Hundreds of Thamesmead Peabody homes nearly complete in time for transport cuts
After years of talking and delays Peabody are finally finishing phase two of an eventual seven in south Thamesmead bringing hundreds of new homes.
It’s not been fast moving with the Housing Association now having been in charge of the town for 12 years. With stage two finally seeing buildings emerge a couple of weeks back I popped down to view from the adjacent first stage beside Southmere lake which offers a decent view of phase two.
The main image above is taken from a square beside Southmere lake serves as the heart of south Thamesmead, though its been a ghost town for years as Peabody have built so slowly at subsequent plots.
Phase two is running years late while they aren’t even planning now to build on some of the seven plots until the late 2030s.
That’s despite knocking down existing homes having evicted residents and businesses.
Slow going
Like phase one it’s all pretty decent in terms of both building design and public realm with the adjacent lake being carefully considered. But it’s all so very slow.
One element of phase two that’s struck me as odd is that the tallest block that’ll see most residents is the one located furthest from Abbey Wood station and amenities.
The closest part of the development is around a ten minute walk to the station while the tallest block is 15-20 minutes away being located at the far end right beside an elevated roundabout.
I need to point out again the idea that all of Thamesmead was and is some remote wilderness is toss – Abbey Wood station has always been pretty close and had fast and regular trains since Thamesmead was built. Central London in 20 minutes was not bad at all.
Future phases
Other substantial plots under Peabody ownership in the area aren’t even in the seven phase plan such as Cross Quarter phase two beside Sainsbury’s supermarket.
Peabody havn’t even commenced outline planning on that large plot about 200 metres from Abbey Wood station after 12 years in control.
One also wonders why they did knock down so many homes along Harrow Manorway when they had no plan to build anytime soon? There was never any detailed plans to build when evicting residents and sending the bulldozers in.
Could it be that PR and an attempt to improve appearances was the driving factor? In an effort to sell expensive new homes Peabody didn’t want the legacy of Thamesmead visible, and hundreds had to be evicted as a result? Why else rush to destroy those 1960s and 1970s concrete homes?
It’s not exactly the first time they seem happy to hide the town’s past and not only physically. Note how branding at times doesn’t mention the town or how in west Thamesmead it’s renamed as Plumstead. If the supposed champions of a town are ashamed of it how successful will they be as guardians of it?
Branding and image comes first
What adds to that line of thinking is the former head of Peabody made it very clear he wanted all the concrete homes along Harrow Manorway and surrounds gone on aesthetic grounds. He simply disliked how they looked.
That always stuck with me and so when taking photos of phase two for this post it’s interesting what can be seen opposite on the other side of Southmere lake.
A large amount of greenery installed on the lake blocking views of those original Thamesmead homes from those who may move into new homes.
Sorry people in those older homes, your view of the lake is also now blocked.
I’d be hugely pissed off if it were me living there. The views were wonderful.
Peabody say extensive planting and floating islands at that spot is a measure for wildlife. That’s great but a cynic might think it’s one positioned in the exact place many older concrete homes can be obscured from potential new buyers.
If you’ve followed Peabody at Thamesmead – in both word and deed – it’s not hard to be cynical. And you know, make life worse for existing residents and they may be less resistant to moving out.
Transport
Another failure of Peabody in this area (I know, but there’s been so many) was failing to object to upcoming bus cuts on the way right beside new homes at Southmere Village phase two and the adjacent phase one.
TfL are to entirely cut the 472 route when Superloop route SL11 starts early next year though the new route won’t stop outside Southmere Village stages 1 and 2 unlike eight buses per hour with the 472. Peabody said nothing to object during consultation. Unlike all other Superloop routes – both existing and proposed – only the SL11 entirely replaces an existing route that’s cut in its entirety.
Not supplementing it, not enhancing overall buses per hour, not altering the 472 route to serve potential growth areas in the vicinity of its route or restoring recently lost links such as between Charlton and Lewisham but a full on cut.
The above image shows the existing stop beside phases one and two with a bus picking up passengers.
These cuts are to commence while TfL and Peabody are lobbying for the DLR to north Thamesmead. Happy to cut buses serving new homes in south Thamesmead while pushing public transport in the far north of the town.
Oh and if anyone says the DLR plan benefits this part of south Thamesmead they havn’t the first clue. It’s miles away.
DLR?
The nearby Abbey Wood station is far closer, actually walkable and despite bus cuts alongside there are other routes that reach the station in two minutes for 20+ trains per hour (though bus cuts are hardly encouraging people to ditch cars).
