Residents and businesses in Woolwich say they are fearing for their future after their estates appeared in a development masterplan.
Many say they were blindsided by the news and claim they were not properly notified by Greenwich Council. The council has stressed that no decision has yet been made, and has encouraged residents to have their say on any housing proposals going forward.
The council is currently between consultation phases on its draft Local Plan, a hefty document which sets out how the borough will develop over the next 15 years. Within the plan it has identified several sites in Greenwich that could deliver large-scale housing projects.
One such site is Woolwich Dockyard. This 25-acre riverside location contains 676 households within Dockyard Estate and St Mary’s Estate to the north of Woolwich Church Street, and in more residential properties on the south side of Woolwich Church Street as well. It also contains several commercial properties, such as a nursery, a pub and a parade of shops.
Greenwich’s draft Local Plan states Woolwich Dockyard could deliver 1,020 homes alongside around 2,000sqm of non-residential space. It estimates that these could be built within the next 11 to 15 years and could be contained within high-rise tower blocks above ten storeys in height.
Greenwich Council has said that Woolwich Dockyard’s inclusion within the Local Plan does not “grant planning permission, represent a decision to redevelop the estates, or require compulsory purchase”.
However, that hasn’t stopped those that live and work there worrying that their homes and businesses might be demolished within the next 15 years.
Mohd Razik Khan has run a Post Office on Kingsman Parade for 30 years. The parade is a row of shops south of Woolwich Church Street included within the Woolwich Dockyard site boundary.
Mr Khan owns the Post Office building and his house to the rear of the parade that he spent £80,000 refurbishing just three years ago. If redevelopment of the area goes ahead, the Woolwich postmaster will lose both his home and his business.
Mr Khan said: “If they kick us out, what can we do? We can’t fight with them. Can you fight with the council? No.
“It’s good they are doing some development work, but the problem is that the people who have lived in this area for 25 years, 30 years, 40 years, they will be kicked out of this area and sent to the general area outside London. That is not fair.”
Mr Khan said developers and Greenwich Council should ensure those who lose their homes due to any future development will be properly compensated. He suggested that current residents should be offered a 20 per cent discount on the new homes and be given first preference when they go on the market.
Mr Khan also said if residents are made to sell their homes, they should be given 115 to 120 per cent of their property’s market value so they would be able to purchase a similar property close by.
Mr Khan said the council had not informed him that his property was earmarked for potential redevelopment. He added: “They don’t tell everybody and that is a problem. They hide everything as much as they can.”
Amish Patel has run the pharmacy on Kingsman Parade for 42 years, the longest of any of the current parade business owners. Like Mr Khan, Mr Patel said Greenwich Council hadn’t informed him about the area’s inclusion in the Local Plan.
He feared if Woolwich Dockyard was redeveloped, many of the new flats would remain empty like others in the area.
In response to concerns raised by Kingsman Parade businesses, a Greenwich Council spokesperson said: “The Regulation 19 Draft Local Plan continues to identify Kingsman Parade as a protected Neighbourhood Centre, which recognises its importance as a row of local shops used by residents and supporting its role in serving the surrounding community.
“This does not mean decisions have been made about the future of the parade or that businesses will have to relocate.
“No decisions have been made about bringing forward proposals for redevelopment. If proposals that could affect residents or businesses were ever brought forward, they would be subject to further consultation and engagement. Any estate regeneration proposal would also be subject to a resident ballot before a decision could be taken on whether to proceed.
“The council recognises the important contribution local businesses make to the area and wants everyone to have the information they need to understand what the draft Local Plan does and does not propose.”
The Woolwich Dockyard & St Mary’s Residents Association (WDSM) formed after one of its members discovered the Dockyard and St Mary’s Estates were included in the Local Plan by leafing through a copy of the draft at a local library.
Prior to this chance discovery, many living on the estates had no idea their homes could potentially be demolished to make way for 1,020 new flats. WDSM has begun a campaign to raise awareness and protect the estates from being knocked down.
WDSM feel as if Greenwich Council has gone about releasing the information “sneakily” and the group hopes that if it continues to pile on the pressure, Woolwich Dockyard will be removed from the Local Plan as an area of potential redevelopment.
The Greenwich Council spokesperson said: “It is imperative that everyone has the information they need to take part in our consultations.
“We recognise that long-term planning and regeneration issues can be complex and can raise questions, which is why we wrote to residents on 5 February 2026 to clarify what the draft Local Plan does and does not propose.
“The letter also sought to reassure residents that no decisions had been made about bringing forward proposals to redevelop the Woolwich Dockyard Estate and St Mary’s Estate.”
Speaking at a Greenwich Council cabinet meeting on June 24, WDSM Chair Lesley Turner said: “We have put forward formal representations which have been ignored. We have compiled a list of every email that we have sent, of every lack of reply, of every reply that is just words that don’t actually say anything.
“We are bitterly disappointed. We were led to believe that the council wanted to engage with us. Sadly, this has not been the case.”
Greenwich’s Cabinet Member for Planning and Development Cllr Tom Creswell assured WDSM at the meeting that its representations were being heard and taken seriously. He also said he was organising a meeting between the group, cabinet members and council officers.
The statutory consultation on the next draft of the Greenwich Local Plan will go live on July 27 for a period of six weeks. This is the version the council intends to submit to the Government’s Planning Inspectorate for independent examination.
