A New Heart for East Greenwich
I have had several enquiries from people who have heard that there are stirrings at the old hospital site. At least one person was reading 'a letter' over someone's shoulder on the bus and asked me if I'd received it. Well, I hadn't. Apparently only selected residences seem to be getting it and mine is not one of them.
But I have now been sent a copy of it by one of you lovely readers, so I thought I'd share it with you:
31st March 2008
Dear Resident,
HEART OF EAST GREENWICH DEVELOPMENT
SUBMISSION OF PLANNING APPLICATION
As you may be aware, First Base is working with English Partnerships on the redevelopment of the former Greenwich District Hospital site. The project will regenerate a large piece of East Greenwich and create a new mixed use neighbourhood, providing new community facilities and high quality housing, with an emphasis on much needed affordable homes for local key workers.
The proposals include a new multi-purpose building, the ‘Greenwich Centre’, comprising a leisure centre and spa, library, council information centre and health centre as well as new public open space. The proposed scheme also includes a range of sustainability initiatives in response to the growing concerns over climate change and the Government’s drive towards low energy homes.
I am writing to inform you that we have now submitted the planning application for the proposed scheme to London Borough of Greenwich and the application documents are available for viewing at the Council’s offices in Woolwich, Peggy Middleton House.
The application submission follows a series of public consultation events held at The Forum in Greenwich which included two informal resident drop-in sessions and two public exhibitions during September and October last year as well as a newsletter which was distributed to local residents and businesses in September summarising the key elements of our proposals. The application submission responds to the comments made at the consultation events as well as discussions with a number of statutory bodies.
You can find an abbreviated version of the planning application on our website (www.firstbase.com/greenwich) which can be viewed and downloaded. Our website also includes the material presented at the various public consultation events held last year.
We would be happy to respond to any queries you may have on the application. I am contactable either by telephone on 020 7851 5515 or by email at rob.clarke@firstbase.com.
Yours sincerely,
Robert Clarke
Development Manager
So. Have they actually taken any notice whatsoever of our concerns? Those traffic issues, for example? Or the fact that they're proposing a whole load of new shops when the ones we have lie empty?
I don't know. But we need to get down to the council offices, see those plans and get talking.
But I have now been sent a copy of it by one of you lovely readers, so I thought I'd share it with you:
31st March 2008
Dear Resident,
HEART OF EAST GREENWICH DEVELOPMENT
SUBMISSION OF PLANNING APPLICATION
As you may be aware, First Base is working with English Partnerships on the redevelopment of the former Greenwich District Hospital site. The project will regenerate a large piece of East Greenwich and create a new mixed use neighbourhood, providing new community facilities and high quality housing, with an emphasis on much needed affordable homes for local key workers.
The proposals include a new multi-purpose building, the ‘Greenwich Centre’, comprising a leisure centre and spa, library, council information centre and health centre as well as new public open space. The proposed scheme also includes a range of sustainability initiatives in response to the growing concerns over climate change and the Government’s drive towards low energy homes.
I am writing to inform you that we have now submitted the planning application for the proposed scheme to London Borough of Greenwich and the application documents are available for viewing at the Council’s offices in Woolwich, Peggy Middleton House.
The application submission follows a series of public consultation events held at The Forum in Greenwich which included two informal resident drop-in sessions and two public exhibitions during September and October last year as well as a newsletter which was distributed to local residents and businesses in September summarising the key elements of our proposals. The application submission responds to the comments made at the consultation events as well as discussions with a number of statutory bodies.
You can find an abbreviated version of the planning application on our website (www.firstbase.com/greenwich) which can be viewed and downloaded. Our website also includes the material presented at the various public consultation events held last year.
We would be happy to respond to any queries you may have on the application. I am contactable either by telephone on 020 7851 5515 or by email at rob.clarke@firstbase.com.
Yours sincerely,
Robert Clarke
Development Manager
So. Have they actually taken any notice whatsoever of our concerns? Those traffic issues, for example? Or the fact that they're proposing a whole load of new shops when the ones we have lie empty?
I don't know. But we need to get down to the council offices, see those plans and get talking.
Labels: News
posted by The Greenwich Phantom at
11:44
9 Comments:
It is very disappointing that unlike some Boroughs Greenwich do not make details of planning applications available on-line.
There is however a website set up by the developers First Base, although I don't know how up to date that is.
Here is the link anyway
http://www.firstbase.com/greenwich/index.html
To be fair, it would seem there is an abbreiviated form of the application online, but I can't help feeling that if I were putting an abridged version somewhere, the first thing I'd cut would be any contentious bits...
Last I looked, the First Base site hadn't been updated for months.
I just looked at the First Base website and there is not "an abbreviated planning permission application" there. It's the same, shallow outline of the plans with a few hand-drawn 'artists' impressions' that have been up for months.
I can't find anything on the council website either... the First Base one gives no details at all. It all looks pretty harmless but when are the council going to start treating the Blackwall tunnel like the fucking motorway it really is and rip up the poxy bus lane on the approach road which has made all the traffic a million times worse? Even the buses are slower. Once the hospital's redeveloped and with lovell's wharf as well we might as well all wade to Canary Wharf. Which, no doubt, is exactly what the council want.
I wonder what - if any - Nick Raynsford's views or connections to this are?
This post has been removed by the author.
The Planning Application is now available on the First Base website:
http://www.firstbase.com/greenwich/planningapplication.html
I've now had a fairly thorough scan-through of all the planning application documents and I have to say - while bracketing my annoyance about the overstated 'public consultations' - I'm fairly impressed.
The design is modern without being dull, and I do like the use of 100% zinc panels on Block 1 (on the Woolwich Rd/ Vanbrugh Hill junction).
There are only three things that I really don't like about the plans.
The first is the use of 70% blue/grey terracotta panels on Block 3 - the largest block in the middle of the development, and which fronts on to Vanbrugh Hill. Not only is this rather dark and cheap-looking, in my experience terracotta panels tend to look tired and dirty after just a few years.
The second is the fact that none of the flats or even the larger maisonettes has a separate kitchen - they are all incorporated into one large kitchen/ dining/ living room. I guess people who chose to live there won't mind, but I've always thought a separate kitchen was a must.
Third, I do not like the facade design of Block 5 - the 'modern terrace' houses - at all. They look like a throwback to the 80s. A great shame that they couldn't either be more creative/ aesthetically atuned, or else just adapt the Victorian design (up steps to the front door) from the other side of Calvert Rd.
Other than those three issues, though, I'm fairly impressed with the design quality and the overall layout.
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