Plans to knock down shops and flats on the New Cross one-way system and replace them with a new estate with buildings of up to 16 storeys have been submitted by Lewisham Council.

The Achilles Street Estate, built in the 1950s, contains shops facing New Cross Road, along with three council-built blocks –   Azalea House, Fenton House and Austin House – closer to Fordham Park. In total, there are 88 flats, 51 of which are still council housing, according to planning documents. 

These would all be demolished and replaced with five new blocks containing 278 homes, with new shops and workspace. Of the new homes, 122 would be for social rent – making up 44 per cent of the total – with a further 44 (16 per cent) for shared ownership. The remaining 112 would be sold privately. 

The tallest blocks, of 13 and 16 storeys, would be closer to Fordham Park, while an eight-storey block would be built on the corner of New Cross Road and Pagnell Street.

Render of new development
The development faces bus stops serving Greenwich and Woolwich. Image: Levitt Bernstein/ WR-AP/ ZCD Architects

Plans to redevelop the estate, between the closed Venue nightclub and New Cross station, were first outlined in 2016 and have been controversial. Residents approved the plans in a ballot in 2019, but critics said that business owners were not included in the vote and accused Lewisham of failing to offer refurbishment of the existing estate as an option. Many of the businesses have since closed or moved.

Lewisham says its plans “aim to keep the lively feel along New Cross Road and highlight the [shopping] as a key part of the area”, and will include flexible spaces for small business along Pagnell Street.

Construction will be phased to allow eligible existing residents to move into new homes when they are built. Lewisham hopes to complete the development by 2033.

Developer's render
The tallest blocks will face Fordham Park Image: Levitt/WR-AP/ZCD Architects

James-J Walsh, the council’s cabinet member for inclusive regeneration and planning, said: “This is regeneration done right: inclusive, creative and genuinely community led. These plans put residents, young people and the wider New Cross community at the heart of decision making and design.

“At a time when the housing crisis continues to price people out of our city, Achilles shows what is possible when we lead with our values. We are delivering 60% affordable homes, new public spaces and better links across our community while creating jobs and opportunities for local people.

“Our new local plan sets out a bold vision for good growth in Lewisham. Projects like Achilles are where that vision becomes reality, with homes people can afford, neighbourhoods people can belong to and a future shaped by the voices of the community itself.”

Achilles Street estate - row of shops with flats above
The estate is still occupied but many of the shops are now empty. Image: Google Streetview

More redevelopment could be coming to New Cross in the coming years. Further west on New Cross Road, a row of shops that Goldsmith University had been hoping to turn into an “innovation hub” was put up for sale earlier this year, Salamander News reported earlier this month.

But while The Venue – a legendary nightclub and dancehall for many decades – has been closed since the first Covid lockdown in March 2020, no plans to develop the site have emerged.

Full details of the Achilles Street plans are on the Lewisham Council planning website.

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