Woolwich town centre revamp underway

The first part of a multi-million pound upgrade across Woolwich town centre is now underway.

Public areas will be revamped at Beresford Square and Powis Street, including other areas leading off Woolwich’s main shopping street. Much funding comes from the government’s Future High Streets Fund.

One site seeing change is Barnard Close which links to Sainsbury’s.

If you’re thinking that’s not much different, then you’re right.

We have some budget concrete planters plonked down alongside paving being repaired after 30 years of ever increasing tarmac patches.

There’s cycle stands too either side near the junction with Powis Street.

UPDATE: They’ve already been damaged.

Turning into a car park. Cycle hoops already dented pic.twitter.com/HOYSfW9VcA

— Sacha (@sachab) May 25, 2023

This passage has seen vehicles regularly parked for many years which can’t have helped the paving which was never repaired like-for-like when broken.

So of course what has been seen recently now new paving has gone in? Vehicles parked here recently when passing. Unfortunately it’s been on busy buses so no pics but will keep an eye out.

Greenwich Council have form in Woolwich town centre for not being on top of changes. The last multi-million upgrade in the early 2010s saw Beresford Square become a car park during work before work completed.

Now much of that area is to be replaced after a few short years.

Plans for Bernard Place were submitted and covered here last November. Despite a £21 million budget, this area looked to see very little so the rest should see things of a tad higher quality.

Some patches of tarmac still remain below newly installed planters. Will they be repaired? Let’s see.

The planters themselves look like they’ve been taken straight from my 1990s school (and those dated from the 1960s).

This is how the area is supposed to look upon completion.

It’s all part of that aforementioned wider project covering part of Powis Street down to Beresford Square, itself revamped just a decade ago and not maintained.

This is the third major Woolwich town centre upgrade since the 1980s. Most of the town centre wasn’t maintained for long after work completed.

If this area and others beyond becomes a regular car park and isn’t maintained then it could well be the fourth scheme that fails.

Given Powis Street plans look high maintenance (see those landscaped areas) it’ll take some big changes within Greenwich to keep on top of things.