Revised plans on 350 Charlton homes next to the River Thames

The project, sent by Landsec U+I, would see hundreds of homes being built on a former Siemens factory beside the Thames Barrier in north Charlton.

Faraday Works, the name of the scheme, would see the Grade II listed factory on the site being refurbished to deliver 359 new homes.

The structure was built in 1910 and was used as a factory for making copper cables before closing in 1968.

A CGI of Bowater Road

Planning documents from Studio Egret West, on behalf of Landsec U+I, said the site has stayed largely redundant for over 20 years apart from approximately six tenants in the building.

The plans said the building was also infested with pigeons and the waterproofing in the roof had failed.

The project will see extensions being added to the existing buildings as well as two additional 10 storey blocks being built for the new homes, bringing the total number of buildings in the scheme to six.

Planning documents said: “The vision for Faraday Works offers an opportunity to benefit the existing place and people, introduce a new community of residents and workers, alongside widening the accessibility to the legacy of the Siemens Brothers and Company.”

The plans were reportedly developed over the course of eight years and were originally submitted in December 2019, including 492 homes.

The scheme had initially envisioned for the factory on Bowater Road to be knocked down, but a revised scheme sent in July 2020 including 340 homes was designed to keep the building.

The proposal was revised again in June 2021 to include 374 homes. The current project includes plans for 16 ‘affordable’ units in the overall scheme.

This consists of 12 flats for households on Greenwich Council’s housing waiting list, while the remaining four would be available at London Living Rent.

The plans said all homes in the building would have access to either balconies or internal amenity areas.

Communal courtyards including play spaces are also planned for the site with custom street furniture.

The scheme will also reportedly create over 830 new jobs. It comes as part of Greenwich Council’s wider Charlton Riverside masterplan to deliver up to 7,500 homes and 4,400 jobs in the area.

Planning documents said: “Alongside delivering much needed homes, we want to harness this historic business success and make it relevant for modern-day industry and add to the appeal of [Greenwich borough].

"Not only do we believe that our project will set exemplary design and placemaking standards for the wider Charlton Riverside area, but it will deliver the kind of buildings that will nurture market-leading innovation opportunities for world class start-up and scale-up businesses driving long term growth.”