Town centre £25m revamp to start next month but council accused of ‘throwing money away’

By Joe Coughlan, Local Democracy Reporter

A town centre is due to receive a major £25million revamp to its town square and main shopping street, but people feel the council is “throwing money away” on the project.

Greenwich council said in a statement last week that works were due to begin on its plans to revitalise Woolwich town centre.

The plans include new public seating and paving on Powis Street as well as a new urban garden, terraced seating and interactive water fountain on Beresford Square.

Planning documents said the new design hopes to attract people to the area and reduce crime and day drinking as a result, with low-level planting being added to “reduce the opportunity for people to hide weapons”.

The finished works will also rearrange the area’s historic market stalls to a line along the west side of the square, while they are currently placed in the centre.

John Haddon, 77, lives in Abbey Wood and has traded on Beresford Square for 25 years.

The vendor said day drinking in the area is a problem and drunks often interfere with traders.

Mr Haddon said: “I don’t think it’s going to work personally. You’ve got people sleeping on the streets by the station. Surely it’d be better to look after those kinds of people than throw money away landscaping this. The only people that sit around really are the drunks.”

Mr Haddon said traders on the square don’t seem “fantastically enthusiastic” about the planned renovations. He said that his current location in the square is where the planned water feature will be.

The trader said: “Markets are really a thing of the past in the south. In the north, they’re quite strong still. The high street isn’t really big enough to attract people. They’re more likely to go to the retail park at Charlton.”

Greenwich council is currently holding a consultation on the development of its Local Plan until September 5.

Council documents, on the topic of retail centres in the borough, stated that Woolwich was “under performing” as a major town centre relative to its potential for growth.

Lily Kirkham, 19, has worked in The Old Gunpit pub on Beresford Square for the past three years.

She said she would like to see more resources continue to be put into the market in future, after seeing trade drop in recent years with the rise in anti-social behaviour.

Ms Kirkham said: “They will still find a way to drink there, but it will be better. It needs to be better.

“Everyone just drinks on the street, nobody comes into the pub any more. They just sit outside on the street… We get a lot of kids standing outside. It just makes the pub look bad for people that pass by.”

A Greenwich council spokesman said: “We know the challenges faced by high street businesses and market traders, both in Woolwich and across the country; significant inflation, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and changes to the way people shop.

“The footfall figures for Woolwich town centre have recovered well; more than 3.4 million people visited in 2022, a 12 per cent increase on 2021.

“During the construction works, market stalls will be relocated temporarily to General Gordon Square and Green’s End, allowing them to continue trading during the works.

“We’ve worked closely with traders to help them prepare for the move, with the council’s markets team visiting the market daily to manage queries and offer support, and running drop-in events at the market.”

Pictured top: John Haddon, 77, has traded on Beresford Square for 25 years (Picture: Joe Coughlan)