Elizabeth line hits first birthday – as housing land lies undeveloped near station

Today marks the first birthday for the Elizabeth line commencing services and a year since areas such as Abbey Wood saw greatly enhanced rail services as across London.

And while many locations have become far easier and quicker to reach via the new line, numerous plots of land continue to still lie vacant near the station.

The worst offender is Peabody who have failed to build across a number of plots almost within touching distance.

Trusty Google Maps tells me that the centre of the plot pictured in the main image is just 108 metres from Abbey Wood station. A 1 minute walk.

Ironically Peabody continue to call for around £1.5 billion to be spent on extending the DLR to Thamesmead, while failing to build on their own land metres from a brand new £18 bn railway line.

The other side of the station sees a substantial plot just 300 metres from the station entrance at Felixstowe Road – a two to three minute walk.

The Peabody sales office – which saw families evicted from homes and shops knocked down – is 212 metres away from the station. Get a jog on and it’ll take a minute.

Here they stated they may not even complete homes until 2035-40.

It’s now nearing a decade since they took over swaths of land from Gallions Housing Association in Thamesmead and Abbey Wood. Many havn’t even yet had a planning application submitted.

Despite being a Housing Association development, the plot will only see 35 per cent “affordable” with the usual split between London Affordable Rent and Shared Ownership.

What should be here are 66 homes and commercial units providing sustainable homes beside excellent transport links.

Over the other side of the station the plan is/was for thousands of homes. In nearly a decade, Peabody have so far managed to average just 60 a year.

That’s many years even before the pandemic, before rising interest rates and despite major infrastructure now in place.