Six years after the east Greenwich gasholder was demolished, plans to build a student tower and two residential blocks on the site have been submitted to the council.
The striking structure had stood on the Greenwich Peninsula for more than 130 years until it disappeared from view during the first pandemic lockdown of 2020.
Now developers plan landmarks of their own around a circular park around the site of the gasometer, once nicknamed Jumbo.
The one remaining part of the structure would be repurposed as a “a climbing and movement feature” in a play area.
The student accommodation company Scape plans a 29-storey tower with 834 student beds next to the Silvertown Tunnel exit and the Club 338 nightclub, while a 25-storey tower of 378 co-living studios would be built closer to Millennium Way.
The two towers would be joined by a 15-storey block with 72 homes for social rent, for people on Greenwich Council’s waiting list. Some 26 of these homes would be aimed at families and a children’s playground would be provided.
There would also be a convenience store, cafe and co-working space open to the public.
Documents filed to the council – which go as far as to imagine a typical day in the life of residents in each of the three buildings – suggest that inspiration for the design came from other circular developments such as Frobisher Crescent in the Barbican, Television Centre in White City and even the Apple campus in California.
The architecture firm is HTA, which recently designed new housing for Greenwich Council on Kidbrooke Park Road.
In total, more than 2,000 students could find themselves living next to the Silvertown Tunnel exit under plans at various points in the planning process, including those on the gasholder site.
In May, the developer YourTribe submitted early plans to the council for up to 700 student rooms and 400 co-living homes on old gasworks land that had been taken over by unnel construction teams, while work has begun on a self-storage facility which will be joined by 352 homes and 340 student rooms from Fairview New Homes.
The Fairview development was opposed by the owner of Club 338, the once-isolated venue which is likely to find itself surrounded by towers in the coming years.
Full details of the development are on the Greenwich Council planning website.
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