Approved Greenwich development now sees student housing plan
An approved residential development in east Greenwich for flats on the former site of Speedy Hire now looks set to become student housing.
After approval in 2022 land was sold on in 2023. AVF Developments now own the land.
A revised proposal is being consulted upon with 190 student rooms near the Blackwall tunnel approach flyover on Woolwich Road.
Amusingly an exhibition on the new plan states: “We have sought to improve the public realm by widening the footpath on Woolwich Road”. And anyway, look above. It’s not wide at all.
But anyway, that’s really not the big issue in the area. It’s that much of the local area that’s grotty as hell and badly designed when on foot.
Of course Greenwich planners should call them out on that, but they havn’t much interest. Well, the senior officers don’t and it’s those who sit around councillors in the meeting that decide these plans and others before.
A previous application – and how derived income should be spent – was in line with standard Greenwich Council form in pretty much ignoring the opportunity to improve local streets except a small area to the rear with limited footfall, rather than improve links that many use.
This plan thus joins a mammoth amount in the local area both large and small. Last week revised plans for a nearly site was revealed with 1,251 homes.
Another site is now on the move on Blackwall Lane as seen below. Demolition work has also commenced locally for a 367-room Travelodge tower. Then there’s the Tunnel Avenue distribution depot.
So much potential S106 and CIL revenue. So little interest in improving the area.
No changes
All these many, many plans see next to no effort from the authority in improving the local area especially for pedestrians and offering better connections from east Greenwich to Greenwich peninsula. They bring in millions to Greenwich Council.
They could bring in more but the authority continues to choose to levy very low rates on developers. They have years of form on this.
While the Conservatives are in power they could deflect blame but if Labour win a general election how they approach the blame game will be interesting to see.
They sure as hell won’t admit their own ineptitude and ongoing efforts to go very easy on developers locally.
It’s impressive to preside over such a mess over such an area in one of the biggest hotspots for new builds in the entire country.
Cross over to the peninsula and thousands of homes are rising there. Yet when presiding over such beauty as seen above, why do any better? It’s a “Royal” borough don’t you know.
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These are mainly cluster flats, which is 9 single rooms sharing a kitchen. The developer has no client, no previous experience of building for students but probably worked out that treating 18 to 21 year olds like battery hens is the most profitable return.
Neighbouring developments granted planning as work homes and residential flats are now occupied as Airbnbs, “hotels” and housing for “vulnerable” non working people, adjacent is another student development and a hand car wash run by people with no recourse to public funds. These are competing with the Angerstein which has onsite supervision and is much less dangerous as a result and needs guests to remain viable.
We need a mixed diverse balanced community with residents who have stability and security to live there for the medium and long term. Not polarised groups with common behaviours.
Glad to see more detail on external design, but lack of enforcement on other developments in the Borough has resulted in standoffss asking for finished tower blocks to be demolished. Increasingly other more attractive locations are being used by unis for foreign students who generate more income eg a whole uni of Westminster block is now filled with US students on 6 month stays.