Plans to build 258 homes on a former sports club ground in Blackheath have been revealed. Developer Derreb Limited has unveiled its Moorehead Way project with the hopes of gathering public feedback before it submits a full planning application to Greenwich Council.
The 5.4 acre site was formerly the Huntsman Sports Club and it has been empty since 1998. It lies at the south-eastern corner of the Cator Estate, south of Blackheath Village, and it has been identified in both Greenwich Council’s local plan and the London Plan as a potential area for residential development.
There have been four planning applications to build homes on the site since 2008, the latest of which progressed to appeal but was dismissed in November 2016. This 130-unit scheme was refused as it did not have enough affordable housing.
Commenting on affordable housing for its latest proposal, Derreb said: “As part of the application process for our forthcoming 258-unit scheme, a viability assessment will be submitted which will assess what levels of affordable housing the development can feasibly provide. Affordable homes will either be provided on-site or through a payment to the council’s offsite affordable housing delivery.”
The 258-home proposal includes 238 apartments and 20 houses; 149 of the homes will be two-bed units and 61 will be one-bedroom apartments. The remaining 46 residences will be a mix of three and four-bed homes while 33 of the units will be fully wheelchair accessible.
Alongside the homes, 490 cycle parking spaces and 95 car parking spaces have been planned as well as communal green areas, tree-lined streets and private gardens. Plans for a “large indoor community space for all residents to use” have also been included.
Derreb explained that the site is subject to a covenant dated November 5, 1956, which decrees that the land should only be used to build detached houses. However, the developer explained it would not be able to deliver the number of homes required for the site by the London and local plans if they were all detached.
Derreb said: “To respect the old covenant as much as possible these emerging proposals place detached houses along the northern and western edges of the site, where the land borders the Blackheath Conservation Area. This ensures that the new development protects the character of the conservation area.”
The developer also said that the two apartment buildings located closest to the site’s western boundary will be designed to look like “large, detached houses, rather than obvious blocks of flats”.
Those interested in finding out more about the proposal can register for one of the upcoming online consultation events that are taking place next week. To find out more, share your views and to register for the consultation events, visit the Moorehead Way project website.
