New 27-storey tower block for over 400 students approved in Greenwich

By Joe Coughlan, Local Democracy Reporter

Plans for a new 27-storey tower block for students have been approved.

Greenwich council has approved plans to build 414 student rooms in a 27-storey tall block in Ravensbourne Wharf.

The project will see the current three-storey creative workspace on the site called the Old Joinery being knocked down. Council documents said 35 per cent of the new rooms in Greenwich Creekside will be “affordable”, with other benefits including a new public walkway and rooftop gardens.

The plans were discussed at a planning meeting for Greenwich council on Tuesday.

Labour councillor Calum O’Byrne Mulligan, representing the Greenwich Creekside ward, said at the meeting that the current plans had poor design with no real architectural value.

He highlighted concerns on communal areas in the building becoming congested, with too much activity emphasised in small places.

Cllr O’Byrne Mulligan said: “I have been contacted by a lot of residents about this, more than any other planning matter in my ward. I think this is a really inefficient use of the site.”

Resident Alexandra Brayer said she and her partner had also objected to the previous scheme proposed.

She feared young people would feel like they were “prisoners” in the new block due to the constant monitoring proposed. She added that the new plans made it seem like every developer was competing to build the tallest building possible.

Ms Brayer said at the meeting: “Developers are buying small plots of land like this one and coming up with plans more akin to Hong Kong than Greenwich.”

Concerns were raised by the planning board on the impact the building’s height would have on the nearby Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. Council officers said in their report that the building would be located in a part of the borough deemed appropriate for tall buildings, and felt it would make a positive contribution to the surrounding streets.

Phoebe Juggins, speaking on behalf of Tribe, said at the meeting: “At present, there are around four students competing for every purpose built student room in London. In Greenwich, the demand is even higher. Within one mile of the site, there are only around 3,500 purpose built student accommodation beds, and this represents accommodation for only 12 per cent of students who are studying locally.”

Ms Juggins said that local universities such as University of Greenwich, Ravensbourne University and Trinity Laban had all expressed their support towards the plans.

Labour councillor Gary Dillon said he would talk to colleagues in the planning department about where the council would draw the line on developments affecting views from the heritage site.

Cllr Dillon said at the meeting: “It is concerning when we see tall buildings encroaching onto heritage sites, but we did grant a tall building in that very same spot already. I’m well aware that we are in need of student spaces. There is a huge demand and we need to supply as many as we can, like we do family-sized homes as well.”

Pictured top: A CGI of the planned tower block as seen from Creek Road (Picture: Smith Jenkins/Tribe)