A groundbreaking ceremony has marked the construction of one of South London’s biggest housing projects.
Anthony Okereke, leader of Royal Borough of Greenwich, joined Lovell regional managing director Mick Laws to officially kick off the £290m regeneration scheme in Woolwich.
Housebuilder Lovell will be delivering the development, which will see a total of 766 new homes built.
The details
Over six years, Lovell will develop the former Morris Walk North and South estates in Woolwich into a mix of one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom houses and apartments.
The two new developments, to be called Trinity Rise and Trinity Park, will provide affordable and private sale homes, alongside associated landscaped communal amenity spaces, play spaces, parking, and non-residential usage.
The regeneration is also set to benefit from £8m of Section 106 contributions which will further improve the area.
Nearly half of all the new accommodation will be family homes and each individual home meets or exceeds Private Amenity Space requirements.
Lovell has been developing the scheme collaboratively with officers at Royal Borough of Greenwich and its Design Review Panel since 2019.
Apartment buildings will be up to 13 storeys in height and feature PV panels, with the taller apartment blocks located along the railway edge.
Smaller scale housing will be located to the south of the site.
Royal Borough of Greenwich appointed Lovell in 2013 as its development partner for the £398m One Woolwich programme, which is seeing the partnership housing specialist redevelop three older estates in the area.
The first phase – Trinity Walk in the centre of Woolwich – has now been completed with hundreds of new homes built.
In total, the redevelopment plan will deliver over 1,500 new homes over a 13-year regeneration programme.
‘Huge milestone’
Lovell’s regional managing director, Mick Laws, said: “This marks a huge milestone in the project, and we are delighted to finally get underway on another major regeneration scheme for Woolwich, which will deliver hundreds of energy efficient new homes to the borough whilst also driving job creation, apprenticeships, and economic growth over the next six years.
“There aren’t many new schemes in London which are building this many family homes.”
Mick added: “The Lovell vision is to create high-quality schemes with a strong sense of place and community.
“Our approach will ensure the new homes enhance existing connections to local communities, shared facilities, health, transport links, and other infrastructure.
“Lovell was chosen for its flexibility and collaborative approach to long term partnership.
“We are proud of what we have achieved so far with our partnership with Royal Borough of Greenwich at Trinity Walk in Woolwich.
“These fantastic new homes will provide further opportunity for people living and working locally to live in these homes at accessible prices.”
Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich Anthony Okereke said: “With One Woolwich we are continuing to deliver on our promise to regenerate the local area whilst also meeting the urgent demand for affordable housing in our borough.
“Over 350 of the homes at Trinity Park and Trinity Rise will be available at truly affordable rents to those on our housing waiting lists, with a further 76 homes for shared ownership.
“This is a fantastic level of provision for those most in need of a safe, stable, affordable home.
“The extensive landscaping and links to Maryon Park will make for a thriving, green neighbourhood, perfectly complementing a newly revitalised and re-energised Woolwich.”
Cabinet member for Regeneration Aidan Smith added: “The 352 truly affordable homes at Trinity Park and Trinity Rise for local people on our housing waiting list are a great boost to our Greenwich Builds programme, which is creating 1,750 new council homes across the borough, 175 of which are located at Trinity Park.
“Our social value requirement means that the local community will further benefit from the building of these homes in the form of jobs, apprenticeships and more.
“Together with recently approved plans for a new state-of-the-art leisure centre, public realm improvements in Beresford Square and Powis Street, and the recent arrival of the Elizabeth line in the borough, these new developments are key elements in a major revival of the whole area.”
Mick Laws added: “This is an exciting regeneration programme for the area and will not only provide new homes but much needed inward investment and jobs.
“Lovell is dedicated to building the proposed homes and working closely with Royal Borough of Greenwich throughout the process.”
Chris Whelan, executive director of Development and Sales at PA Housing, said: “Trinity Park and Trinity Rise are both significant additions to our ongoing commitment to regeneration and providing new, affordable homes in Woolwich.
“Being able to mark this milestone means we’re another step closer to providing truly affordable housing for the local community and having already worked with Lovell on Trinity Walk we have seen first-hand the fantastic homes they’ve created.
“Not only this but we’re providing people with homes that feature many sustainable features and will meet the communities needs for years to come.”
Richard Harvey, partner at PRP architects, said: “We are proud to have led a truly collaborative process with Lovell and the Royal Borough of Greenwich to re-imagine the future of Morris North and South, creating two diverse and contextually integrated neighbourhoods that are rich in character and in high-quality amenities.
“We are excited to have already started the technical design and are committed to the delivery and success of the fantastic new homes and of the wider regeneration.”
Main image features cabinet member for Regeneration Aidan Smith; Anthony Okereke, leader of Royal Borough of Greenwich; and Mick Laws, Lovell regional managing director
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