Plans for a 27-storey student block next to Deptford Creek have been approved by Greenwich councillors – but with the borough’s chair of planning voicing his worries about the effects of tall buildings on historic Greenwich town centre.
A distinctive 28-storey tower containing 129 flats at Ravensbourne Wharf in west Greenwich was approved nearly four years ago, with councillors swallowing their complaints about its height and expensive housing to praise its “architecturally superior” design.
But now the site, on Norman Road, has now been taken on by the student housing provider Your Tribe, which plans 414 student rooms in a plainer brick-built block that is one storey shorter.
Your Tribe is a new company which is also planning two more student blocks on the Deptford side of the creek. It is opening its first student block in South Bermondsey next year.
There were 21 objections to the Ravensbourne Wharf tower and councillors raised worries about the effect on heritage sites in both Greenwich and Deptford, while Historic England said it would cause “some harm” to views from Greenwich, which is a world heritage site.
But with councils now under pressure to provide new student housing the scheme was passed by six votes to one.
The land is currently used by the Old Joinery bar and events space, which council officers said was using the land unlawfully. Tribe said it would include “flexible light industrial space” and public access to the riverbank.
David Gardner, a Greenwich Peninsula councillor, said: “My concern is that since [the last decision] we had the delisting of the world heritage site at Liverpool because of the proximity of tall buildings around the waterfront. I am beginning to be concerned about the cumulative impact of tall buildings – this would be the tallest building in Greenwich. I am very concerned about the Historic England comment.”
Joe Higgins, a council planning officer, conceded there would be “an element of harm”, but added: “New development, in order to meet housing demand, is going to be in the periphery or the background of these views if you take a panorama from the world heritage site.”
He added that views of the new tower from St Paul’s Church in Deptford would be blocked by foliage and the Union Wharf tower.
Of the 414 rooms, 35 per cent will be “affordable”, which under City Hall rules is defined as up to 55 per cent of an annual student maintenance loan, but Gardner also questioned what “public benefit” there would be from “subsiding very, very affluent students, hardly any of whom would come from Greenwich”.
Beth Lancaster, a planning manager, told Gardner that the capital’s planning rules called for 3,500 new student beds across London each year.
A neighbour, Alexandra Brayer, criticised the scheme. “Every single developer seems to point to the tallest building and say they want one as well,” she said.
“Developers are buying small plots of land and coming up with schemes more akin to Hong Kong than Greenwich.
“Their vision for the creek is one of high yields and fat bottom lines.”
Brayer said that students would be put off by the “24/7 monitoring” promised by Tribe. “Young people do not want to live like prisoners,” she said.
Calum Byrne O’Mulligan, a local Creekside ward councillor, also opposed the plans, telling the planning board that the development was of “poor design with no architectural value” that would also offer poor quality accommodation.
“I’ve been contacted by more people on this than any other planning application in my ward, and it’s not just the sort of people who usually complain,” he said.
“I think this is a really inefficient use of the site.”
Byrne O’Mulligan said he was also concerned that promises to open up the creekside would not be followed through as they had not been in neighbouring developments.
Phoebe Juggins, from Your Tribe, said there were four students competing for every student room in London, and within one mile of the site there were “only 3,500 purpose-built beds”, accommodating 12 per cent of students studying locally. She said that Greenwich University, Trinity Laban and Ravensbourne all supported the scheme.
Because the rooms did not have balconies, they would not interfere with the industrial wharf next door, she added.
When it came to making a decision, Gardner said the application was “one of the most difficult” he had come across, but had decided to vote against because of the effect on the world heritage site.
His Labour colleague Maisie Richards Cottell (East Greenwich) said she was tempted to abstain and raised concerns that the world heritage site co-ordinator for Greenwich had not responded to the planning application, while Conservative councillor Pat Greenwell (Eltham Town) said she was unsure how to vote.
But the balance changed after Olu Babatola (Labour, Thamesmead Moorings) said: “We need student accommodation. Where students are near their school, they will be very satisfied compared with living with their parents.”
Clare Burke-McDonald (Charlton Hornfair), said: “Bringing students to the borough is a good thing for the borough. People talk about brain drain, where young people leave places to go to university – well I think this is the opposite of that.
“I came to Greenwich for university and that’s the reason I’m sitting here now. Having high-quality accommodation near the university was one of the things that got me through. I think this will be a good thing for Creekside.”
Planning chair Gary Dillon said it was “concerning” when tall buildings were close to heritage sites, but noted one had already been approved to that site. “We are in desperate need of student accommodation as well,” he said.
Dillon added that he would speak to planning officers about “where we draw the line” on tall buildings in the area.
Local NHS bosses had wanted £360,000 from the development for new healthcare services, but this was kept down to £100,000 after Tribe said that most residents would use their universities’ facilities. £172,900 will go to the council’s Greenwich Local Labour and Business jobs brokerage.
Despite the site being close to Greenwich’s historic town centre – as well as Deptford’s heritage sites – the area around the creek, straddling both Greenwich and Lewisham boroughs, has long been zoned for development. Union Wharf, a 23-storey block on the Deptford side of the creek, was finished about four years ago.
Lewisham Council approved 26 and 30-storey blocks next door to Union Wharf three years ago – although work has not started. A number of smaller blocks have also been approved on both sides of the creek.
There is also an 18-storey Greenwich Council block close by on Thornham Street.
The area between Deptford and Greenwich town centres has long been a hotspot for student accommodation. Your Tribe has also submitted early plans for blocks of 19 and 14 storeys, with 710 rooms, on the Deptford side of the creek, while 230 rooms are planned at the Art Hub site at the south end of Creekside.
On the other side of Deptford, Lewisham Council approved a 26-storey student tower on Surrey Canal Road, close to the SELCHP incinerator and The Den, last month.
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