Kidbrooke currently a hive of housebuilding activity: A look around
Kidbrooke remains one of the least known area of major development across London despite numerous plots seeing new housing rise.
A trip to the town last week showed work at a number of Berkeley Homes plots as well as Greenwich Council’s council housing and Transport for London’s plot at Kidbrooke Exchange stage one completing.
The above image show both TfL (on the right) and Greenwich Council’s housebuilding to the north of the station.
To the south at the old Ferrier estate Peglar Square has gained a Tesco and sees new homes rising behind recently built blocks.
Berkeley Homes are now working on Block G as seen below with Block F getting moving.
Block E and Block J are nearing completion.
It’s odd how this area has so utterly transformed but apparently without much comment.
This post for example will probably see very few views. Most I wrote about Kidbrooke are the same. Places like Blackheath, Lewisham, Bexleyheath et al do, but Kidbrooke? Few seem interested.
Which is odd as it’s undergoing such a major change – and that’s feeds out more widely.
Transport
One such example will be transport, as Kidbrooke station should see many more passengers in coming years.
On this trip to look about the station was locked and closed – as is often the case. This being a Southeastern Metro station it’s still staffed like it’s 1995 when far fewer people lived around the site.
I’ve been to country stations with a fraction of the housing seen here with higher staffing levels.
So if you don’t want to pay, as ever it’s easy to avoid. And if you want to cause issues, no staff will stop you. Hardly likely to entice passengers especially those who are vulnerable who would welcome a staffed presence.
Various authorities made a big song and dance when the station building opened. Less effort has been placed on it being open and staffed ever since.
This visit was by the way just after the evening peak on a weekday. Not exactly midnight.
As ever the Southeastern page on station issues shows a lack of staffing on many days recently. No ticket office open usually means no staff at all given skeleton levels seen at so many Metro stations.
I mean look at the density around it? Many train operating companies or TfL would staff it to entice passengers.
Yes there’s an upfront cost but it enhances the feelings of safety and can protect revenue – but Southeastern have long been very poor at doing that.
The image below gives an impression of housing density near the station.
In the foreground sits Kidbrooke Village blocks while the station sits dead ahead. Behind that is TfL’s development via their property company Places for London.
Scaffolding seen surrounds a Greenwich Builds block featuring 330 homes.
A further 122 council homes have been built beside that plot.
Places for London
There’s a curious element to TfL’s housing development beside Kidbrooke station I keep meaning to chase up.
Just two thirds has been built and no work seems imminent on the rest.
Given London’s severe housing crises and the land in public hands, what the hold up is has not been made public. It’s never mentioned in TfL or Places for London reports.
Failure to build on two sites means around 200 homes of the 619-home project are as yet not progressing.
But still, overall Kidbrooke is well on the way to seeing around 6,200 homes from Berkeley Homes, Greenwich council and TfL.
The Guardian wrote Kidbrooke’s hagiography the other day, praising its oneness with nature. The picture and portraits were almost bucolic – my mind couldn’t reconcile the description of families picnicking near the waterside with that sunless collection of alleyways. I had to check to see if the piece was sponsored by the developers
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/11/london-development-shows-harmony-between-nature-and-housing
Apart from the faux yellow stock cladding, these high-rises look more like a district of Hong Kong than anything from London. I think the developers were trolling us when they named it Kidbrooke “Village”.
I wonder what the average service charge will be for one of these “units” in ten or twenty years time!
I live a little further up the road to this development, and to me it feels almost identical to the Olympic park in Stratford (which I spent many years living next door to). Thing is, all the “buzz” is in the development stage, while it’s happening. But once that’s finished, these areas feel barren and soulless. Yes you have the wild flowers and the water features and the playground. But there is no focal point. No interesting shops, or other point of interest to draw anyone here. Just the horrible A-2213 shaped gash.
So the Kidbrooke articles don’t get much attention, because the areas are just so… not-interesting. I wish it weren’t so, and hopefully once it beds-in a little, a stronger community will emerge. It’s like there’s a magic ingredient missing, that property developers can’t develop.
I think the developers had Pegler Square in mind as the “village” focal point; but with a just a Starbucks and Sainsbury’s this is hardly likely to attract weekend visitors. Hopefully the food market stalls will develop into something a bit more substantial – if the management company doesn’t scare them all away with exorbitant rental fees.
I’ve been through on the train a couple of times and thought it looks good, and your photos certainly emphasise that. I do hope leases (and rent..) don’t go up ridiculously but everything does and will…
So many homes but no new schools or hospitals. In fact some schools are closing despite how many new homes are being built. It’s all a mess.
I really like Kidbrooke Village developments which are a vast improvement on the old Ferrier Estate it is replacing.
I do agree however, with the amount of new homes being built the site and neighbouring sites there is a need for more GP Surgeries, schools, hospitals. dentist and public transport improvements. Kidbrooke station will become busier as will kical bus services. The area could do with more bus routes as car free developments are encouraged when building new developments.
Bus routes 178 and 335 go through the development. There is block after block sucking in all the light. Good luck to those living on the lower floors and having to keep the lights on nearly all day.
I think a lot of the people saying Kidbrooke Village feels soulless or lacks community probably aren’t actually residents. Maybe they’re comparing it to other parts of London where it’s just blocks and no real sense of community. I’ve lived in other areas of London, and honestly, I’ve never felt more at home than in Kidbrooke Village.
The community hub really deserves credit! There are events and activities happening all year round, and it’s such a great way to meet your neighbours. Peglar Square is the heart of the area, and there’s way more than just a Sainsbury’s and a Starbucks! When was the last time some of you actually visited? There are at least four coffee shops within a 5-minute walk, plus a little coffee van that makes amazing coffee!
Sure, there are still a few empty units, but that’s normal while the area grows. Personally, I actually like that it’s a bit quieter. And we already have all the essentials (GP, pharmacy, schools, nurseries, and more). Fingers crossed it doesn’t turn into another overcrowded high street!