The first phase of the town centre regeneration scheme is nearly complete and will culminate in the opening of Woolwich’s new leisure centre later this year.
Planning permission for the leisure centre project on the southeast side of General Gordon Square was granted in 2022, but developers have recently added 75 new homes to the plans, increasing the number of residential units from 482 to 557.
The changes will also result in the complete removal of The Bull Tavern and its adjoining buildings on Vincent Road, a pub that according to CAMRA has been closed since 2024 and was expected to re-open following the completion of the project.
The new Woolwich leisure centre—dubbed Woolwich Waves following a public vote— will boast a 25m eight lane swimming pool, flumes and slides, a health suite and spa, a large gym, sports halls, squash courts and several other community amenities.
Greenwich Council has not yet announced its official opening date.
In terms of housing, the project’s developer Hill Residential Limited has added 75 homes, introduced build to rent units into the scheme and increased its affordable housing provision from from 35 per cent to 38 per cent by habitable room.
All 188 of the affordable units will be social rent.
Greenwich Council, which partnered with Hill Residential in 2022 to deliver the new homes and leisure centre, announced in June that the scheme’s affordable housing provision would be increased.
Back in June, a council spokesperson said: “The intended changes to the scheme include an increase in the number of affordable housing units and a change to the nature of these so that the majority will now be let to people on the council’s housing register; previously, only 30 per cent fell into this category.
“To enable this, all the affordable housing will now be delivered by a registered provider (formerly known as a housing association); previously 70 per cent of the affordable housing, all in the form of shared ownership units, was to be delivered by a registered provider.
“This means the council will save on the cost of buying 51 units in the new scheme, but residents will still benefit from the new homes to let.
“We feel this is the best option to make sure the development still delivers positively for the local community on what will be a landmark leisure development that attracts visitors, creates jobs and provides a boost to the local economy.”
Of the 188 affordable units, 48 of them will be one-bed properties, 115 will be two-beds and the remaining 25 will be three-beds.
As part of the new plans, 267 of the project’s private properties will now be offered as build to rent units and the other 102 will go on market sale.
The increase of housing provision in the project also means that the heights of some of the proposed five tower blocks have also increased.
The tallest block has risen from 18 to 20 storeys, while two others have grown from 15 to 17 storeys and 9 to 14 storeys. The two remaining towers remain at heights of 9 and 11 storeys respectively.
The updates to the plans were largely brought about after the Government published new guidance in its building regulations for tower blocks in March 2024, specifically introducing the need for second staircases in these sorts of buildings.
In planning documents, Hill Residential said: “The need to amend the residential phases of the approved scheme to respond to these matters has also presented an opportunity to better optimise the site to deliver additional homes, refine the design and architectural detailing, and improve public open space and landscaping.”
Greenwich Council still needs to rubber stamp and approve Hill’s planning application before these additions are confirmed.
