Prominent Woolwich Central development reaches ten floors in height
A block being built in Woolwich town centre has reached double digits in height.
The block in front of Tesco when viewed from General Gordon Square is part of the wider Woolwich Central development. The first two phases were built by Tesco’s property arms Spenhill on former Greenwich Council land which was home to Peggy Middleton House. A Post Office was also on site.
Tesco then sold to Meyer Homes having not proceeded with plans approved twenty years ago. London Square have since taken the site on.
They’re also currently building a 559-home development in Crayford I covered yesterday. They appear to move a lot faster than certain other developers.
During twenty years of inaction in Woolwich a green space was located on site outside Tesco’s main entrance, which was never supposed to last quite so long. Hence it became a bit of a local fixture with disappointment upon removal.
Now phases three and four are well underway with 700 new homes upon completion in 2029.
Changes
The block rising beside General Gordon Square will top out at 15-floors, which is someway below what previous plans envisaged.
Not a looker with a chunky podium at lower levels.
Then came another tower proposal from Meyer Homes. A lot more elegant, though deemed out of scale.
That was whittled down to what is now rising.
Most housing is located to the “rear” of the site.
As for the tenure breakdown it’s 34 per cent built-to-rent (so private renting), 27 per cent social rent, 21 per cent shared ownership and 18 per cent private sale.
Formation Architects are behind the design.
Of course this isn’t the only plot underway in Woolwich. This week I covered at 254 homes now rising at the former Brookhill estate a short distance south of Woolwich Central, while two student blocks featuring 430 student rooms are now all but complete.
Then there’s the 660 homes at Ropeyards now underway with the first block evident above site hoardings.
The construction is now coming on well. After a slow start.
It will be interesting to see how the flats will look when finished and what they will sell or rent for given there prime Town Centre location close to the Station, DLR and a short walk from the Elizabeth Line Station.
This devlopment will be ideal for professionals that commute or work locally.
With the station, leisure cente and local shops including Tesco”s being close by.
It looks to be a high quality building and I think the scale works well for the site. I thought the visuals at first appeared rather dull and ordinary, but the planning application shows it’s actually pretty well considered with some nice materials and details. Looking forward to the public realm improvements it will bring too, with the added bonus of it obscuring the Tesco carbuncle.