Lewisham skyline could be changed by towers up to 48 storeys tall

Lewisham’s current tallest building, the 35-storey high Exchange Point student flats, will be dwarfed by towers set to be constructed in the borough over the next two decades.

Skyscrapers between 35 storeys and 48 storeys tall have been earmarked for sites in Deptford, Bermondsey and Lewisham Centre, Lewisham Council’s draft Local Plan published in January reveals. 

The Exchange Point student flats

Plans for towers have already been approved in principle at a number of the sites, but councillors have yet to give the final go-ahead for builders to start work on most of the tallest buildings. 

From riverside skyscrapers to towers planned next to a future new Overground station by Millwall’s stadium, here is how the skyline is likely to change across Lewisham in the coming years.

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Convoys Wharf 

The ex-Royal Navy shipyard which dates to the 16th century is earmarked for a huge tower block up to 48 stories tall in the council’s draft Local Plan from January.

Lewisham councillors have already in principle approved plans for a skyscraper with the same number of floors to be built at Convoys Wharf.

Two smaller 38-storey buildings are also planned in principle for the 16-hectare site, which is larger than 20 football pitches.

Detailed plans for the three skyscrapers must still be approved by councillors before they can be built.

Officials hope 3,500 homes will ultimately be constructed on the riverfront site, alongside 47,700 sq metres of office space, according to the draft Local Plan.

Surrey Canal Triangle 

A 10-hectare triangular strip of land surrounding Millwall’s stadium has been earmarked for a skyscraper up to 45 storeys tall in the council’s Local Plan.

Approved 32-storey skyscrapers next to Millwall stadium

Councillors have already in principle approved a tower of up to 44 storeys tall and 3,500 homes across multiple skyscrapers on the site. 

Councillors approved detailed plans to construct 600 of those homes in three 32-storey skyscrapers last year, which means builders can already start work on these. 

The plans are part of a project to transform the area around Millwall stadium into a new neighbourhood with over 4,000 homes and 14,253 sq metres of offices.

A new Overground station, set to be completed by the end of 2024 at the earliest, will open in the area, while Millwall wants to revamp its stadium so it can hold an extra 14,000 fans. 

Under the proposals, 26 existing homes would also be bulldozed.

The draft Local Plan says that “comprehensive redevelopment of the site is integral to supporting regeneration in the area, with the creation of a new high-quality mixed-use quarter and leisure destination that will help to secure a viable future for Millwall FC on this site.”

Other sites 

Several locations in Lewisham centre are earmarked for buildings up to 35 storeys tall in the draft Local Plan.

These are the Conington Road brownfield site, the Tesco supermarket bounded by Lewisham Road and Conington Road, Thurston Road Bus Station and Lewisham Gateway.

The plan also says the Deptford Landings site on Oxestalls Road is suitable for towers up to 35 storeys high.

The former industrial area already has planning permission for buildings up to 27 storeys tall.