New Greenwich Radisson hotel to open – and ignores nearby railway station
After many years of delay a new hotel will soon open in Greenwich in a less than appealing site.
The Radisson Red is set to open on Blackwall Lane beside the A102. It’s a pretty horrible walk from North Greenwich tube with little done to improve that over many years.
One of the best ways for tourists to reach the site (if physically fit) from central London is a train either on Thameslink or Southeastern from various London stations such as St Pancras, Kings Cross or London Bridge that link easily with other rail services, then head towards Maze Hill and walk. Well, that’s what I’d do. Maze Hill is 12 minutes from London Bridge.
However if we look at the hotel’s travel guide it actually lists those flying to City Airport first (!) and then the tube. As a budget brand I hardly think many will arrive from City Airport. It then lists other airports but at no stage does it mention using rail despite frequent and fast links from central London. It also highlights parking. But nothing about rail.
This means many will inevitably use the tube, and then try to walk from North Greenwich through the Peninsula. It was always likely that many visitors would arrive via the tube (even without the hotel telling them to) which is exactly why even a modest amount of income derived from developers should have been spent improving pedestrian links – but hasn’t in the area each and every time a development is approved. It’ll be a grim first introduction to the Royal borough if they do walk though bleak and windswept roads set up almost solely for traffic:
The hotel encourage people to walk which will lead below the A102 flyover and slip roads, stating to head to “North Greenwich Station. From here, you can either take the 422 bus for 1 stop to Tunnel Avenue, or walk directly to the hotel”. Many will think what’s the point of a bus for one stop, I’ll walk it. It’s pretty amazing no one at Greenwich planning or the Planning Board thought of this and insisted on modest income to improve the pedestrian experience.
It wouldn’t take much. Improved lighting, art work, signage, better sightlines, less clutter.
In addition, ignoring links south via Maze Hill station will also hamper business in the area who could benefit from passing trade. They could do with many tourists heading by on the way to and from central London.
As it is, they won’t see many. Neither the authority or the hotel are doing much to assist tourists or local business.
This isn’t the only Greenwich hotel with inadequate pedestrian links. The former Greenwich Magistrates Court lacks a signalised pedestrian crossing at a junction directly outside, which is encountered when heading to the site from a nearby DLR station, and a new Travelodge on the Peninsula sees minimal changes. While improved from the first application, it still sees little income allocated to improved pedestrian links to and from North Greenwich station.
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As you know there is a long and nasty planning saga here -BUT one of the appeals to the Inspectorate claimed the site was walking distance from five railway stations.
There’s many at fault here. The hotel for not encouraging sustainable travel. The authority for doing little with income to remedy the situation. And finally Southeastern who do very little to actively promote Greenwich to tourists via rail. They could be contacting hotels, promoting rail services and doing far more.
I have been seeing the construction site for a long time, wondering who would be mad enough to live here… very surprised to find out it is a hotel !
Having lived in the recently built Enderby developments (about 1/2 mile away from the hotel) 4 years ago when most of the new builds were still under construction, I can only emphasis on what is said in this article.
Road traffic to the O2 is absolutely awful, and bus are largely overcrowded; when they finally arrive they might already be fully packed (don’t think about taking any luggage at peak times!), it was generally faster to walk. And what a walk. It is a scandal to see such poor quality pathway near a venue like the O2. Dirty, noisy, polluted, long wait at the many pedestrian traffic lights… Over the years I also came across many tourists trying to walk from the O2 to the nearby Holiday Inn and getting lost!
The other more direct route between the O2 and the radisson would be along tunnel avenue and along the A102; quicker but even more polluted and lacking lighting and in serious need of pavement improvement.
How so much money can be spent in building residential flats and hotels can be made without improving the infrastructure is quite telling. Greenwich is built for cars, and seeing the developments in and around the Millenium leasure park, I don’t think this is likely to change.
I’m looking forward to seeing tourists arrive at North Greenwich and make their way to boord street. Across the awful pedestrian walk way into what only can be discribed as car hell. The journey to the hotel is even worse than the other routes