Greenwich Peninsula, London
English Partnerships purchased the 300-acre Greenwich Peninsula site in 1997 and has invested over £225m in remediating and servicing, landscaping, enhancing the transport network and masterplanning the development.
The peninsula is home to the first Millennium Community - Greenwich Millennium Village - as well as social infrastructure including a school, health centre and yacht club. English Partnerships’ work on the peninsula has included finding a long-term use for the Millennium Dome, which has been rebranded as The O2.
Peninsula residents and those from the surrounding community benefit from Britain´s first low-energy Sainsbury´s supermarket, situated adjacent to do-it-yourself and electrical retail units, and a striking 14-screen circular multiplex cinema with associated restaurants. A 162-bed hotel located close to the Blackwall Tunnel gives easy access to motorways, Canary Wharf and central London.
Facilities for the community were installed as a first priority and an integrated primary school and health centre have been in operation since 2000. The regeneration works have also seen the relocation of Greenwich Yacht Club to a new clubhouse provided by English Partnerships and improved river access.
Almost one-sixth of the Greenwich Peninsula is given over to parkland and public open space. This includes three main areas of award-winning parkland - the Central, Southern and Ecology Parks - and 2.2km of river walkways along the route of the Thames Path. The scenic walk offers views of the saltmarsh terracing introduced on the riverside.
The peninsula is connected to the rest of London by North Greenwich tube station on the Jubilee Line and six bus routes provide links to the surrounding area. Pedestrian and cycle routes cover the site to encourage the use of sustainable transport over private car use.
English Partnerships signed an agreement with Lend Lease and Quintain Estates & Development plc (now known as Greenwich Peninsula Regeneration Limited) on the wider regeneration of the Greenwich Peninsula in 2004. The joint venture will create 10,000 new homes at Greenwich Peninsula and additional community, leisure and employment facilities.
The London Borough of Greenwich granted planning consent on 23 February 2004 for Lend Lease and Quintain's mixed-use scheme at Greenwich Peninsula, which will deliver over 25,000 jobs and guarantee homes for 28,000 people. This new urban quarter for London will act as a template for innovative and sustainable living.
Current status
The O2 and Peninsula Square opened to the public in summer 2007 and are proving to be hugely popular with local residents and visitors. As London's first purpose-built music venue since the Royal Albert Hall, The O2 venue attracts world-class performers including Prince, Justin Timberlake and Take That.
Bellway Homes has started to build 229 new homes at Peninsula Riverside and construction work is due to commence on the new business district near The O2 later this year. Work will also begin on the new Ravensbourne Design and Communications College in the spring. The new college campus is scheduled for completion by 2010.
Nearly 900 homes have already been built at Greenwich Millennium Village.
Art on Greenwich Peninsula is being encouraged through the Art in the Public Realm Programme, including an Artist Award and Commission.
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A brochure commemorating the first 10 years of regeneration on Greenwich peninsula can be downloaded from the Publications page. |
