Woolwich town centre to see £17.2 million for improvements
A piece of seasonal good news today as Greenwich Council leader Dan Thorpe announced that a bid by Greenwich Council for funds to improve Woolwich town centre has been successful.
A total of £17,150,964 from the Future High Streets Fundhas been allocated to the town.
More details will be announced in time which should clarify exact sources and areas of funding. In September 2020 news emerged that Woolwich was to see £1.8 million spent from the High Streets Heritage Action Zone.
The Future High Street Fund aims to: “renew and reshape town centres and high streets in a way that drives growth, improves experience and ensures future sustainability. It will do this by providing co-funding to successful applicants to support transformative and structural changes to overcome challenges in their area.”
The area has faced recent challenges including the pandemic and closure of stores such as Wilko. However, with many thousands of new homes alongside the existing catchment area, plus excellent public transport links, there is certainly scope for successful rejuvenation.
My last post before Christmas looked at the many, many developments underway around Woolwich. Click here to see the list.
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I’m an Optimist….but 50 years of deterioration..
I am also a Realist
£17 million converts to 680 years of work based on a £25k salary….
This is never going to converted into reality…..
We get such an abysmal example as General Gordon Square….
The new square is excellent and a vast improvement. Looks great, nice aawater feature and landscaping and enjoyed by many. All the ugly old street furniture clutter ripped out.
I see the government website lists Woolwich as only receiving a ‘Provisional funding offer’, so let’s hope we do actually get that full amount. Woolwich town centre has some amazing period buildings with so much potential, just crying out for restoration. I know the council have a very poor track record, but I have to be optimistic that with all the new housing and developments, higher quality businesses will eventually start moving in.
I am also optimistic Michael and agree with you Wpplwich has so much potential and new developments already built under construction or in the planning in and around Woolwich. That the Town Centre is in urgent need of rejuvenation.to encourage new businesses to the area, Woolwicch used to be a great Town Centre and can be again with the right investment.
i also think this will be a great opportunity to train our yomgsters in the Borough including the CSCS course to obtain the cerificate to work on building sites and also in construction trades like bricklaying plastering plumbing heating roofing etc so they can find employment on the many construction sites.
**** Woolwich has so much potential ****
Many of the images of proposed developments don’t include buses and stops & shelters.
Many years years ago buses were banished from much of the town centre and this was one of the causes of the decline of Woolwich as a shopping area.
Some reinstatement followed but the stops around General Gordon Square are a nightmare.
One of the recent Council consultations included the removal of buses from Hare Street and Powis Street. The proposed rerouteing of the 386 would add considerably to the journey time and take it so far away from the shopping area to make it pointless.
The consultation didn’t allow you to comment if you were a commuter using the Woolwich stations. Many, like me, shopped or ate in Woolwich on their way home. Good way to ignore a lot of concerns.
A lot of work needs to go into redeveloping Woolwich.
I agree that faceless people ruined Woolwich no busses in power st or through the old market in my day you could get of a 161 walk 200 yards do all your shopping and get back on the bus home put the busses back on these old routes busses running through the old Town centre and two stations surely Woolwich would come back to life consult with the people who live and work here
Greenwich council does not have the vision on how to use the money. It will spend a good deal of time and money on useless consultation exercises that will ultimately go nowhere.
Retail has been in flight from Woolwich for sometime and the pandemic is making the trading climate so much worse. I keep saying that retail is not the future of Woolwich. What is there now suits the core demographic. Those who live in the expensive, shiny high rises take their spending power elsewhere – Bluewater, the Westfields or even Bexleyheath. Getting a high end retail store to Woolwich would be a hard sell.