Residents fear council plans for 7,500 new homes could lead to overcrowding

By Joe Coughlan, Local Democracy Reporter

A town is seen as having potential for thousands of new homes by the council, but residents worry the plans could lead to overcrowding.

Charlton Riverside sits in the north of Greenwich borough between Woolwich town centre and Greenwich Peninsula.

Greenwich council revealed plans in 2017 highlighting the “tremendous potential” to add 7,500 homes to Charlton. 

Council documents said the development could add more than 4,000 new jobs to the area. 

However, the project has been challenged by the land being owned by a number of different parties and has been slow to progress.

Charlton has concurrently become a hub for the borough’s shoppers in recent years.

Robinson Njoroge, 45, who lives in Woolwich but prefers to do his shopping in Charlton said he fears plans to develop Charlton may lead to too much traffic in the area, and doesn’t want the council to replicate the swift development of Woolwich. 

He said Charlton is a “mess” if there’s an emergency and finds it hard to imagine the number of extra vehicles during rush hour.

He added: “Charlton is already packed because it’s chock-a-block in Woolwich, towards Greenwich it’s the same thing. So it’s sort of like a small relief area in the middle.”

The plans for Charlton Riverside saw renewed interest this year after Housing Secretary Michael Gove revealed plans in July to deliver tens of thousands of new homes along the River Thames. 

Moira Brown, 66, said she comes to Charlton Riverside once a week from Eltham to shop. 

She said: “It’s just horrendous. Greenwich is probably one of the polluted areas in London. The roads are very limited, you’ve got traffic jams left, right and centre. 

“It’s a nightmare.”

The Hyde Group was given permission by Greenwich council in March 2022 to build 1,200 new homes in Charlton Riverside in its project known as Herringham Quarter. 

The homes will be delivered in blocks up to 10 storeys tall and 40 per cent of the flats are planned to be “affordable”.

Ms Brown said she is happy to see brownfield land in the area used for housing, but would like to see more high-rises to maximise the use of the space.

Steven Morrice, development and sales director at the Hyde Group, said: “We’ve worked closely with the council to ensure our carefully considered proposals create a truly mixed-use development, while celebrating the site’s heritage and creating a sense of place.”

Grace Oyre-Shobiy, 62, who lives in Thamesmead but works near Charlton said: “It sounds great. It won’t be crowded, it will bring more people here and it will make it more popular because so many people are shopping here already.”

A Greenwich council spokesman said: “Residents and businesses were consulted about the original plans and will also have the chance to share their views on future plans.”

Pictured top: Grace Oyre-Shobiy (Picture:Facundo Arrizabalaga, MyLondon)