Revised plan for shop and homes near Plumstead station
A proposal to build homes and a commercial unit a few metres from Plumstead station have been revised in a new application.
Back in November 2021 this site covered plans for the site, which is currently home to Café Deluxe.
Greenwich planners refused the application in January 2021 due to height plus the rather bizarre reason of a lack of family homes at the small plot, stating:
“The proposed development, by reason of its lack of family sized unit provision, would fail to provide an acceptable mix of medium and large scale dwelling houses”.
It’s a small development in a town centre location. The proposed flats were ideal for single people or couples and located very close to Plumstead railway station for commuting.
Every new one-bedroom home could house one or two people currently living in a house share converted from a former family home.
Building smaller units can help lessen the loss of family homes to homes of multiple occupation.
The site is also near a bus layover and probably more suited to younger people moving into their first home than a family.
It’s rather a shame Greenwich planners didn’t spend time pushing for public realm improvements around Plumstead station near this site using funds from far larger developments in the area.
The Plumstead Regeneration Framework called for improved public space around the station which hasn’t happened to any great degree.
Anyway, now the plan has been altered and housing numbers reduced.
A commercial space is included at the corner of Griffin Road and Orchard Road.
Plans can be viewed here.
This new homes would be ideal for single people young couples and professionals as John rightly points out..We need more really affordable homes for single people and couples
There is also a serious lack of sheltered housing a cross the Borough of Greenwich which also means elderly and disabled people are unable to downsize from larger council and housing association homes.
I would like to see the planning application process in Greenwich Borough being speeded up so construction has to start by Developers with in 3 to 6 months of planning permission being granted.
This will help to avoid empty buildings or sites standing empty for years and falling in to further state of disrepair or filled with rubbish.
I agree we have so many potential development sites standing empty while planning applications are dealt with . Many developers allow planning permission to lapse and then have to resubmit plans which can take several months.
So I agree planning applications where permission is granted should be speeded up so construction work starting with in 3 to 6 months.
The Island Business Centre in Woolwich is one site in Woolwich that needs to see redevelopment of the site starting sooner rather than later.