Lewisham retail park with approval for 536 homes sold

A retail park seconds from Lewisham station has been sold by Legal & General after a decade of inactivity.

The site had previously seen plans approved for 536 homes on site alongside new shops but L&G failed to move ahead with the project despite its prime location.

This site has been covering the proposal for many years and a post over eight years ago can be seen here.

Since then L&G gained approval five years ago but proceeded to do very little.

They did however join with Meyer Homes on another Lewisham development which gave no incentive to move forward with new homes at the retail park.

New owner

Amro now own the site and are looking at building up to 1,000 homes. Well, part of that is probably student flats and co-living (student flats for those who aren’t students).

The site sits beside a future possible Bakerloo line station if an extension beyond Elephant and Castle is ever given the green light (spoiler reader, it doesn’t look imminent).

We often hear about the odd few quid for studies here and there, but the serious moolah required is somehow never there on the table. The Conservative government show little interest and Labour seem equally reticent at a national level to fund infrastructure for a rising population.

So it’s back to the drawing board after ten years of little actual progress on the ground.

The site is currently home to a hell of a lot of car parking, a Sports Direct, art studios and Matalan.

Legal and General showed minimal interest for a decade so at least the site should now see some impetus. It will join many other major sites in the area that have seen substantial change including Lewisham Gateway phase two now completing.

Then Lewisham shopping centre is set for demolition and redevelopment from 2026 as well as the Tesco supermarket nearby.

Despite all these projects the Bakerloo line extension looks moribund at best. Housing is coming, but transport alongside isn’t .