Tower blocks up to 36-storeys tall, tens of thousands of new homes along the River Thames and a developer being asked to tear down their buildings are among the biggest changes planned for Greenwich borough in 2024. The upcoming year will see a vast array of changes to the South London skyline.
Below is a list of the major housing projects to look out for across Greenwich in the next 12 months. These include schemes which have been already approved as well as major upcoming proposals for the area.
Morden Wharf tower blocks
Plans to deliver a set of tower blocks up to 36 storeys tall will move forward this year after the site was sold to a developer in November. The Morden Wharf development in Greenwich Peninsula will see 12 new tower blocks being added alongside the River Thames.
The project will include 1,500 new homes, 35per cent of which will be ‘affordable’. The plans were brought forward by Galliard Homes and its partner, City Developments Limited, from previous developers LansecU+I and the freeholder, Morden College, after the site was put up for sale in October 2022.
The scheme was originally approved by Greenwich Council in September 2021. Alongside the housing, the plans will provide 186,000 square feet of office space and 3.9 acres of park space.
Tens of thousands of new homes along River Thames
The Government outlined plans last July to add “tens of thousands” of new homes along the River Thames in a project named ‘Docklands 2.0’. Housing Secretary Michael Gove said in his speech that areas in Greenwich such as Charlton Riverside and Thamesmead would benefit from the scheme, as well as Beckton and Silvertown in Newham.
Housing association Peabody reportedly owns 65pc of the land in Thamesmead, with the company’s executive director for the Thamesmead project, John Lewis, saying there was potential for 15,000 new homes in the space. A Peabody spokesperson previously told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that the company planned on building up to 2,800 new homes in South Thamesmead.
Transport for London’s plans to extend the DLR to Thamesmead could also contribute to housing growth in the area. The transport authority claimed in June last year that the extension from Gallions Reach to Beckton Riverside and Thamesmead could allow for up to 30,000 new homes to be built across Greenwich and Newham.
Over 400 new student rooms in 27-storey block in Greenwich Creekside
A 27-storey tower block is planned for Ravensbourne Wharf in Greenwich Creekside, containing 414 student rooms. The project was approved by Greenwich Council in November last year and will see the current three-storey creative workspace on the site being knocked down.
The scheme will include a new public walkway and rooftop gardens, and 35pc of the new rooms are planned to be ‘affordable’. It replaces previous plans for a 28-storey block on the site after developer Tribe said complexities in the original scheme’s construction had prevented it from moving forward.
Developer may have to tear down existing blocks
This year could see a pair of tower blocks in Greenwich borough being knocked down. The local council took enforcement action against developer Comer Homes in September last year after it built a pair of buildings in Woolwich that were “substantially different” to previously approved plans.
The two buildings, named Mast Quay, contain 204 flats and are up to 23-storeys tall. The council cited at least 26 main deviations from the original planning permission, including differing cladding, smaller balconies and design changes that made buildings look more “bulky”.
A Comer Homes Group spokesperson previously told the LDRS that the developer was surprised and extremely disappointed by the decision of the council. They added that the group will be appealing against the enforcement notice and plan to correct the inaccuracies and address the authority’s concerns.
Greenwich Peninsula tower blocks up to 30 storeys
A pair of tower blocks up to 30 storeys tall are also planned for Greenwich Peninsula, after the project was approved by Greenwich Council last month. The scheme will see 300 new homes built in Lower Riverside by developer Knight Dragon as part of a wider project to build over 17,000 new homes in the area.
The two towers will include green areas at different levels and a concierge service at the bottom of the main building. The buildings will be seven and 30 storeys tall respectively.
Top picture: A CGI of the planned tower block for Ravensbourne Wharf as seen from Creek Road. Credit: Smith Jenkins / Tribe
Pictures below: A CGI of the proposed development at Morden Wharf. Credit: Landsec-U+I / Pixelflakes
