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The Thames could be getting a shiny new neighbourhood. The Royal Borough of Greenwich has signed a memorandum of understanding with Greater London Authority (GLA) and Transport for London (TfL), agreeing to work together on the regeneration of long-neglected Charlton Riverside.
The area pegged for regeneration sits along a section of the Thames between the Greenwich Peninsula and Woolwich. Unlike planning permission, the memorandum of understanding is not confirmation that Charlton Riverside’s makeover will go ahead but a commitment by all parties to work together in order to make it happen. A planning application will follow.
Greenwich Council hopes that, over the next 20 years, the scheme will create 8,000 new homes alongside new schools, community facilities, green spaces, improved transport links and better access to the River Thames. It also says that the project will provide continued support to the area as ‘one of London’s most important industrial locations’.
Plans to redevelop the area with thousands of new homes were announced back in 2012 but since then, only two blocks of flats have been built. The project has been set back over the years because there is no single large landowner who can co-ordinate development. Authorities also cited a lack of infrastructure as a reason for the delays.
But now, things are finally being set in motion. Greenwich Council has been buying up the land and is now one of the largest landowners on Charlton Riverside. Alongside the long-term development plans, it’s developing proposals for ‘meanwhile’ (temporary) use to ‘activate sites, build confidence and create a sense of place as investment comes forward across the area’. For example, plans to turn an old storehouse site into an outdoor events space for gigs, film screenings and sporting events are currently awaiting approval.
Tom Cressey, Greenwich Council’s cabinet member for planning and development, said: ‘This partnership is about creating a place that people are proud to call home. Charlton Riverside gives us the opportunity to create new streets, parks, schools, workplaces and homes alongside better connections to the Thames, while strengthening its role as one of London’s key industrial locations and supporting the continued growth of creative industries already practising their craft here.
‘The vision has been there for years. Now, the organisations needed to make it happen are working together to move it forward.’
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