Plans to build up to 500 homes next to the Thames Barrier could be approved by Greenwich councillors next week – seven years after proposals were first submitted.
The Flint Glass Wharf development, on the site of an old glassworks, would replace a go-kart track, a paintball and laser-tag centre, two churches and a waste facility.
Five blocks are proposed of between seven and ten storeys. Work on two blocks, with 142 flats, could start next year, according to Greenwich Council planning documents. The developer hopes for outline approval for the rest and would return later to get the details signed off.
Some 16.2 per cent of homes in the first two blocks would be for people on the council’s waiting list, with a further 10.6 per cent for shared ownership, meaning 26.8 per cent of homes would be legally classed as affordable.
Unusually for Greenwich, planners are counting “affordable” homes by room, which bumps up the figure to 35 per cent as more larger flats would be for social rent.
There would be more private homes in the second phase, knocking the “affordable” figure down to 25 per cent across the whole site, but further details would be worked out later on.
Planning officers have recommended that councillors approve the scheme, saying it would “provide a good quality environment for future residents”. Improvements to dilapidated local roads and the Thames Path are promised.
The developer Komoto first applied for permission in summer 2018. Plans were amended in 2021 following objections from the Environment Agency, when a new flood defence wall was included. Further changes were made in 2023.
If the plans are approved, it would be a boost to the troubled plans to redevelop the Charlton riverside with up to 8,000 homes. Earlier this month, it emerged that the Faraday Works project for 359 flats on the Woolwich side of the barrier had been shelved.
Almost next door to the Flint Glass Works, land has been cleared for a development by the housing association L&Q that could reach 1,200 homes, but little other progress has been made.
In between the two development sites is the safeguarded Riverside Wharf asphalt plant, operated by Tarmac, which objected to the L&Q plans. Mechanical ventilation would be used in the flats, while the wharf itself would be screened off. The Thames Barrier operations compound would also be screened off for security reasons.
One key issue is that the area contains no through roads, bus routes or any other public transport infrastructure. Greenwich Council plans two new through roads for buses and local traffic that would run through the riverside area.
The developer would have to pay £1.4 million towards a bus service and £1.5 million towards the roads. These sums were set in 2020 and are index-linked, so if the development is approved, the totals will be higher when the money is handed over.
A reduced contribution of £414,000 for local NHS services was agreed by Greenwich Council officers in “consideration of scheme viability and affordable housing delivery” – the going rate would normally have been £906,000. The council’s Greenwich Local Labour and Business agency will collect £517,000 if the scheme goes ahead, while £445,000 will go towards carbon offsetting.
Eight objections were received, including from the Charlton Society, and the Charlton Central Residents’ Association, a group based half a mile away. They both said the buildings were taller than those set out in a masterplan for the riverside, which recommended blocks of up to six storeys in the area.
However, that masterplan has since come under pressure, with taller blocks already approved by planning inspectors after they were initially refused by the council.
Councillors on the planning board are due to make a decision on Tuesday.
They are also due to decide on whether to allow 590 student flats to be built in Deptford. Papers confirm that the blocks, next to Deptford Creek, were revised to make them smaller over fears that they would have an impact on the world heritage site in Greenwich.
Planners have also recommended approval, saying it “would be a sustainable location for student accommodation”, although local councillors Calum O’Byrne Mulligan (Labour) and Majella Anning (Independent) have objected.
📩 Follow The Greenwich Wire on Bluesky, Facebook, LinkedIn or Threads. You can also sign up for WhatsApp alerts – or subscribe to our emails through the blue box above.
Comments are closed.