Have your say before 12th May to scale back plans for new skyscrapers in historic Greenwich

Dear neighbour,

Are you aware that unless more people urgently raise objections (before 12th May 2021), plans will be approved for two unprecedently high new skyscrapers and several other private high-rise towers just a mile from the historic Royal Greenwich Park?

You can see below the effect it will have on the beautiful views from Greenwich Park as current plans would result in towers substantially out of proportion with neighbouring buildings. Not just the many Victorian properties in nearby Mauritius Road, Azof Street and Christchurch Way, but even the tallest of the modern developments at Enderby Wharf and Telegraph Works. At 130 metres high, the tallest building would be well over three times as tall as the current tallest 13 story building at Enderby Wharf (at 39 metres high); the cluster of buildings substantially reducing natural light in the area.

It is important to say we do not object to Morden Wharf being developed and would welcome sensible plans. What we do object to is the current planning application, which is a blatant attempt to put profit above the interests of Greenwich residents and would irreversibly damage the beautiful views from many parts of our historic World Heritage Site in Greenwich.

Why should you care?

As well as having an irreversible negative impact on views from Greenwich Park, for residents of Enderby Wharf, Telegraph Works and the surrounding area, the sheer scale of the current proposed towers will lead to considerably reduced light levels for existing homes and at street level. It doesn’t need to be this way.

Secondly, the local infrastructure and road traffic is already at breaking point. Due to the proposed height and density of the proposed towers, current proposals will put even greater pressure on an already overstretched local infrastructure, meaning even more congested roads and longer queues at bus stops, North Greenwich, and Maze Hill. Any new development at Morden Wharf should be scaled back to avoid making the quality of life worse for existing residents.

Thirdly, while we’d welcome plans for genuinely affordable new homes, the proposed properties will be priced to achieve profit targets and it’s a no-brainer that the sheer density of the current proposals will also put downward pressure on the price of similar existing properties also through lower light levels. These negative impacts could be minimised through a reduction in the height of the buildings, still offering new apartments, but in a way that is more sensitive to the existing local area.

What can you do?

In recent months, the developer (U&I) has been aggressively pushing out trendy social media adverts encouraging people to “click to send” automated letters of support direct to the Council Planning Committee. We don’t have the marketing budget of a multi-million pound property development company (any budget for that matter!)

The only way we can force a re-think on current proposals is if every local resident that shares our concerns takes just a couple of minutes to submit their objections to the current planning application on the Greenwich Council Planning Application Portal: Here if you’re reading the Word version or you can go to https://planning.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/online-applications/ enter 20/1730/O and click on the “comments” tab to fill your details.

To make it even easier, you are free to use this letter, which explains why the current plans contravene even the Council’s own planning guidance. Posted letters will only be accepted by adding your name and Greenwich address to the top right of the first page.

Alternatively, you can obtain an electronic copy of the letter by emailing morden.wharf.plans@gmail.com

Please do ensure you raise any objections well before the consultation period expires on Wednesday 12th May 2021.

Yours sincerely,

A group of concerned local residents

The planning document the developers would rather you didn’t see