Plans to build 205 homes on the site of a sports club in New Eltham have been updated following discussions between the developer and Greenwich Council. Conservative ward councillors in Eltham have promised to fight against the development.
Development Details
Housing developer Sigma Strategic Land wants to build on green land currently occupied by STC Sports Club. The proposal would transform the 9.4-acre site—which is surrounded by homes and contains three football pitches—into a new residential neighbourhood with properties ranging from one-bedroom apartments to four-bedroom houses.
To offset the loss of the sports club, Sigma has committed to a £4 million Section 106 package. This money will be used to improve and deliver new facilities across Greenwich, particularly in areas where a shortfall has been identified. According to Sigma, there is a surplus of such facilities in New Eltham.
Design Updates
Greenwich Council first received the planning application last summer, but Sigma has recently updated its 205-home plans following discussions with the council's planning department. The key change has been the design of the development's central flat blocks. Most of the changes are aesthetic and involve using different construction materials. Their layouts are practically the same and still contain the same number and type of apartments.
The new design of the replacement clubhouse for Kings Bowls Club has been altered to allow for a second entrance, and parking for the club has been heavily reduced to allow for an improved, larger area for surface water to drain away. Integrated bin stores have been added to the front gardens of all houses, and parking courts have been reduced in size. A turning head has been added for delivery drivers at the north of the site, removing the need for delivery vans to circulate through the whole development to turn.
Political Opposition
The three Conservative councillors who represent Eltham Town and Avery Hill have confirmed they will be speaking against the proposal when it goes to Greenwich Council's Planning Board. Cllr Charlie Davis said: "The proposals to develop over 200 homes on the site of the STC sports ground are wholly inappropriate for Metropolitan Open Land. The facilities are well used by the community, and allowing the scheme to go ahead would set a dangerous precedent for our area given the abundance of green space."
He added: "We know there is a desperate need for more homes in London, but the focus should instead be on brownfield sites and gentle density in town centres. When this scheme finally reaches the Planning Board, the three of us all plan to speak against it alongside the community."
