Plans to build two high-rise blocks of student accommodation by Deptford Creek have been scaled back after concerns were raised over their potential effects on the Greenwich skyline. Luxury student accommodation business YourTRIBE and development and investment company Redington Capital first applied for planning permission to demolish three low-rise residential buildings in Greenwich Quay and replace them with a 20-storey tower and a 15-storey one in December 2023.
The initial proposal contained 700 spaces for students, but following consultation with Greenwich Council planning officers, other public bodies and members of the public, the 2023 plans were reduced last year, with the number of spaces falling from 700 to 639. This was done by altering the width of the two blocks and shortening the 15-storey block to a part 13, part 12-storey building.
Following further discussions, the developers have now scaled back their plans a second time. The 20-storey block has been shortened to 17 storeys and the number of spaces has now been reduced to 598 while maintaining a 35 per cent level of affordable purpose-built student accommodation rooms. A small amount of commercial space has also been added to the proposal.
A key factor in reducing the scale of the proposal was to lessen the visual impact the high-rise buildings would have on the nearby UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS) of Maritime Greenwich, which is located just over 400 metres east of the development site. Some consultees were concerned that the 20-storey tower would have a significant effect on the view from the WHS, and so a reason for reducing the height was to mitigate this.
Updated planning documents state: “It is considered that the planning application overall accords with the development plan when read as a whole. These proposals comply with national, regional and local planning policy and would provide a range of positive benefits to the local area, Greenwich and London.”
Since the contentious plans were first put forward in late 2023, the proposal has received 527 comments from residents. 231 of them are objections, while 293 are letters of support. It is not yet known when Greenwich planners will make a final decision on the student tower block proposal.
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