Plumsead wins £5 million funding to improve High Street
Some great news today for Plumstead as the High Street is set to see £5 million investment.
The money partly comes from the Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund. £2.5 million will be derived from that pot with Greenwich Council match-funding the same amount.
I'm absolutely delighted that the @Royal_Greenwich bid for #Plumstead High St has won! The 2nd largest allocation in #London! Combined with our match funding from @Royal_Greenwich, this will see more than £5 million improving the high st and delivering affordable work space! https://t.co/oZk61Imyjp
— Dan Thorpe (@DanLThorpe) March 7, 2018
The scheme will:
Strengthen Plumstead High Street through shop front and public realm improvements, the development of site briefs and the provision of new affordable workspace in an historic power station building.
This all sounds very positive for the High Street (and hopefully Lakedale Road).
I expect a fair amount of cynicism given the history of the High Street but this is something to celebrate, and after much complaining about the area congratulations must be offered to those at Greenwich Council, both councillors and staff, who have secured this funding.
And it isn’t the end of improvements. Around £2.5 million will also be spent improving the area around Plumstead station in coming years with funding from the nearby Housing Zone.
The station itself is to separately see improvement works and money is being spent on a new library and gym, though not without controversy.
What would you like to see? Leave comments below.
1) Wider paving at pinch points
2) bus stops moved
3) street clutter massively reduced
4) nice paving materials
5) less parking blocking the road.
6) More double yellows
7) trees where suitable
8) more radical options such as closing Lakedale Road to general traffic or removing all parking? Fire trucks get stuck as do many cars
Spot on. And nicer shopfronts.
At last some great news.
My only concern given RBG track record is that RBG will
1 pay for a sub-standard job from the contractors to improve the high street. This is assuming that RBG get their finger out and award the contract in a timely fashion.
2 Once the upgrade has been completed allow low grade and anti-social businesses to operate in the area. Take a look at the money spent in Woolwich and the amount of one pound and betting shops that have opened in the area.
3 Not have a vision on how the high street should look. For example should it have a focus on good quality independent business or even an area focused on restaurants as opposed to low grade fast food outlets. Common sense – if you state your destination you are likely to reach it.
4 Will not set aside sufficient funds to ensure continued maintenance of the new look high street. Thus making a mockery of all the efforts put into getting this far.
As a plumstead resident (and someone with limited knowledge of council processes) what can be done to ensure that the council maintain the current momentum on this project. As once the election is over the council is likely to go to sleep again for another 4 years. Only waking annually to increase the council tax.
Plumstead may not be out of the woods yet but it is definitely heading in the right direction.
A Waitrose, of course!
This is good news for Plumstead High Street. The area is in desperate need of being upgraded for residents and businesses.
For traffic wardens not to ticket my car when im at slickcuts getting my trims #slickcuts
Do we know how much of the £5m will be spent on the power station refurbishment: something I don’t detect a huge amount of local excitement over?
It would be good to see the station realm improvements linking to the recent improvements just past the station on the A206 Woolwich/Plumstead road, e.g. the segregated cycle path. It’s not used to its full potential as currently cyclists have to navigate either the hideously designed double traffic light crossing at the bottom of Griffin road and outside the station before reaching the safety of the recent new cycle lane, or down the dingy/unpleasant and badly maintained/lit spiral underpass. Equally, the recent refurbishment of the path on top of the northern outfall sewer (including excellent surface, signage and lighting) suffers the same issues.
Not saying the solution is easy, but if the difficult linking elements are not addressed, the ‘easy’ bits like those already completed will perennially suffer the usual (often legitimate) negative criticism of ‘underuse’ and ‘why spend money on cycling/walking/sustainable schemes given no-one uses them’.
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