The site occupies an area of 80.69 hectares
(approximately 199.39 acres) and is located within
the boundary of the London Borough of Greenwich.
A Masterplan for the development has been developed
comprising the creation of a new mixed use district,
primarily residential in character, with commercial uses
and the retention of the Dome as a 26,000 maximum
capacity multi-events Arena with entertainment, sports,
events and assemblies. The Masterplan aims to create
a distinctive urban district that will make a major
contribution to London. It establishes a series of
integrated, yet distinctive neighbourhoods built around
an interconnected network of streets, squares, gardens,
open areas and the existing riverside walk.
This document provides a summary in non-technical
language of the main findings contained in the
Environmental Statement that accompanies the planning
application submitted for the proposed development.
The Environmental Statement presents the findings of
the Environmental Impact Assessment which has been
undertaken in conjunction with the design process for
the scheme and various supporting technical studies
which have also been completed and have informed
the design.
The full findings of these studies and the overall
Environmental Statement are presented in a
comprehensive set of documents available for
review at the planning offices of the London
Borough of Greenwich (LBG) and can also be
purchased directly from:
Susie Wilson
Meridian Delta Limited
Meridian Delta Business Centre
Gate 1, Drawdock Road
Greenwich
London SE10 0AX
Further details of the Masterplan can be viewed
on MDL’s website at www.meridiandeltaltd.com
Site Location and Description
The site is effectively flat and level, and it is set in a
sharp meander of the Thames with a river frontage of
approximately 2.5km that includes a Thames riverside
walk and cycle routes. It was occupied by one of the
principal gasworks in Europe and other industrial
processes until the mid 1970s. In the late 1980s, work
began on the comprehensive land clearance, remediation
and redevelopment of the Peninsula.
The Peninsula is currently dominated by the Dome,
its associated structures and hard standing which were
built for the Millennium Exhibition. However, many of
the buildings and much of the site now lie vacant.
The Peninsula has also seen substantial investment
in its public transport infrastructure with the opening
of the North Greenwich Transport Interchange which
encompasses North Greenwich Station and a bus station.
The Peninsula is bisected by the A102 and the
approaches to the Blackwall Tunnel. To the west of these
the site includes the land occupied by the Tunnel Avenue
Trading Estate, Blackwall Wharf and the northern part of
the Victoria Deep Water Terminal. At the heart of the
Peninsula lies Central Park, which was established at the
time of the construction of the Dome. Within this park
stand eight listed Georgian cottages and the Pilot Inn
public house.
The Regeneration Opportunity
Regional Planning Guidance for London makes clear
that there are large areas of the Thames Gateway which
require a major and sustained process of regeneration.
The Greenwich Peninsula represents one of the largest
and most prominent regeneration opportunities in this
region and Greater London. The Mayor's Draft London
Plan and the Greenwich Peninsula Development
Framework also recognise the Peninsula as an
opportunity for the delivery of new business activities
and the Unitary Development Plan (UDP) of the London
Borough of Greenwich (LBG) has designated the
Peninsula as mixed-use site.
THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT
This section and the following section (Development
Programme and Construction) define the development
proposals for the purposes of the Environmental
Statement.
The Dome
The application includes the retention of the
existing Dome (127,000 sq m).
Redevelopment within the Dome will include the
change of use of the Dome to incorporate an
Arena and the Dome Waterfront detailed below.
The envelope of the Dome will remain as existing
except for the construction of two new fresh air
intake vents to serve the Arena.
Arena
The proposed Arena will be located in the centre of
the existing Dome structure. In addition, there will be
a service area on the south-western side (between the
Arena and the Dome perimeter) which, together with
the Arena, is known as the 'keyhole' in view of the
shape of this area.
The total built area of the Arena within the Dome
(including service zone) will be 63,640 sq.m. and the
maximum height of the Arena will be approximately 42m.
The Arena, which will have a maximum capacity
of 26,000, will comprise the following:
• Arena Bowl
• Entrance facilities
• Ticketing
• Restaurants, bars and kiosk’s
• Merchandise outlets (permanent and temporary)
• Private clubs
• Offices
• Servicing and maintenance areas
The perimeter of the Arena will be used for functions
which can operate independently of the Arena
operation, for example banqueting, exhibitions
and small conferences.
The Arena will provide a multi-event centre to
accommodate the following seven major categories
of events:
• Concerts
• Sports events, such as ice hockey, basketball,
boxing, gymnastics
The enhanced level of facilities provided by the arena,
together with the Dome Waterfront uses within the
Dome, are designed to encourage visitors to arrive prior
to an event and leave following an event over a longer
period of time so that the pressure on transport facilities
and the surroundings is reduced.
Seating Arrangements
The seating configuration will, as far as practicable, be
optimised for unobstructed sight lines and viewing
distances. The seating systems will be partially fixed and
partially retractable. There will also be areas of mobile
seating to maximise seating capacity for certain events.
