes towards the centre. Doing this will leave enough room for cycle lanes on both sides of the road. As for the toilet block, any improvement to that is welcome.
The central reserve isn’t wide enough for a two way cycle lane here. It should go but there is also need for additional space which shouldn’t be too tough to do here and in the area given wide paving and/or future development sites
They have shut both lavs this year in Woolwich, no temp toilets. I’m diabetic and had to piss up a wall, in full view of passers by. Quite disgusting but had no choice. I will shop elsewhere if they cannot provide this most basic of facilities. This is basic right human right – what a joke !