Abbey Wood petrol station near station purchased for new homes

An area of land a short distance from Abbey Wood station has been purchased for future housing.

The site of BP garage and nearby businesses such as an MOT centre has been bought by HoH Capital Partners.

The site previously saw outline permission for buildings up to 17 floors in height, and included in Peabody documents as a future area of development as part of their masterplan.

In many ways it’s a surprise it hasn’t already had detailed plans revealed long before now given just how close it is to Abbey Wood station. We’re talking a minute’s walk to an Elizabeth line train from leaving the front door and entering via the Felixstowe Road entrance.

But even before the Elizabeth line it had decades of frequent services (nearing 10 trains per hour in the peaks) to central London, and until recently Southeastern took as little as 23 minutes to reach London Bridge.

Yet the Elizabeth line has been the main catalyst. New homes have either recently been built or planned all around including the recent Abbey Place tower.

The first phase of Peabody’s South Thamesmead development can be seen to the rear. Peabody also own a large amount of land between those buildings and the petrol station.

Bexley Council possess a plot where they plan to build via their off-shoot company BexleyCo.

Peabody’s sites to the north of the railway and the petrol station sit in Bexley borough right on the boundary with Greenwich borough.

In terms of the Greenwich side, future sites include Cross Quarter Phase Two (Phase One saw the Sainsbury’s and residential block facing Felixstowe Road) which was formerly the Head Office of Gallions Housing Association before taken over by Peabody.

Then there’s Lyndean industrial estate where up to 600 homes may be built.

Given all those plans, this plot among all that always seemed likely to go one way. It’s just a surprise it took this long.

Expect the normal process now. A consultation or two down the line before an application and then work starting. In all likelihood the site will be Build to Rent but we’ll see.