Woolwich round-up: Antic's plan for second Woolwich pub proceeding & Barracks to close
Pub operator Antic have been looking at opening a second pub in Woolwich for a fair amount of time. Planning permission was granted almost three years ago for a site on the other side of the town centre opposite the Travelodge hotel. Now further steps hare being taken. They already operate the Woolwich Equitable on General Gordon Square.
Here’s details of the pub site approved back in 2014:
“GRANTED 15 January 2014: Change of use of ground floor and basement level from (A1) use/retail to (A4) use/public house with the installation of a new shop frontage and bin store to the side elevation”
There has been little movement since, except Greenwich Council blocking opening on a weekend past 11pm. But now a further planning application has gone in:
“16/3228/F | Partial change of use of basement from Ancillary Storage (A1) to Public House (A4) including the installation of an external staircase and new windows. | 132-136 POWIS STREET, WOOLWICH, SE18″
Here’s a drawing from the application:
It’s a gorgeous building despite it’s run down current state, like so many on that side of town. The fenestration on the left building seems to have inspired Berkeley’s future riverside towers.
Three years delay is probably explained by very slow progress in renovating this end of town. Many shopfronts are still in a very poor state.
But plans are finally underway. The former Co op beside this site is just completing. They’ve done a good job with the refurbishment, which was in line to be demolished to make way for a car park until the 2008 crash halted that misguided scheme, though I’ve heard some worrying reports that the developer is using Help to Buy as an excuse to offer potential buyers smaller flats than originally agreed. Another triumph for Help to Buy then, which is more like help for existing owners and developers.
And around the corner is the tower at Callis Yard. Builders are now on site with piling underway. I covered this development here.
Also nearby are plans for Mortgramit Square covered here.
This plan from United Living could possibly see a 24-storey tower on the car wash site opposite Waterfront Leisure Centre. Apartology has covered it here.
Berkeley are also currently constructing two riverside towers, work on the third is just beginning and planning for another group has been submitted.
And then there’s scope for building over the road from the pub site. It’s currently a large, single level car park:
Barracks Closing
News out today will also lead to upheaval and more housing in the town. The Ministry of Defence has announced that the Barracks are to close as part of a wide-ranging sell-off. The site has existed since 1802. The site will likely house many thousands in coming decades.
It’s the latest in a string of closures in Woolwich. In recent years the Fire Station, Police Station, Magistrates Court and County Court have all closed. It does still have a hospital, though that recently came in for heavy criticism.
I have been tweeting round about the barracks – and I think we need to know a lot more. The barracks themselves are clearly important buildings – but they are ever so listed and I daresay will be taken care of, whatever. In the past barracks in Woolwich have been demolished for housing so we need to watch out – BUT what does ‘barracks’ mean. The MOD owns vast swathes of land in Woolwich – do they intend to sell that as well? or just the buildings?? some of it has been converted very recently for the Royal Horse Artillery – so do they mean some of it, or all of it, or what? The land includes the whole of Woolwich Common which somehow ceased to be common land and passed to the army in the 18th century. I have a feeling questions have been asked about its status over the years and been more or less told that the army owns it, and hard luck any local people who thought they did. What exactly is the situation and is it likely to be sold too?? There is also all the woodland used for training to the east of the barracks – a large space, I think it has a lake in it, and certainly an important wildlife area. Then there are the parade grounds and a huge sports field. What is going to happen to that? There are other sites around which I am far from sure if they are owned by the MOD or not – much of it open space. And dotted all round them are various relics and buildings of historical interest. There are many monuments and artifacts – remember that when the RA left they took much with them as did the Royal Armouries who stripped out the Arsenal site before it was handed over. Does Woolwich really want to lose all that? Among all of this is, of course, the Rotunda. Stuck up in an obscure corner, and for all we know rotting. It is so unusual and so eccentric, surely we would want people to see it.
So – what more do we know and what are we going to do about it?
This has got to be positive in the long run.
I had not appreciated the extent of the MOD ownership, Woolwich Common, for example, I presumed was public ground. Perhaps this explains why it in poor shape.
I think this will help develop a better local community as military bases are fairly insular in nature. However, I do hope that some of the historic buildings and green spaces are maintained.
It must be being sold off in chunks though, who could afford all that?
I only noticed the other week that the police station had closed! I need to pay closer to attention.
To @fromthemurkydepths, really great work on applying pressure to RBG on where money is being spent.
I also seen Cllr Fahy’s statement that Woolwich’s chance of being a shopping destination is long gone. With all the development and improvement going on in Woolwich, I wonder what RBG’s vision for Woolwich is. The town centre around the square has serious potential for nice shops and cafes. In fact, there is nowhere really similar in the inner London area which will be as well connected and that has an effective town centre/square to use as a centrepiece for development.
Ironically enough, I spoke to Cllr Fahy a few weeks ago and he was very positive about Woolwich’s future. I should also commend him for sorting out pretty quickly some local issues in our area.
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