Leader of Royal Borough of Greenwich, Councillor Danny Thorpe, was on hand to view progress on a major new regeneration scheme in Woolwich which will provide hundreds of quality new homes.
The demolition work on the old Morris Walk North and South estates officially mark the launch of this exciting new housing development on the site of former 1960s council blocks.
Councillor Thorpe was joined by Lovell London Managing Director, Stuart Gibbons and Construction Director Chris Wallace along with Councillor Jackie Smith and Councillor John Fay at the site where 900 homes are to be built.
Lovell started work in August on the six-year project which will transform this area into a vibrant mixed community into one, two, three and four bedroom homes comprising a mix of houses and apartment blocks.
Lovell has appointed specialist contractor, Squibb, to carry out the demolition of the concrete frames and pre cast facades which will take around 12 months to complete. Materials will be segregated during the process and the majority of demolished material recycled.
Royal Borough of Greenwich appointed Lovell in 2013 as its development partner for the £398m One Woolwich programme, which will see the company redevelop three older estates in the area. The redevelopment will see over 1,600 new homes built over a 13-year regeneration programme.
Over the last five years, Lovell has already delivered 572 new open market and affordable homes at Trinity Walk, which is close to Woolwich centre, and will complete the final 100 homes by Spring 2021.
Over a third of the homes on the new Morris Walk North and South development will be affordable housing for rent or shared ownership through a housing association, with the remainder being for open market sale. The partnership vision is to create a unique urban environment which is integrated with its surroundings, providing new homes and public spaces for the current and future communities.
It is anticipated that the construction on the new homes will look to start in Autumn 2021 but is dependent on a number of factors including securing full planning permission.
Chris Wallace, Lovell Construction Director, said: “The demolition work is a very complex procedure which has to be carefully planned due to the height and layout of the estate, the vicinity of the rail lines and proximity of the adjacent buildings. The health and safety of both the local community and our operatives is our key priority and we will communicate to the local residents on a regular basis.”
Stuart Gibbons, Managing Director for Lovell London & Southern, said: “We were delighted Danny Thorpe, Leader of Royal Borough of Greenwich and Councillor Smith and Fahy could join us for this opportunity to officially launch this exciting new housing project.
“This is another major regeneration scheme for Woolwich which will bring state of the art, energy efficient homes to the borough whilst also driving job creation, apprenticeships and economic growth over the next six years.”
Stuart added: “Lovell was chosen for its flexibility and collaborative approach to long term partnership. This is a dedicated program of investment, partnership working and housing delivery. 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 in the locally to live in these homes at accessible prices.”
Danny Thorpe, Leader of Royal Borough of Greenwich, added: “It is good news that these poor quality houses are now being demolished, paving the way for affordable high quality homes in the future. The Council remains committed to doing what it can to deal with the housing crisis, and is delivering on its pledge to start 750 new Council homes by March 2022 with its Greenwich Builds programme.”
Left to right:
Stuart Gibbons, Lovell London MD,
Leader of Royal Borough of Greenwich, Cllr Danny Thorpe,
Dan Bodman, Lovell Contracts Manager,
Cllr Jackie Smith,
Gill Dunningham, Lovell Partnerships Manager, and
Chris Wallace, Lovell Construction Director.
