Plans for nearly 200 new student rooms in Greenwich have moved forward, replacing the previous plans for flats on the site.

Greenwich Council has received an application to build 190 new student rooms on Woolwich Road, 35 per cent of which would be classed as ‘affordable’.

AVF Developments submitted the proposal after purchasing the site in 2023, with the new plans including three connected blocks of up to seven storeys tall with communal gardens.

A CGI of the new proposed developmentA CGI of the new proposed development

Improvements to the area’s public realm are also planned such as the Woolwich Road footpath being widened.

Shared study areas, amenity spaces and shops are envisioned for the ground floor of the development.

The council approved plans last year for a set of 58 flats on the site in blocks up to six storeys tall. Planning documents from Apt, on behalf of AVF Developments, claimed that 129,830 students in London were left without purpose-built accommodation in the 2021/22 academic year.

Consultations between the developer and University of Greenwich also found that the institution required an additional 2,500 student rooms.

The plans said: “AVF’s vision for the redevelopment of 141 Woolwich Road is to provide high quality student accommodation, which will contribute to alleviating the current shortfall in this part of London.”

They added: “As such, as well as providing a mix of student room types, the brief is to provide supporting space for student amenities, commercial space and outdoor amenity space.”

The latest design was reportedly informed by feedback from the council’s planning department, including measures to ensure the height and colour palette of the building compliments the site’s neighbouring properties. Two public consultations were also held on the scheme in December last year and June this year.

Further changes to the scheme have included wider gaps between the main blocks and corner details on the buildings.

The applicant has previously stated that the project is expected to be built by the end of 2026 if approved.

The affordable rent for students is defined as 55 per cent of the maximum income that a new full-time student studying in London and living away from home could receive from the maintenance loan of living costs for that academic year.

The rent would include service charge, utilities and other estate charges.

In the 2024/25 academic year, as an example, the maximum a student living away from parents in London can get is £13,348 per year. 55 per cent of this is £7,341.4, or £611.78 per month.

For the 10 months from September to June, that’s £1334.8 per month.