Berkeley Homes seek to raise height of Kidbrooke blocks
A new plan has been submitted to raise building heights and the number of flats in Kidbrooke Village blocks by 30 per cent.
Berkeley Homes seek to increase flats in Phase 3 and 5 beyond original plans resulting in an increase from 1,004 to 1,309 for those stages. The total development is near 5,000 homes.
Planning documents state the impact of height increases would be minimal:
“The proposed changes in building height across the Site could result in different environmental effects (e.g. Daylight / Sunlight, Wind and Townscape)…However, it is considered that the nature of such changes is unlikely to generate significant negative effects and any localised effects can either be designed out or mitigated”
The current uplift is not the first in the area.
This table illustrates increases planned at various blocks:
This latest uplift concerns Phases 3 and 5 out of 6 in total. Phase 3 still only includes 12% of properties allocated as social homes.
Despite increases in new homes, delays to Southeastern’s next franchise ensure there are no confirmed entry date for additional carriages despite Kidbrooke station located directly beside this site.
In terms of impact on transport, the associated document states changes are moderately positive yet fails to mention impacts upon Southeastern services.
Always rising
The history of Kidbrooke Village is a good reason to never believe estimates of forthcoming homes under area masterplans.
Greenwich Peninsula homes on land owned by Knight Dragon rose from around 4,000 in the first masterplan to near 16,000 now. There’s another 5,000 planned around that at other sites.
I’m very dubious Charlton Riverside will be capped at 7,500. I’d estimate nearer 10,000 when all’s said and done.
Time for Greenwich Council to consign the original masterplan to the waste bin. It was clear from day one that whichever developer won the contract they would be seeking to increase the number of flats/houses on the site and the overall height. Certainly no one envisaged that the development would end up higher than the Ferrier Estate tower blocks.
As far as I recall the platforms on Kidbrooke Station were extended 25 years ago? One would have thought that the trains with extra carriages might have turned up by now.
Most platforms were extended 25 years ago then the govt cut an order for new trains in the early 1990s. Around 5 years ago some platforms were extended to meet modern safety standards. 25 years later still waiting for more than a handful of 12-carriage services.
Back when they cut back on carriages 25 years ago some 4 car train orders became 2 car. Some of those 2 car trains will now be removed from branch lines as they do not meet disability rules. 4 cars will need to move to branch lines meaning a reduction in capacity on mainlines from December.
An initial cut rarely ever pays off down the line.