Eltham tram shelters sold at auction today
Former tram shelters in Eltham town centres were sold by Greenwich Council today at auction.
The shelters were split into three lots with Unit 1 being sold via Strettons for £71,000. It lists it as currently a public toilet though it hasn’t for some years.
Unit 2 was most recently a disabled toilet and that reached £43,000. The biggest of the three buildings at Unit 3 ended up selling for £127,500.
In total that’s £241,500 for the three locally listed structures.
The shelters date back over a century from when a direct tram service from Woolwich was introduced along Well Hall Rd in 1910, terminating at St John’s church. The trams ceased in 1952.
We’ve sort of gone full circle as a forthcoming Superloop route numbered SL15 is heading to Eltham with many calling for a limited-stop bus to continue to Woolwich, but TfL have refused given the long nature of the proposed route from Clapham.
Other sales
These sales aren’t the only public assets to be disposed with a Blackheath car park also being sold.
In the recent past other car parks have been sold including one on Plumstead High Street. That saw changes as part of a recent multi-million public realm improvement project.
Shortly after public money was spent on improvements it was sold and upon passing again in recent days again shows it as an eyesore. All the landscaping recently installed has been removed.
The latest round of sales is to plug a gap in the budget that’s mostly a result of ever higher housing costs (including temporary accommodation) as well as social care and related transport.
Far bigger sales have been undertaken over the past decade (or more) on sites which could have provided housing to help alleviate the use of expensive private emergency accommodation as homeless household grew four-fold to more than 2,000, which the council have a legal obligation to house.
They include Riverside House in Woolwich and nearby Callis Yard.
Five little holiday cottages. That’s what I’d turn the ticket offices into.
I hope who have brought these lovely old historuxal buildings a part of Eltham”s heritage will give them a good use so they remain a part of Eltham’s history for many years to come.
The money raised by Greenwich Council aling with the sale of the car park on Old Dover Road by Blackheath Royal Standard will spend the proceeds of the sales on projects across the Borough that will benefit everyone ftom the young to the elderly. Making a diffrrence to residents of the Borough lives.
Ardly waste of buildins in Eltham I reckon. All yourn want to do is turn everythin into ahrsin. In case you aint eard we’re runnin ahrt of green spaces.
Given Greenwich Council’s record, the old toilet cabins in Eltham will probably be converted as student housing. It’s about the only thing that ever gets built in the borough. Given the size of the buildings, I foresee at least 20 units squeezed into the existing structures.
I absoluteky agtee with you Warnie. Student housing is all Greenwich are interested in and the amount of studdent rooms far outweigh the amount of new social housing homes built by Greenwich Council. Despite Matthew Pennycook MP for Woolwich and Greenwich being a Minister of Housing
I hope there little shops with home made crafts .something different .or muffin cakes .Anything that encourages people to come to eltham .
I imagine they could be converted to pop-up units for businesses that don’t need or can afford shop premises.
Here’s a novel idea what about making them toilets