Deptford tower plan submitted for Lewisham college site
Plans are in for a major new development at the former Lewisham College site beside Deptford Bridge DLR station.
The sites straddles both Greenwich and Lewisham boroughs and features 903 residential units with the tallest tower topping out at 31 storeys.
There’s a total of 840 private flats units with just 40 additional social homes and 23 shared ownership. Any more is unviable of course according to the Viability Assessment.
I expect local Labour MPs will complain but then their party is in power; either adjust the Viability Report system we currently have (brought in under the last government) or directly fund increased social housing.
That of course means taking action rather than pointing fingers at a private developer doing what a private developer does. They aren’t charities. They aren’t Housing Associations. Don’t like it? Do something as a government.
Aside from the 21-floor tower other buildings are 24 floors, 7 – 11 storeys, 15 storeys, 17 storeys and 10 storeys. There’s more than a hint of 1980s po-mo about this design.
College use
Lewisham College left the site last summer whilst part is currently occupied in part by Goldsmiths College of Fine Arts. They have a lease until 2027 but not all buildings are currently occupied.
I took quite a few photos around the site last year after Lewisham College had vacated with the first showing a now vacant part.
The site straddles and sits amongst the curves of the River Ravensbourne and Deptford Creek.
Currently inaccessible, these plans would open up these areas to the public.
One of the nicest touches is those gorgeous lamp posts lining the creek edge. That ground floor frontage with large circles and heavy use of red is very 1980s.
The site is seconds from Deptford Bridge DLR station and future residents should benefit from a capacity increase when new trains are finally introduced.
Housing targets
The application highlights that both Lewisham and Greenwich have failed the Government’s Housing Delivery Test based on the last three years shows a significant shortfall with LB Lewisham achieving 1,439 homes against a target of 4,444 (32%) and LB Greenwich 3,646 homes vs a target of 7,528 (48%).
To be fair both are reliant on private builders to meet that target and despite ample planning approvals across both boroughs little is being built. See developer Hutchison Whampoa’s vast site at Convoys Wharf in Deptford and inaction for many, many years. See also numerous plots across Greenwich peninsula from Knight Dragon (and other plots) plus areas across Charlton Riverside – and on it goes to many other plots and towns.
The architects behind the Deptford college site are CZWG with the developer RER London.
As an application covering two authorities plans should be uploaded to both Lewisham and Greenwich council websites but as of this moment it only appears to be visible on Greenwich. Click here to view.
Do you think they could make it look a bit uglier? ‘kin ‘ell.
It’s as if they said, I want to different, but in the worst way.
Nice to see something a little different, a shame the taller tower isn’t 40 floors + to give it better proportions but we know that would never be allowed around here unfortunately.
I hope and pray that this will enable some improvements on deptford Broadway. Such a crazy situation and missed opportunity to go from one to five, six, seven lanes of traffic at one point and then goes back to single lane. The whole area is given over to vehicles but it could be a wonderful pedestrian space with the dlr, the river and the historic buildings.