Redesigned Woolwich tower block plan at Mortgramit Square submitted
Plans are in to build 269 homes at Mortgramit Square at the western end of Woolwich town centre.
Previous plans to completely flatten one of the most characterful parts of Woolwich have thankfully been ditched. New plans here now see the cobbled alleys and most characterful interwar buildings retained.
Furlongs garage facing Woolwich High Street would go however as will low-rise shops along Powis Street. It’s a shadow of its former self.
Of a total of 269 units 15 per cent “affordable” at around 80 per cent market rate.
On the Powis Street façade a former frontage of Furlongs will be retained and integrated into a new structure.
Most other low rise buildings to the west will be demolished and a new structure takes their place.
Shopkeepers were evicted some years ago before progress stalled.
Furlongs can just about be made out above on the right in the above image.
Below shows what’s to be built if plans are approved.
Garage
Part of a former multi-storey garage building is being retained and renovated between Powis Street and Woolwich High Street.
Sadly a bridge is being removed from the garage to a workshop.
Tower block
While good work is evident in retaining some fine buildings on site, the main tower element beside Woolwich High Street is poor in terms of massing.
There’s some nice detailing and nods to nearby buildings with banding – and the curved corners with integrated balconies are a plus – but overall it’s yet another lumpy box. Is it so hard for developers in the UK to build blocks with a bit of grace and elegance? Go higher here if need be if the trade-off is a sleek design.
Another flat-roofed bore of a building from afar and ultra hefty as viewed from Woolwich High Street with no set backs, recessed elements at upper floors nor attempt to do anything interesting at the crown.
This is an area of town famous for art deco buildings! Sleek and curved forms nearby with slender towers such as the co-op and former Granada cinema.
The area also has fantastic listed buildings such as the former Odeon cinema.
It seems at point a varied roof line for the tallest block was considered – but dropped.
Flat roofs are often just so incredibly dull and London is stuffed full of them.
Do something interesting at the top.
This isn’t an argument against building nearby – or even building tall – but against stultifying dull, chunky boxes that suck the life out of the immediate area.
Add extra floors on if you must – but at less chunkiness to break up that clunky massing.
Nearby
It joins a ton of other buildings planned or recently built nearby.
Surely this time Greenwich will bother to improve Woolwich High Street using Section 106 and Community Infrastructure Levy revenue?
It’s such an ugly and hostile place to be on foot.
It could be cut and pasted straight out of about 1972 with endless guardrails and pedestrians very much second best.
If we look at the millions brought to Greenwich from a substantial amount of development how is the streetscape and public realm still so bad here?
In the nearby area in recent years we have seen constructed, approved or planned:
- Callis Yard tower
- Six Berkeley towers on former Waterfront car park
- Ropeyards (recently approved)
- MacBean street proposal
- Two Beresford Street student blocks (one underway and one approved this week)
- Riverside House conversion to hotel and student housing (approved this week)
- Three other Berkeley riverside blocks with numerous other plots across the Royal Arsenal
- Mast Quay II
- Woolwich Exchange
- Woolwich Island Site
- Woolwich Central around Tesco
- Former Viscount House
- Wellington Street tower blocks beside council HQ
- Connaught Estate redevelopment
- Brookhill estate redevelopment
- Morris Walk estate redevelopment
- Maryon Grove redevelopment
- Armourers Court above eastern end of Elizabeth line station
- Mortgramit Square
Those should bring in collectively vast sums for street improvements from Section 106, Community Infrastructure Levy and New Homes Bonus income to benefit places such as Woolwich High Street and boost business and footfall.
If it has, scant sign of it here. Maybe this time eh?
