More Woolwich residential plans for the pile

There’s a number of smaller developments in Woolwich that I’ve not mentioned before, that are now either going up or are in the pipeline. Three are located close together along Artillery Place, and these total 109 homes. Mulgrave pond (though it’s more like a lake) is ‘hidden’ near here, and a couple of developments wisely look to utilise it. First, there is Cambridge House, which is almost complete:

It’s a development of 49 flats by Bugler and Hyde, which replaced a pretty handsome building, with barely any increase in flats. Why I don’t know. A similar thing happened just along the road 10 years ago when a decent, high density inter-war building was demolished for a pretty awful, tacky block. Here’s what was demolished for Cambridge House:

Cambridge House is in the blue box on the map below. The area in yellow contains listed Rushgrove House, which will see a conversion into residential as well as a small number of additional houses built beside. The red area currently contains a car showroom, and plans are in for 52 homes here.

The area in red is 38 Artillery Place. 52 homes are planned here. The render on top is the initial plans, with the final design below. A definite improvement, with a stronger, more defined frame and connection between street level and those above.

The listed building at Rushgrove House sees conversion and subdivision into a number of flats, with a small row of houses. The site is to the top of the pond below. The car showroom site is to the bottom left.

Just along the road is another decent building, which I’m guessing dates from around the 1930s. It has recently been boarded up, and is next to yet more car parking, a petrol station and car showroom, so it would be no surprise to see housing plans pop up for it. This site stretches a fair way back too behind the building.

Elsewhere in Woolwich planning is in to convert an office building next to Lidl, opposite the stalled, half-finished, Arsenal hotel. Unlike Lewisham citibank’s conversion, this is a more substantial job.

Much of the exterior is re-clad in a variety of grey with additional storeys added. This could end up looking pretty drab.

Hopefully the use of timbre within each balcony will relieve the grey. Retail is planned at street level. With a hotel opposite (it’ll get there eventually) and high density housing, the commercial units will hopefully not be vacant for long.

Does anyone know the fate of the former council offices at Riverside House? This looks like another prime conversion to residential candidate.

The road around here has recently been altered and thankfully many of the grim guardrails have gone. Much more of that please Greenwich council. But they’ve retained a wide central reservation. It seems a waste of land – have a narrow reserve instead and you can have wider pavements alongside the road including a segregated cycle lane for a good stretch of road in the reclaimed space made from narrowing the central reservation.

If you want to cycle along here you’re dicing with buses stopping, pulling in and out, and so many just wont do it. It’s far too dangerous. There’s no right turn section here for a fair distance so the reservation could have been narrowed.

One more question, the fine old Victorian school to the left of the above image was torn down a few years back. Why? There were plans for residential conversion, as seen in many similar old school buildings. This didn’t happen. I’ve never seen any plans for the site since.

Finally, planning is in for 13 new homes at 39 Samuel Street in Woolwich, close to Woolwich Dockyard station. Not much to report here as early days, but it replaces a disused garage site. A good infill scheme of underused land providing much needed housing.