Greenwich housing blocks take shape at last on the peninsula
A number of residential bocks are approaching full height on a plot within Greenwich peninsula’s masterplan.
Four buildings are on Plot 19.05 of developer Knight Dragon’s masterplan, with planning approval long given before revised plans to increase homes from 281 to 431 was approved.
Mace are constructing the four blocks beside Central Park with Axis Architects behind the design.
Panels are being lifted into place with the company “adopting a hybrid construction methodology”.
An adjacent plot previously given approval saw activity on site earlier this year. Could Knight Dragon be speeding up their notoriously slow build-out rates?
No. That riverside plot is again devoid of life and workers.
Twenty five years on from land reclamation and the area remains painfully slow to see plots built-out- and planning isn’t the issue. Pretty much every masterplan and individual plot has seen little hindrance from Greenwich Council. The first approval at Plot 19.05 under Knight Dragon control was almost eight years ago in January 2017.
And it can’t be said that Community Infrastructure Levy rates are holding things back as much of the approved housing totals predates its introduction in 2015.
When it comes to upwards revisions made since 2015, CIL is liable but at a lower rate than most of London despite being close to a Zone 2 tube station.
Transport
If the tube isn’t to your liking there will be more than 600 cycle spaces as well as 40 car parking spots.
When approved Greenwich planners stated “the site is well located in terms of pedestrian and cycle routes to public transport nodes in the area as well as local facilities” which is rubbish if referring to east and west Greenwich.
Things start out ok with a dedicated path and cycle lane.
Unfortunately if we turn around things fall apart if a sea of poor street design and clutter.
Looks like those Lime bike riders gave up.
The new pedestrian and cycling bridge over the Silvertown tunnel approach can be seen.
To be fair two other large developments here will see improvements though only on a small-scale.
One development being a Travelodge hotel tower with total rooms revised up this year and the other a mixed-use site comprising 340 student rooms and 352 flats.
Neither site is within Knight Dragon’s 17,000-home masterplan area.
The bridge itself though is still a shocker and worthy of another post. Strewn with rubbish and it’s far from inviting, with extensive mesh used over its main span hindering views on approach of anyone on it.
Then if you head over (and many might think sod that) you have the joy of Tunnel Avenue.
If you also recall Greenwich planners recently carried out an “Active Travel Assessment” in this area but somehow managed to avoid the main two links between Greenwich peninsula and east Greenwich.
Future
With this plot nearing top-out we await news on adjacent plots including that beside the Thames which saw movement on site then went quiet about six months ago.
There’s also neighbouring Plot 19.04 approved almost eight years ago without any action since.
This is a major issue with Labour’s plans for housing thinking planning reform alone (or near enough) will solve problems; in many areas planning obstacles isn’t the issue. Greenwich peninsula like nearby areas such as Convoy’s Wharf in Deptford have seen planning approvals for many years with little to no effect.
The biggest issue in much of London is extensive areas of land in the hands of a single large-scale developer who build at a drip-feed rate.
Housing crises or not, they don’t exactly speed up. Why would they build at a fast rate?
