Plans for a new five storey block of flats in South London have been called “pretentious” and out of keeping with the surrounding area by some locals.
Greenwich Council has received plans for a new five-storey building containing nine flats on Woolwich Road in East Greenwich.
The plans, which include shops in the building’s ground floor, were developed by Project Orange and Daniel Watney on behalf of the Estate Charity of William Hatcliffe.
The plans are recommended by council officers to be refused based on the “excessive height” and “poor design” of the building.
The East Greenwich Residents Association (EGRA) said in council documents: “The style of the proposed new building, rather pretentiously described by the applicant as a ‘small scale, free standing urban palazzo’ is entirely out of keeping with the area.
"It has no reference to any surrounding buildings and looks incongruous in the context of the busy Woolwich Road streetscape.”
Planning documents for the building said greenery in the block would be included through terraces and hanging plants, which would allow daylight and good air quality into the flats.
The plans said: “The idea is of a building colonised by nature, which maintains the rhythm of green interludes along Woolwich Road and provides private green oases to residents.”
The EGRA also said that it was concerned about two long-standing businesses currently on the site.
The DIY shop, FixIt, was called one of the “main anchor businesses” in East Greenwich by the association, and said its removal would be a “significant loss” to the area.
Regarding the concerns, council documents said the new shop spaces in the building would be suitable for the existing businesses at the site.
Patrick Ives, chairperson of the EGRA, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “We were very pleased to see that council officers had recommended refusal for the ‘urban palazzo’ – it seemed completely inappropriate for the area.
"There was also lots of concern about the loss of a key local business, FixIt, which has helped to keep the High Street role of Trafalgar and Woolwich Roads viable.
"We hope Hatcliffe comes back with a more suitable plan in the future.”
Project Orange said in planning documents: “The site offers a unique opportunity to enhance the local character with a judiciously scaled landmark building… The guiding principles of the design are to create quality living spaces that place sustainability and well-being front and centre in a quality building that makes a positive contribution to its setting.”
The decision on the new block of flats on Woolwich Road will be made at a planning meeting for Greenwich Council on January 31.
Project Orange and Daniel Watney were approached for comment, but had not responded at the time of publication.
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