Greenwich Council has ruled out using Woolwich’s historic barracks building as a new home for the borough archives once the army moves out in 2028.
Up to 1,920 homes could be built on the site – including converting the Grade II*-listed main building with its Georgian frontage, said to be one of the longest in Europe, into housing.
But the council has ruled out using the main building as a new base for Greenwich’s homeless heritage centre, saying it would be “inappropriate”.
The proposed masterplan – published on an obscure part of the council website – is set to become part of Greenwich’s planning policies, although councillors have until Wednesday to challenge its findings and call it in for a hearing.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed plans to sell most of the barracks site in 2020, although the full extent of the disposal is not yet known. The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, which moved into Napier Lines, off Repository Road, in 2012, will remain, and will continue to use Barrack Field and some of Woolwich Common.
Army housing at Green Hill will remain, but it is not clear whether Repository Wood, which lies between Green Hill and Charlton, will be sold.
‘Inappropriate’ for archives
The council asked residents for their thoughts about what could be done with the site in February. Despite there being over 750 responses, a report on that exercise carries little detailed data about what people said.
The report said: “A recurring theme throughout the consultation was the strong desire to preserve, enhance, and celebrate the site’s military and architectural heritage.Many respondents expressed support for retaining the existing buildings and adapting them for cultural and community uses such as museums, art galleries, performance venues, and creative spaces.
“There were also calls to relocate Greenwich Archives to the main Woolwich Barracks building to strengthen its historical connection.”
Despite Woolwich already having two council-backed venues in Woolwich Works and the Tramshed – both given emergency funding by the council in recent years – the masterplan supports “small-scale leisure or cultural facilities that celebrate the site’s history, such as a museum, gallery, event space, theatre, or performing arts venue”.
But a new home for the Greenwich Heritage Centre – thrown out of the Royal Arsenal by the council in 2018 to create Woolwich Works – has been ruled out for the main building.
“While the suggestion to relocate Greenwich Archives to the Woolwich Barracks main building is acknowledged, the necessary special requirements and physical modifications to accommodate historical documents and artefacts would likely cause significant harm to the listed building,” council officers say. “As such, this proposal is considered inappropriate.”
The council pledged that the heritage centre could return to Woolwich, but reneged on the promise after allowing the immersive theatre company Punchdrunk to occupy the space earmarked for a new centre. The archives are currently in a warehouse on the Charlton riverside with limited public access.
While the archives are in the care of the Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust, a charity spun off from the council in 2014, that body has found itself having to concentrate on the upkeep and maintenance of Charlton House instead of finding a new home for the borough’s historical collections. Last year Janet Denne, its chief executive, said the archives were unlikely to return to Woolwich.
Views of barracks to be protected
The proposed barracks masterplan, which has been drawn up with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation – the government body that looks after military land – suggests that 1,920 homes could be squeezed into the site, by converting the main barracks building and knocking down more recent army blocks behind it and to the west of Repository Road.
As it is public land, 50 per cent of homes should be “affordable” housing – although that could mean anything from homes for social rent to shared ownership and flats with discounted rents.
Any new blocks would not be allowed to detract from views of the barracks building. While there is no explicit guidance on height, compact, lower-height” designs are preferred.
However, taller buildings would be allowed to the northeast of the site, opposite the Woolwich Central development where 16-storey blocks are due to be built next to the South Circular Road.
Much of the site would be opened up, although the boundary wall – which is Grade II-listed – would remain. Developers would be expected to include a public square and a heritage trail.
The parade ground in front of the main barracks building would remain but could be landscaped with “natural play spaces, gardens, water features” or space for community events. It would remain fenced off from Barrack Field, which would still be in use by the Army as it is now.
To the west of the main barracks building, across Repository Road, the Grade II-listed Gun Block Park “should be refurbished for active use and celebrated as a visual focal point framed by new development”, while the nearby Army medical centre could be retained for public use.
If it is not called in, a new consultation on the masterplan is set to begin in the coming weeks. The full documents are on the council website.
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