Major Abbey Wood housing blocks scheme moves closer to rubber-stamping
By Joe Coughlan, Local Democracy Reporters
Plans have progressed for a series of three new blocks up to 17 storeys-tall in Greenwich, including nearly 500 co-living rooms and a hotel.
The project for Eynsham Drive, Abbey Wood, has been submitted to Greenwich council by the JMH Group of developers.
As well as including 487 new co-living rooms and a 110-bedroom hotel, the application also includes a gym and roof terraces, and a relocation of the existing animal hospital on the site.
Planning documents from Assael Architecture, on behalf of JMH, said that a previous application for the site was approved by the Greater London Authority in 2018.
The revised plans have since added the hotel to the scheme and replaced projecting balconies with inset features. The massing and heights of the buildings in the previous scheme are said to remain largely the same.
The plans said the animal hospital on the site was consulted on the scheme and that a new larger facility would be available for the service. The project is also envisioned to improve street access in the area and provide employment opportunities through the new hotel.
Planning documents said: “The scheme will encourage pedestrian flow within the public realm and improve the pedestrian experience, provide a range of new high quality co-living accommodation, maximise views outwards and create new commercial opportunities at street level that will activate the streetscape.”
The co-living rooms in the project would include an ensuite bathroom, small kitchenette and television. Every floor in the residential blocks would also have access to a communal area with extra kitchen facilities.
Several shared spaces in the buildings are also planned to be available to be used by local businesses and community groups.
The scheme presented to residents claimed that £50,000 in public realm contributions would be made around the Thistlebrook Estate. The current scheme has undergone several rounds of public consultation and pre-application meetings with Greenwich council.
Pictured top: A CGI view of the site looking east on Eynsham Drive (Picture: JMH Group/Assael Architecture)