Developer told to cut size of Greenwich tower over world heritage site fears

Developers behind plans for a 35-storey tower block by the River Thames have been told to rethink their plans after being told that it could threaten Greenwich’s status as a world heritage site.

The property giant Criterion Capital had wanted to build a 35-storey tower and two 23-storey blocks at Enderby Wharf on the Greenwich Peninsula. Last week it emerged that the charity which runs Greenwich Park had objected to the plans because of the site of the main tower.

Greenwich Council’s planning board voted on Tuesday to defer the application after Criterion’s representatives agreed to consider shortening the towers so they were less obtrusive on the skyline from Greenwich town centre. 

Peter Marsden, the head of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site Executive, said in a statement read to the committee that the tourist quarter generated £850 million in revenue each year and “we are keen to ensure that everything possible is done to maintain the outstanding universal value of Maritime Greenwich and its world heritage designation”. 

Marsden was unable to attend because of illness, but East Greenwich councillor Rowshan Hannan, who read the statement from him, said: “I take this statement very seriously. Three years ago, Liverpool was stripped of its world heritage site status because of the cumulative impact of overdevelopment along its waterfront. 

“This is not just a meaningless threat that keeps getting mentioned, but a real possibility for us in Greenwich to also lose that status given the similar path we are on with our development.”

Criterion had promised that 20 per cent of the 564 homes at Enderby Place would be for social rent, with a further 12 per cent for shared ownership – just short of Greenwich’s 35 per cent target for “affordable” housing, but it reaches that percentage when counted by habitable rooms.

Why the height matters at Enderby Place

Marsden’s objection surrounds the principle of “stepping down” on the skyline, so buildings would gradually become less tall in deference to the historic site.

The Enderby Wharf site was once earmarked for a cruise liner terminal, where a development of towers of a separate development of 24, 27 and 32-storey towers had already been approved. These plans were scrapped in 2018. Land to the south has already been developed with mid-rise towers.

In September 2021, plans for the site next door – Morden Wharf – were approved on the casting vote of Stephen Brain, Greenwich’s former planning chair. This included a tower of 36 storeys, on the understanding that the Enderby blocks would “step down” from there.

But Criterion came forward with new plans – rebranded Enderby Place – including a block almost as tall as the Morden Wharf tower, resulting in the objection. 

Marsden said that the 35-storey block should be reduced by two or more storeys, with the other blocks made bigger, to “provide a more effective stepping down effect … and significantly reduce the visual impact of the tallest structure on the world heritage site”.

While large numbers of tall buildings have been approved within sight of the historic town centre, it is highly unusual for the executive to intervene in an application in Greenwich or any of its neighbouring boroughs, and councillors on the board expressed frustration that it had not taken part in other planning decisions.

‘No perfect scheme’

Residents’ groups also objected, saying the development would harm neighbouring streets in the east Greenwich conservation area, while Sheila Keeble of the East Greenwich Residents’ Association mocked waste disposal plans – where residents in the tall blocks would have to take their rubbish down to stores at ground level – as “primitive”. 

Alcatel Submarine Networks – the descendant of the original Enderby Wharf cable works and which sold off the land for development – also objected, saying that towers would affect its solar panels and not enough thought had been put into accessing the site, with which it would share an approach road.

Tim Bysted of Criterion Capital said there was “no perfect scheme that will tick every box on this site”, while Luke Raistrick, of Criterion’s planning consultancy Centric, tried to dismiss fears about the world heritage site. 

“[Enderby Place] is 1.5 kilometres away from the General Wolfe statue, so I think that needs to be  borne in mind,” he said. “A lot’s been said about the status of the world heritage site and concerns about a tipping point being reached. 

“Whilst the world heritage site executive have raised concerns, nowhere in that response have they suggested we’re getting anywhere close to a tipping point.”

But David Gardner, a Greenwich Peninsula councillor, pointed out that the development was only a kilometre from the Trafalgar Tavern pub, at the edge of the heritage site, and Criterion’s representatives did not directly respond to his question about whether it had consulted Unesco, the United Nations body which governs world heritage sites. 

Of the five councillors present to vote, only one, Thamesmead Moorings’ Olu Babatola, said he would support the scheme because of the number of homes it would provide for people on the council’s waiting list. Gardner, Conservative councillor Pat Greenwell, and Maisie Richards Cottell, who represents East Greenwich, all said they would oppose it.

Panning chair Gary Dillon told the Criterion team: “You’ve heard the sentiment of the board – I’m going to ask you now if you would consider a deferral to possibly look at some alterations to the design where you would redistribute the height of the tower and redistribute those levels onto the other two blocks.”

Bysted asked if anyone would notice the difference if two storeys were cut from the main tower, but after Gardner said the small drop in height would make a “huge impact” on Azof Street and other neighbouring roads, he said he “absolutely agreed” with the proposal. 

The plans will now return to Greenwich’s planning board at a later date.