Remnants of demolished Woolwich pub The Pullman remain 20 years on
A Woolwich pub mostly demolished around twenty years ago for a DLR extension still sees remnants remain twenty years on as TfL still lack plans to build on former construction sites.
The Pullman sat beside Woolwich Arsenal railway station but made way for the DLR extension which opened 17 years ago.
Legend has it that 15 founding members of Arsenal football club met in the pub on Christmas Day in 1886 and adopted the name Royal Arsenal.
A photo taken shortly before demolition can be seen here.
Plots left neglected
In the 17 years since Woolwich Arsenal DLR extension opened TfL have yet to commence a single project at three prime town centre sites, leaving all as eyesores.
While projects such as the recent £24 million town centre revamp have been and gone in an attempt to enhance the town, TfL let sites rot to the detriment of improvement attempts.
Vacant sites include the station box near where the remains of The Pullman still linger alongside land to the north, which is a “temporary” car park.
The station here was constructed with a box designed for building above and beside. Early plans showed it clearly, though nothing ever happened.
Another station box site sits empty nearby.
Visitors are presented with this mess leaving the station.
Just about the only changes in nearly two decades is the removal of collapsing fences.
In their place are new fences which nicely show all the mess on every town centre site.
After nearly 20 years of this Transport for London still havn’t progressed to drawing up any firm plans since initial ideas in 2010 fell away.
Their Places for London development organisation has looked into dozens of sites across London include some that proved extremely contentious yet here in Woolwich, where any plan is likely to sail through, there’s nothing.
One spot left undeveloped faces the main shopping area in Woolwich on Powis Street.
They’re a blight in various spots. The below site sits metres from where millions have just been spent on improvements to Beresford Square.
Here too the old fences have been removed.
In there place are new ones which show the litter more clearly to all. The murals fail spectacularly to distract from the mess behind.
The biggest vacant site of all sits to the east running along Spray Street.
This large site sits opposite the proposed (and long delayed) Woolwich Exchange development.
That plot is located above the eastern end of the station box where trains head towards King George V station.
All three sites were designed with future development in mind, though TfL have failed to undertake it.
At the nearby Elizabeth line station development over the station box has just been approved again.
It’s taken an age there too (plans first emerged 12 years ago) but at least there was some sign of progress. Plans drawn up, consultations then plans submitted.
Silence persists
At Woolwich Arsenal DLR sites its mostly been absolute silence. Attempts to get information meet a brick wall. Greenwich council meetings almost never discussed it for many years. Requests for information see no details.
Bizarre given the growing housing crises but how it clearly detracts from their main town centre.
Not many council’s would simply ignore so many blights hampering their main town centre’s appeal which reinforcing negative stereotypes about the place.
Future
After around 16 years of silence there was one sign TfL hadn’t completely forgot when the sites appeared on a future timeline put out in 2024 at a TfL meeting covering possible development sites, but no more that that.
And at best it’s years off as things stand despite the housing crises with a start date in 2029/30. A full 20+ years after trains started running.
The site sits in Housing Secretary Matt Pennycook’s own constituency and like many of his former Labour councillor colleagues cannot be ignorant to what’s happened – or hasn’t happened. Greenwich Council have controlled the borough throughout the period with their own main offices nearby.
Sadiq Khan has been Mayor for nine years to boot while this TfL land has seen no action. Places for London have managed to develop elsewhere.
If you go to the Places for London website and click “projects” there’s no mention at all.
You may have thought Greenwich and TfL could have worked together to draw up plans. Think again.
Failings at all levels
As a result, eyesores and even the remnants of a pub still stand a full 17 years of inaction testament to years of failure.
There’s no sign of any progress even at the very early stages such as mentions in TfL or council reports, nor in terms of consultations or Environmental Impact Assessments since Labour in Westminster took power. This isn’t a great example of how they can begin to solve the housing crises.
With the local council, Mayor and government all the same party, where’s the drive to “build, baby, build” on town centre public land here?
If such sites remain for years in town centre sites beside DLR and National Rail services and a short stroll to the Elizabeth line, then what hope for building in many other areas?
Another pub in Woolwich located close to The Pullman could see demolition plans approved this coming week, with the Bull Tavern’s fate to be decided by Greenwich’s Planning Board.
Those who run it were evicted some time ago though housing plans on the site have taken some time, and are now being revised. Initial plans kept part of the building. Revised plans do not.
That was covered here some time ago. If it is knocked down hopefully we won’t be talking about yet another long vacant site in years to come.
Another example of Greenwich and TfL not talking to each other it appears. Would a Business Improvement District status in the town with dedicated staff tasked with improvements along the lines you’ve recently covered help push things like this forward by banging heads together and act as a mediator between TfL and Greenwich I wonder?
Again has Ed says it shows Greenwich Council and TFL are not talking to each other. It makes me wonder just how serious Labour’s Greenwich Council and Mayor For London/TFL are about the housing crisis and building new homes.
The Local MP for Greenwich and Woolwich Matthew Pennycook is the Housing Ministet yet he does very little to encourage Greenwich Council and TFL to build on sites like this or sell the land to developers to provide mu h needed funds for TFL..
Around tbe Borough of Greenwich we have many sites left empty for years even decades. Some buildings like tbe empty building on the corner of Wellington Street and Thomas Street a prime town centre location which has been allowed to be left empty and undeveloped for years and falling in to a state of disrepair. Wnich could provide much needed new homes for local people.
The spaces could be used for the market ie let the job center and me use the space of land for my project to help get mental health and disabled claimants out of the downward spiral of doing nothing and get them training and working voluntary in the agricultural and landscaping work area. The project is called the woolwich mental health and disabled community trust. Wanna know more on my project email me at
loaderd44@gmail.com for more information.
That would be an excellent use for this piece of land and other small disused sites around the Borough. Helping people with mental health and disabilities is such a worth while cause. The Job Centre, Council, Local.MP’s , The NHS and other interested parties should get on board with projects like this to make them happen to help people with mental health and disabilities train and work voluntary in agricultural and gardening..Which can be beneficial to people many of whom do not have gardens of their own so go to community gardens..
That would be an excellent use for this piece of land and other small disused sites around the Borough. Helping people with mental health and disabilities is such a worth while cause. The Job Centre, Council, Local.MP’s , The NHS and other interested parties should get on board with projects like this to make them happen to help people with mental health and disabilities train and work voluntary in agricultural and gardening..Which can be beneficial to people many of whom do not have gardens of their own so go to community gardens..