Decision due on 10-storey block in Abbey Wood

By Lachlan Leeming, Local Democracy Reporter

A new block of units ranging up to 10 storeys in height and providing 66 new homes could soon be approved for Abbey Wood.

Members of Bexley’s planning committee will vote on whether to allow developers Peabody to build the block at 498-500 Abbey Road at its meeting on Thursday night.

The firm has submitted plans to build 31 one-bed, 20 two-bed and 15 three-bed units, as well business space, on a cleared site next to the Harrow Manorway Highway.

The proposal would see the 66 homes split between two “cores,” with the business space proposed for the ground floor.

The northern part of the building would be between one, two and three storeys high and include 15 units, while the southern core, ranging from six to 10 storeys, would include the bulk of the homes.

The scheme is a car-free development, except for six communal disabled parking bays to be included.

The housing mix will include 24 affordable units – 36 per cent of the total.

Eighteen of the units will be classified as affordable, while the other six will be classed as shared ownership – meaning the remaining 42 will be available for private sale.

Three objections have been registered, with issues including concerns over the height of the building which will be surrounded by mostly two-storey structures.

However, the staggered nature of the building’s height has helped address that issue, council officers say.

If approved, the proposal will also require permission from the Mayor of London.

Pictured top: The area as it looks now and, inset, what it could look like