Up to 25,500 dwellings now proposed across Greenwich peninsula
With news this week that housing plans are emerging at the former Greenwich gasholder site I thought it’d be a good time to take stock and look at what is now planned across the peninsula.
Totting up plans already unveiled now gives a total close to 25,500 housing units. So let’s start with the biggest:
Knight Dragon masterplan: 17,487 homes
Much of the peninsula’s development is being led by Knight Dragon. Over time the total number of housing units has gone up and up.
Though alongside that commitment to improve infrastructure has weakened. Knight Dragon were supposed to upgrade Greenwich bus station when the first 3,000 homes were completed. Earlier this year both Greenwich Council and Transport for London allowed that to be pushed back until 6,000 homes were built.
The issue there is that it’s not just Knight Dragon building homes.
In addition some of the dismal streets across the peninsula linking to Charlton and other areas of Greenwich may not be improved as things stand until the late 2030s, again in an agreement made by Greenwich Council.
The overall masterplan is split into various sections with approvals trickling in recently.
Let’s move onto some non-Knight Dragon plots.
Greenwich Millennium Village: 3,000 homes
This project will total 3,000 homes when complete. It’s so far taken a quarter of a century.
The latest revisions sees a 20-floor tower on phase five. Phase four is underway. Links to Charlton and other areas of Greenwich on foot are also pretty awful from here with few improvements seen for 25 years.
Gasholder site: 850 student rooms, 450 c0-living rooms and 80 social homes
This is the latest plan which has emerged in recent weeks.
A consultation is underway but as yet no planning application has been submitted.
Fairview site: 352 flats and 340 student rooms
This site has been approved and sits near the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnel approach. Details can be seen here.
It looks as though work may begin on site next month.
Morden Wharf: 1,500 homes
Revised plans for 1,500 homes at Morden Wharf have been submitted after a previous plan was approved some years ago. See the latest details here.
This sits across the A102 from North Greenwich station.
Enderby Wharf phase two: 564 homes
The former site of a proposed cruise liner terminal its another site where plans have long been approved but gone nowhere.
Now sold to different owners, the design has been revised. It’s directly beside Morden Wharf’s 1,500 planned homes. Details here.
AEG student tower: 820 student rooms
Yet another site long approved that’s gone nowhere this spot saw the latest revisions approved in 2004. It’s owned by o2 operator AEG. Details here.
Like an ever growing number of plans, it’s a student housing development.
B&Q site: 1,250 homes.
Getting close to Charlton now and some will argue it’s not on the peninsula but it’ll all join one single whole when built being across the road from Greenwich Millennium Village.
The site will see the retail park’s car ark built over with parking remaining at ground floor level. The B&Q site will also be demolished. Details here.
Travelodge hotel tower
Long approved but not going anywhere fast the site has seen revisions over the years.
It sits opposite Boord Street where Fairview’s development is set to start next month.
Future
Add all the above and we are well over 25,000 dwellings but is there scope for more?
Perhaps Ikea will be redeveloped in time. It always seemed an antiquated move to approve a big box store in the 2010s. New store below housing?
Then there’s the Holiday Inn which doesn.t exactly make maximum use of land. There was expansion plans a decade ago but little has happened.
Regardless of those sites there’s plenty proposed across the peninsula. It’ll be interesting to see how the Jubilee line stands up. There were plans to buy more stock a few years back but scrapped.
As for buses one wonders if the Greenwich Waterfront Transit will reemerge. SL11 is sort of a modern day version but very much lower capacity than planned by TfL in the 2000 when Greenwich peninsula housing totals were less than a quarter of what’s now proposed.
TfL seem disinterested in favour of a DLR extension to north Thamesmead at vast cost (and little use to most) but imaging the transit plan revived as a tram linking various areas such as north Thamesmead, Belvedere, Plumstead and Charlton quickly and frequently to Abbey Wood station with the Liz line, Woolwich with the Liz line and DLR plus North Greenwich tube station.
It should also be noted Charlton Riverside masterplan has since been adopted with up to 8,000 homes. It’s been slow going but the first plot is now approaching completion and work has started on the second.
In addition I’ve not included new homes just outside Greenwich peninsula or Charlton Riverside area such as the block now rising on Blackwall Lane or more than 700 homes in west Woolwich at an estate rebuild near to Charlton.
Still, only including Charlton Riverside and Greenwich peninsula results in 33,500 homes. Maybe time to dust off those Waterfront Transit plans and have it link to Woolwich, Thamesmead and Abbey Wood as once planned? Plus then onto Belvedere and Erith where another 15k homes could be coming. A few thousand there are already approved.
It is excellent to see mote developments taking place on tbe Greenwich Peninsula after sites were left empty and undeveloped for decades.
However, tbat said where is the infrastructure including GP Surgeries, Hospitals, Dentist, Nurseries, Schools. Public transport improvements etc. My services are already at breaking point due to the extra demand being placed upon them.