Plans for a new 5,000-capacity outdoor events venue in Charlton, South East London, have hit a major hurdle after police warned it could lead to dangerous overcrowding at a nearby railway station. The proposed site, which would host concerts, boxing matches, and film screenings, has also drawn objections over noise, public safety, and its impact on local residents and businesses.
Venue details and objections
CW Bases Ltd has applied to Greenwich Council for a premises licence to open an outdoor site on a concrete slab of land between the former CSB logistics building and the large former Stone Foundries warehouses in an industrial estate north of Stone Lane Retail Park on Woolwich Road. The company has facilitated licensing for other London event spaces, including Silverworks Island (20,000 capacity) near City Airport and Deptford Storehouse (4,999 capacity).
However, Greenwich Council officers identified “a number of significant anomalies” in the application, notably that the accompanying Noise Feasibility & Management Strategy was prepared for an indoor venue, while the application is for an outdoor hardstanding site.
Police concerns over crowd safety
The Met Police’s primary concern was crowd dispersal after events. CW Bases estimated that 70% of attendees would rely on Charlton railway station. Police consulted Southeastern Railways, which highlighted that the station is unstaffed from 8pm, with only four services per hour and just five trains after 11pm in both directions.
According to police documents, the Southeastern general manager said: “Depending on the event we would probably have to add additional services which would be a huge cost. We would have to implement crowd control, hold customers outside of the station to keep the platforms safe. The station could not hold 5,000 people in one go (appreciate its 70 per cent of this).”
Police concluded that the majority relying on strained rail services would create a “foreseeable and significant risk of overcrowding, congestion, and loss of effective crowd control.” They foresaw a high likelihood of queues spilling into residential streets, overcrowding at station entrances and platforms, and prolonged waiting times leading to “frustration among patrons.” Officers felt the proposal presented “a real risk of dangerous overcrowding at Charlton station” and the “potential for crush-related incidents.”
Other objections
Hayatt Lounge, a late-night venue on Westmoor Street, objected, fearing residents could incorrectly attribute noise nuisance to them. Amandine Stafford, writing on behalf of the lounge, said: “Given the proximity of our hospitality business, there is a genuine risk that residents, visitors, and members of the public may direct complaints towards ourselves and others without accurately identifying the true source of the disturbance.” She also noted the scale of the operation was “particularly concerning,” as the cumulative impact of amplified music, crowd noise, and vehicle movements could create significant nuisance.
The council’s Licensing, Community Protection, and Environmental Health teams also registered concerns. Licensing objected that low-frequency bass and general noise could “severely impact” nearby residents, especially those in Atlas Gardens and Derrick Gardens. Community Protection worried about the effect on Atlas Gardens, a historically significant worker housing estate built in 1908. Environmental Health deemed the location unsuitable without steps to ensure attendee safety, citing the concrete area as a “slip, trip, and fall hazard” and requesting a venue-specific Fire Risk Assessment.
Greenwich Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee A will consider the application on Tuesday, July 7.
