Tower plans revealed for former Greenwich gasholder site
Plans have been revealed to build on the former gasholder site at Greenwich peninsula.
Developer Scape is behind the plan, which in keeping with just about every proposal in the recent past it’s student housing and co-living, with a sprinkling of affordable flats.
Three blocks are proposed rising to 17, 24, and 29 storeys. A total of 850 student rooms are planned alongside 450 co-living rooms with 80 social homes.
The previous gasholder on site saw plans to demolish lodged back in 2017 with the structure coming down in 2020.
The consultation document states “The gas holder ring beam remains underground. So we’re retaining and repurposing it, framing a new public park with part of the site’s industrial past.
It also adds “We’re opening up the site with new walking and cycling routes that connect to Boord Street” which infers people would be expected to then use the grotty Tunnel Avenue to reach other parts of Greenwich.
What’s sorely needed is improvements along Millennium Way where the infamous cycle shuttle bus stops, large roundabouts nearby that even lack footways in places and areas beneath around the flyover leading to Blackwall Lane.
It’s an area ignored time and again when each and every major Greenwich development comes before Greenwich Council. Little effort is ever made to reduce severance between the peninsula and the rest of Greenwich.
Income
For many years Greenwich Council set a very low rate for obtaining funds via new development and the Community Infrastructure Levy until finally revising it years later than planned (2018 was originally mooted but ignored). That revision excluded student housing and then setting a new, low rate for co-living development leaving them well placed to avoid much in the way of revenue to improve the borough.
Next door to the gasholder site sits Fairview’s approved development which contains 340 student rooms. A separate tower nearer the o2 containing 820 student rooms has been approved.
In recent months Knight Dragon has sought to alter their masterplan to permit “circa 1,000 student rooms, or circa 720 co-living rooms in Lower Riverside.”
Greenwich
Elsewhere in Greenwich student housing is proposed at the former Speedy Hire site whilst a tower beside Deptford Creek has been approved.
Whilst their have been claims that student housing in London is lacking and building purpose built student accommodation (PBSA) reduces pressure on existing housing being used by students, the sheer impbalance recently seen when it comes to many new developments and few actual homes at many sites will cause concern given London acute housing problems.
Click here to view the consultation page on Greenwich gasholder redevelopment.
850 rooms for wealthy overseas students vs 80 social homes is utterly perverse.
Overseas students may well be bankrolling UK universities, but the number of people forced to live in temporary accommodation due to a lack of affordable housing is bankrupting our local authorities.
How any government can allow this to happen is a joke.
That is Greenwich Council for you Warnie. In the height of a housing crisis they prioritise student accommodation over affordable social housing homes for local people born and bred in the Borough waiting for a home on the housing waiting list. So much for Labour’s housing policies.
I’m really confused. Student flats feels like the only game in town, but I cannot understand where the demand for student flats comes from. Is there a hidden university somewhere that they all go to? For years all we hear is student flats this, student flats that, but where are the actual lectures happening? I must be missing some part of the story here.
Either total number of students is the same, and they all want to live in purpose built blocks now. In which case, where were they living before, and what happened to those properties?
Or, there are a tonne more students now, in which case, where is the extra physical university capacity to lecture them all?
There’s been a few stories over the past year about student numbers falling and here’s another regarding Chinese students. https://propertyportfolioinvestor.co.uk/investment-insights/chinese-student-drop-leaves-hundreds-of-unfilled-rooms/
Many of these buildings will become HMOs in the sky when student numbers dry up. Political pressure to reduce migration and political tensions with China will see the trend of overseas students seen in the past 5-10 years reverse.
I really don’t understand the uproar over this, it’s a private developer building student accommodation. In the previous decades students would take over family houses split into HMOS – now the world has moved on and students want to be together, with facilities and with a sense of togetherness. London is still a fantastic city for students and we will only see more of these developments over the next decade.
It free’s up homes that go back into the rental market – blaming developers is ridiculous, start looking at the council and government – they should be increasing heights and density on all developments and increasing the S106 contributions – raking in £ to provide their own social housing.
Do you honestly think wealthy foreign students who can afford to pay £300-£500 per week would ever settle for a cut-and-shut HMO in Woolwich or a house-share in Charlton? These new developments are designed to attract students to the UK to help fund our universities. All the while, sites that could/should be used for social housing aren’t being, forcing thousands of people into temporary accommodation, at a massive cost to local authorities – paid for by taxpayers. And where does the £300-£500 rent per room, per week go?? To the landlord, developer, and whatever multinational investors funded the development. Money matters, people don’t, unless they’re rich.
Totally agree Warnie and well said.
Ere the council are buildin social ahrsin. I read abahrt it n our talk ahrsin paper we get every 3 months. In case you aint eard iss buildin n ahrsin wot causes more of them carbon emisions n thass a fact on ere. I love walkin by the rahndabaht n all.
a2C the amount of social housing being built by the council is no where near the amount of social housing that was lost on estates that were demolished to make way for redevelopment. Most of the new developments that reolaced old social housing have been built for sale, part buy part rent, private rent witb only a small amount of new homes on the developments set a side for social housing (council or housing association hones) at affordable rents.
We have a massive short fall in social housing homes which is set to continue for years to come.
Let’s not also forget the amount of sheltered housing blocks and care homes for the elderly that have been closed and the land sold to developers in the Borough of Greenwich over thd yearsc. So developers can build new homes, but as mentioned many new developments replaced social housing homes with part buy and part rent homes, homes for sale with only a small percentage for new social housing homes for rent to council or housing association tenants..
We have lost hundreds of social housing homes in Greenwich Borough with more set to be lost has new developments ate built with fewer social homes.
Let’s not also forget the amount of sheltered housing blocks and care homes for the elderly that have been closed and the land sold to developers in the Borough of Greenwich over the years. So developers can build new homes, but as mentioned many new developments replaced social housing homes with part buy and part rent homes, homes for sale with only a small percentage for new social housing homes for rent to council or housing association tenants..
We have lost hundreds of social housing homes in Greenwich Borough with more set to be lost has new developments ate built with fewer social homes.
England is not a country any more just one big market. Where everything is for sale
Absolutely Damatol, You are not wrong. We have been sold up the river as a Country by many many people including big businesses and politicians alike.