More than 500 homes and a 36-storey tower could be built as part of new plans for land in east Greenwich which was once earmarked for a cruise liner terminal.

Criterion Capital has confirmed plans for 567 homes at Enderby Place, the remaining part of the Enderby Wharf development on the west side of the Greenwich Peninsula.

The previous owners had already won permission for towers of 24, 27 and 32 storeys in 2014 as part of the notorious plan for a cruise liner terminal on the site, which was scrapped four years later after pressure from local campaigners and London mayor Sadiq Khan.

While the cruise liner terminal – which had been enthusiastically backed by former Greenwich Council leaders Chris Roberts and Denise Hyland – had been abandoned, the planning permission remained valid and was a factor in the approval in 2021 of towers of up to 36 storeys at Morden Wharf next door.

Now Criterion plans two giant buildings, of 36 and 25 storeys, to replace those old plans, with a riverside park and a new Thames Clippers pier.

The larger block would be set further back from the Thames, and Criterion says that the developments would “cascade back down” from the yet-to-be-built towers at Morden Wharf towards the lower-rise Enderby Wharf blocks.

Enderby Wharf, Greenwich
The Enderby Place site has sat undeveloped since the collapse of the cruise terminal plans. Credit: The Greenwich Wire

About 24.5 per cent of the homes would be for “low-cost rent”, with another 10.5 per cent for shared ownership.

Criterion, which is owned by the billionaire Arif Aziz, is best known for owning properties around Leicester Square as well as the former London Pavillion at Piccadilly Circus.

More details of its plans can be found at enderbyplace.co.uk.

Morden Wharf willows
The Morden Wharf willows could have their fate sealed next week. Credit: The Greenwich Wire

Little has happened at Morden Wharf since the plans were approved in 2021, with the developer, U+I, being bought by Landsec and the site being put on the market.

Plans by Landsec to cut down willow trees on the Thames Path so flood defences could be rebuilt were deferred earlier this year, but will come back to Greenwich’s planning board next Tuesday.

They now feature a wider Thames Path, removing a pinchpoint that had been criticised by councillors, and seven replacement trees rather than the initially-planned six. Councillors are expected to make a decision next Tuesday.