From the https://www.newsshopper.co.uk By Cameron Blackshaw, 13 September 2025.

Woolwich redevelopment project to get homes instead of pub.

More homes and affordable housing have been added to a large redevelopment project in Woolwich at the expense of a pub now set to be demolished.

The first phase of the town centre regeneration scheme is nearly complete and will culminate in the opening of Woolwich’s new leisure centre later this year.

Planning permission for the leisure centre project on the southeast side of General Gordon Square was granted in 2022, but developers have recently added 75 new homes to the plans, increasing the number of residential units from 482 to 557.

The changes will also result in the complete removal of The Bull Tavern and its adjoining buildings on Vincent Road, a pub that according to CAMRA has been closed since 2024 and was expected to re-open following the completion of the project.

The new Woolwich leisure centre—dubbed Woolwich Waves following a public vote—will boast a 25m eight lane swimming pool, flumes and slides, a health suite and spa, a large gym, sports halls, squash courts and several other community amenities.

Greenwich Council has not yet announced its official opening date.

In terms of housing, the project’s developer Hill Residential Limited has added 75 homes, introduced build to rent units into the scheme and increased its affordable housing provision from from 35 per cent to 38 per cent by habitable room.

All 188 of the affordable units will be social rent.

Greenwich Council, which partnered with Hill Residential in 2022 to deliver the new homes and leisure centre, announced in June that the scheme’s affordable housing provision would be increased.

Back in June, a council spokesperson said: “The intended changes to the scheme include an increase in the number of affordable housing units and a change to the nature of these so that the majority will now be let to people on the council’s housing register; previously, only 30 per cent fell into this category.

“To enable this, all the affordable housing will now be delivered by a registered provider (formerly known as a housing association); previously 70 per cent of the affordable housing, all in the form of shared ownership units, was to be delivered by a registered provider.

"This means the council will save on the cost of buying 51 units in the new scheme, but residents will still benefit from the new homes to let.

“We feel this is the best option to make sure the development still delivers positively for the local community on what will be a landmark leisure development that attracts visitors, creates jobs and provides a boost to the local economy.”

Of the 188 affordable units, 48 of them will be one-bed properties, 115 will be two-beds and the remaining 25 will be three-beds.

As part of the new plans, 267 of the project’s private properties will now be offered as build to rent units and the other 102 will go on market sale.

The increase of housing provision in the project also means that the heights of some of the proposed five tower blocks have also increased.

The tallest block has risen from 18 to 20 storeys, while two others have grown from 15 to 17 storeys and 9 to 14 storeys. The two remaining towers remain at heights of 9 and 11 storeys respectively.

The updates to the plans were largely brought about after the Government published new guidance in its building regulations for tower blocks in March 2024, specifically introducing the need for second staircases in these sorts of buildings.

In planning documents, Hill Residential said: “The need to amend the residential phases of the approved scheme to respond to these matters has also presented an opportunity to better optimise the site to deliver additional homes, refine the design and architectural detailing, and improve public open space and landscaping.”

Greenwich Council still needs to rubber stamp and approve Hill’s planning application before these additions are confirmed.

A CGI view of the proposal from General Gordon Square. Credit: Hill Residential Limited.

A CGI view of the proposal looking southeast down Vincent Road. Credit: Hill Residential Limited.

From the https://www.newsshopper.co.uk By Cameron Blackshaw, 22 November 2025.

Woolwich town centre development to get 75 more homes.

Plans to add 75 more homes and increase the amount of affordable housing within a large residential development in Woolwich town centre have been approved.

However, a Sikh temple next to the development site has raised concerns about noise and fire safety.

On Tuesday night (November 18) Greenwich Council’s Planning Board approved plans to increase the amount of homes that will be built behind the borough’s new flagship leisure centre, Woolwich Waves, which opens next month.

Developer Hill Residential, in partnership with Greenwich Council, received planning permission to build Woolwich Waves and several tower blocks on land next to General Gordon Square in 2022.

The leisure centre is nearing completion, but Hill proposed changes to the project’s housing offering earlier this year.

The number of flats has increased from 482 to 557, build to rent units have been introduced into the scheme and the height of some tower blocks has increased, the highest going from 18 to 20 storeys.

The affordable housing provision within the scheme has also increased from 35 per cent to 38 per cent, and all of it will be socially rented.

One of these tower blocks will be located a mere two metres from Ramgarhia Sikh Association Woolwich, a Sikh temple on Masons Hill that has been serving the local community since 1967.

A representative of the temple and the local Sikh community spoke at yesterday’s meeting saying they were “not objecting to the development per se” but did have concerns about the proximity of the new building to the temple, specifically in relation to fire safety.

He said: “Our first concern is fire. Our building is a heritage building from the 1800s. Anything falling from that height onto the Sikh temple is going to cause a massive risk to the building itself.”

Another issue raised was the possibility of residents within the new tower block complaining about noise coming from the temple during times of prayer and religious events.

He continued: “Our temple has been here and we have served the local community for over 60 years and we have church and prayer events that are sometimes 24-hour events.

“Our concern relating to the noise is that there are balconies in very close proximity to our temple and there could be concerns from new residents who start complaining about noise levels and all of a sudden we get enforcement notices and so on.

"We don’t want this church bell syndrome to impact the viability and the ongoing enjoyment of the temple.”

A Greenwich planning officer explained that the new tower blocks would be fire safe and its façade would be designed “not to catch fire and fall off the building”.

He added: “The building itself shouldn’t present a fire risk to either the occupiers or the neighbouring buildings.”

He also said the additions of homes in the new proposal “doesn’t really present any greater risk in terms of noise disturbance” and that there was “unlikely” to be a problem between residents and the temple in terms of noise due to the flats passing acoustic thresholds carried out by the developer.

A representative for Hill Residential said the developer was “very aware of the important role the temple plays in the community” and was “confident” that residents living nearby would not be disturbed by temple activities.

He also said that Hill “will continue to liaise with the temple” over any noise or other concerns raised. He concluded: “We intend to be good neighbours and I’m sure they do too.”

Another issue raised by councillors at the Planning Board meeting was the fact that a locally listed pub—The Bull Tavern on Vincent Road—would be demolished to make way for the extra homes.

In the original plans, the pub was to be retained with the hopes of it re-opening once construction was completed.

Cllr David Gardner said that demolishing the locally listed building “set a poor precedent” going forward and added: “I fear that we have lost the glue that will bring this community together as a community rather than it just being another block of flats in Woolwich.”

Cllr Dave Sullivan accused Cllr Gardner of being “sentimental” and called the vacant pub a “dump”.

Cllr Sullivan called the proposal a “great opportunity and catalyst in transforming Woolwich town centre” and proposed that Woolwich Waves could be the “glue” and space that brings the new community together.

The proposal was unanimously approved by the Planning Board, with several councillors requesting that Hill keep an open dialogue with the Sikh temple in order to alleviate any of their concerns going forward.