Peabody, one of London’s largest and oldest housing associations, has been granted permission by the London Borough of Bexley to build more than 1,500 new homes in South Thamesmead. The plans for one of Europe’s largest regeneration schemes were developed by Proctor and Matthews Architects and Mecanoo Architecten, alongside landscape architects Turkington Martin.
The first phase of these new developments will be Southmere Village, which will include 525 new homes – around 230 of which will be affordable – and 3,700 m2 of commercial space for cafes, retail businesses and local enterprises. The main building figure in the design is the ensemble: a cluster of connected residential buildings, grouped around a raised shared courtyard. Mecanoo was responsible for the detailed design of 235 dwellings.
The outline planning for future phases has also been greenlighted. They will deliver around 1,000 new homes, new commercial and community spaces and a transformation of the public realm on the axis between Abbey Wood station and Southmere Lake.
Peabody’s Executive Director for Thamesmead, John Lewis said: "This is a huge milestone in the regeneration of Thamesmead. As well as creating much needed, quality new homes, the development will create thousands of new jobs and will attract new businesses too. Thamesmead will be better connected, opening up new opportunities to residents and to businesses looking to invest. We hope this will be the catalyst for Thamesmead fulfilling its promise as London's new town."
Construction of Southmere Village is due to start in 2017 while the final phase is anticipated to be completed in 2024.
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