Bexley Council and Peabody launch plan to build on Abbey Wood car park

Plans for high density housing development by Abbey Wood station at Felixstowe Road car park have been announced today.

The site abuts Harrow Manorway flyover and much like the new station will integrate buildings onto the road allowing possible active building frontages.

The plans are a joint venture between Peabody and Bexley Council’s arms-length developer BexleyCo.

BexleyCo is the recently formed version of Greenwich’s Meridian Homes. Central Government pretty much bans public authorities from building sizeable numbers of homes so an arms-length company is often the only solution.

Whilst BexleyCo was only formed in 2017 verses Meridian Home Start back in 2011, it has already stolen a march.

Poor starts

Neither council have covered themselves in glory. BexleyCo have begun with plans to build on parks whilst Greenwich have been very lethargic at using this crucial tool to increase new homes, and where they have built have tended to look at bungalows and very low density housing even beside stations which does little to solve the housing shortage.

Now we have Bexley Council looking to build high density next to a station (which makes sense) yet still permit private developments with no housing in town centres, such as Lidl and Aldi stores in Bexleyheath, Welling and Crayford town centres.

And Greenwich are generally pushing mid to high density in town centres (again this makes sense in many instances) yet low densities when Meridian are involved.

The announcement has been made on the day consultation begins on another Peabody housing development in Abbey Wood. That is underway this afternoon and covers the former Harrow Inn pub site.