No one is taking a longer bus ride in the opposite direction to reach the DLR with fewer trains per hour than Abbey Wood station and to a far more limited range of destinations.
As an example, it you’re one of the very few people in south Thamesmead who wants to go to the eastern end of the Royal Docks the better option is using the closer Abbey Wood Liz line to Custom House (taking six minutes) with up to 12 trains per hour and future improvements likely when new trains arrived before changing to the DLR from the same station onto the Beckton branch to reach whatever destination desired.
Though given there’s very little on that branch almost no one would do that journey but if they did, Thamesmead DLR almost certainly wouldn’t be the route people would use from most of Thamesmead including these new homes beside Southmere lake.
Future
So with phase two completing is this finally Peabody moving up a gear for phases three to seven?
If so they’d better get a move on. Absolutely zero detailed plans have ever emerged for phase three along Harrow Manorway after 12 years in charge and eight years after buildings were knocked down, let alone has anything been approved.
As is so often the case, it looks like Peabody are taking an age. No doubt they’ll be more excuses as we’ve long heard though most of them such as covid or high interest rates or the new Building Safety Regulator emerged many years after they first took control.
Planning? Can’t blame that either. Peabody havn’t bothered to draw up any detailed plans – let alone consult and submit.
That’s not only an issue impacting this part of south Thamesmead either. They havn’t in north Thamesmead where they keep pushing the DLR plan to the detriment of Barking Riverside where homes actually are underway.
Where’s the plans?
Five years ago the Thamesmead and Abbey Wood Opportunity Area strategy document stated a Bus Rapid Transit plan (subsequently awarded £23m) would permit new homes in advance of a subsequent transport capacity increase via other means.
Peabody in their usual fashion have never bothered to draw up a masterplan to get the first couple of thousand homes off the ground in north Thamesmead. While seemingly obsessed with a flawed Thamesmead DLR plan which they’ve hooked friendly politicians into and which if approved will act to the detriment of many other growth areas, they’ve:
- Failed to build homes at any great speed near Abbey Wood station with the Elizabeth line, Thameslink and Southeastern services in 12 years
- Failed to draw up detailed plans for areas in south Thamesmead for phase three at long demolished plots to ensure a continual building pipeline
- Failed to oppose bus cuts in south Thamesmead
- Failed to create an area masterplan let alone any detailed housing plans for north Thamesmead in advance of a Bus Rapid Transit despite funding for that and five years after an area strategy document from the Greater London Council was adopted
- Not built a single home in north Thamesmead
Letting the town down
Peabody gaining acres of land across Thamesmead twelve years ago and then being awarded Housing Zone status has proven to be a dismal decision to get needed homes across the town.
One that ensured many have since paid the price, from residents and business owners being evicted from existing dwellings to business owners moving to new shops recently built but seen minimal surrounding due to slow building and thus limited footfall.
For every nice little event to please politicians while on a fleeting visit little action on their core role of building homes has emerged.
Look, I love the nice events too. I’ll no doubt be taking my child to the Christmas market but that’s scant consolation for failing at their core role of building new homes seen for years and to all those evicted.
And while new homes now completing are of course very welcome that they’re so late, beside upcoming transport service cuts and there’s no follow-up building approved let alone starting soon sums up the wider problem.
But ultimately what do they care? Politicians love Peabody. Their PR game is good. And that keeps them off the hook.
I still think it is shocking that TFL have chosen to completely axe the day service on route 472 between Abbey Woid and North Greenwich via Thamesmead and Woolwich. Replacing it with the limited stop express superloop service SL11.
With so many new developments in the Abbey Wood and Thamesmead areas bringing thousands of new homes. The area needs more bus services not less. Existing bus services could also do with frequency increases to meet a growing demand.
I always thought it was a bit of a missed trick that the SL3 never stopped at Southmere lake, considering the fact that there’s a lot of development going on in the area. Granted, there are still buses that go to the stops that do serve the SL3, but at the same time, I would have thought that adding Southmere lake to the rotation wasn’t going to affect timings too much. Of course, with the 472 being replaced by the SL11, that’s yet another missed opportunity, and one fewer bus that serves the area, especially one that is set to increase in population relatively soon! This’ll also likely mean that there will eventually be more crowding on the remaining bus routes, especially as as far as I’m aware, there’s nothing to replace the 472 once it’s gone!
Just as an FYI, Peabody have recently outlined more detailed plans for Phase 3 along Harrow Manorway. There’s some more info here: https://www.thamesmeadnow.org.uk/explore/new-improved-buildings/south-thamesmead/
But agreed, still quite slow and busy cuts are baffling.