280 homes coming to former Ladywell leisure centre site?
There could be 280 flats in buildings up to 10 floors in height on the former site of Ladywell leisure centre according to early plans submitted to Lewisham Council.
Lewisham Council own the site and currently use it for temporary modular homes that can be easily moved to another site. The long term intention has always been to build permanent homes on site, with up to 50 per cent at social housing levels.
The figures for new homes are contained within a screening opinion submission seen here. These are early draft plans asking looking into whether such numbers are suitable.
Woolwich follows?
It’ll be interesting, and revealing, to see if Greenwich Council follow a similar model at the Waterfront site in Woolwich when it closes, and also at a new leisure centre development at General Gordon Square.
They own the land which currently houses Wilkos and a large car park behind. Will they take a major role in providing housing above and behind the new lesiure centre to meet the need for truly affordable housing, or offer to a private developer to build and gain the “affordable” scraps after they take a 20 per cent profit?
So far ambition has been limited almost entirely to low-rise housing, and as good as some is, does not going to get close to meeting severe demand in the borough, with latest figures show homeless households have risen to record highs.
I hope Greenwich Council will follow Lewisham Council by at least making homes built on sites owned by Council owns are at least at 50% percent laffordable homes.
This is could news for Lewisham as the new homes will be on part of Lewisham High Street and iclose to Lewisham University Hospital.
I really hope the modular homes will be relocted in the Borough as I beleive there were used to temporary house people on Lewisham Housing Waiting list.
However, I wonder what will happen to the businesses that occupy units at Street Level on this temporary development ?
** are 50% affordable on sites owned by the Council. **
Modular homes like these could be the solution to homelessness. They are quick to build, or should be – Lewisham took its own sweet time getting those erected – and inexpensive. High rise is not the solution for people with small children. Getting up and down from a 10th floor flat whose lifts are less than reliable is not ideal. Councils have to stop selling off their land to developers and start building for the those on the waiting list and the low paid.
There was a cafe on that site linked to the Jimmy Mizen foundation, but it has been gone for some time and the unit remains empty. Presumably, the business tenants knew their lets were going to be short term and will be looking for new premises.