Dome Waterfront
The Dome Waterfront area around the Arena will
comprise a mixed use leisure, sports, entertainment,
retail, restaurant and exhibition space together with
complementary and ancillary uses.
Within the Dome Waterfront, planning permission is
sought for a maximum of 62,000 sq m comprising the
following uses:
i) Retail up to 8,195 sq.m.
ii) Food and drink up to 10,080 sq.m.
iii) Exhibition space up to 11,760 sq.m.
iv) Assembly, leisure, entertainment and sports space
(including other D2 uses) 33,220 sq.m.
v) Conference centre, shows and complementary
uses up to 7,380 sq.m.
Although the aggregate of the maximum floorspace
stated above for each use is greater than 62,000 sq.m.,
a condition will be imposed to ensure that the total
maximum floorspace applied for would not be exceeded.
This approach is to provide the Applicants with a degree
of flexibility in the amount of floorspace which may be
devoted from time to time to each use, within the stated
ranges, subject to the maximum specified for each use.
The Dome Waterfront area outside the Dome will include
an hotel (see below), open space and a helipad for health
and safety use only.
Millennium Square
Millennium Square forms the major open space adjacent
to the Dome and the pedestrian link to North Greenwich
Station. All buildings at ground level fronting the Square
and the route to the station will have retail, restaurant,
leisure or entrance functions to assist the creation of a
lively environment. The Square will generally be free
from permanent features which might compromise the
movement of large numbers of people; however, it will
be designed to be attractive and have a civic role as a
venue for occasional managed events.
The space will be modulated close to the building
frontages by the use of landscaping elements, canopies,
awnings, colonnades and changes in paving to create a
sense of protection and shelter in order to support the
retail, restaurants and leisure uses described below.
Retail (Class A1 and/or A2)
Dispersed throughout the remainder of the Masterplan
there will be up to 22,800 sq.m. of retail floor space,
in addition to that shown for the Arena and Dome
Waterfront. This will be located in four areas, namely
Millennium Square, Meridian Gardens, Bugsby’s Reach
and Parkside.
Food and Drink – Class A3
Provision of the Food and Drink offer outside the Dome
will be provided in two areas, Millennium Square and
Meridian Gardens, totalling 10,950 sq.m.
Business – Class B1(a), (b) and (c)
The total B1(a) and B1(b) office accommodation to
be provided on the Peninsula will be 325,000 sq.m.
This will be provided within two districts: Dome Central
and Millennium Square. The Gateway site will provide
Class B1(c) use totalling 18,600 sq.m.
Hotel – Class C1
A hotel will be located in the northwest corner of the site
on the land known as the Dome Waterfront. This will be
up to 60,000 sq.m. providing up to 630 keys together
with associated conferencing, banqueting and support
facilities including 400 car parking spaces.
The Proposed Development
Residential – Class C2 and C3
The residential units will be located in the four
neighbourhood districts, namely: Meridian Gardens,
East Riverside, Parkside and Bugsby’s Reach.
The total built area of the residential dwellings will be
up to 820,550 sq.m. for the dwellings which will
comprise a range of apartments (1, 2 or 3 bedroom)
and 4 bedroom homes. There will be up to 3,650 sq.m.
of student accommodation and up to 29,900 sq.m. of
special needs accommodation. A proportion of the total
provision will be affordable homes.
There will be up to 10,010 residential dwellings, student
accommodation for up to 120 students and up to 540
bed spaces providing accommodation for the following:
• Close care
• Sheltered
• Nursing Homes
• Residential Care Homes
• Other Special Needs / Learning Difficulties / Disabled
Within each of the districts, the residential
accommodation will be focused around a neighbourhood
central place or square linked to primary social facilities
such as shops and a community centre. The units will
include a range of housing and tenures in close proximity
to each other and will generally have the density of urban
blocks, although there will also be high residential blocks
to mitigate the effects of strong prevailing winds.
Residential areas will be designed to allow for the
integration of a range of sizes and tenures. For example,
some flats may be designed to anticipate a combination
of dwellings. In particular, affordable households will be
co-located with private tenures and externally it will not
be possible to tell the difference between the tenure types.
Class D1 – Education:
A site for a secondary school building of up to 13,310
sq.m. will be provided in close proximity to two of the
residential districts (Parkside and Bugsby’s Reach), both
of which are likely to have a higher proportion of families
given the anticipated mix of dwellings. The school will
also be adjacent to the bus and transit stops and so it
will be within easy reach from other parts of Greenwich
and Woolwich.
Community Facilities
A range of community facilities will be provided as part
of the proposals including varied commercial uses that
include retail and leisure components, as well as
provision of delivery facilities in the residential design
and other community amenities.
Rebuilding of the Greenwich Pavilion
The existing 250 sq.m. Greenwich Pavilion will be
relocated from the northwest of the site to a site
behind the existing listed cottages in Central Park.
Open Space Provision
Leisure and Amenity:Space for leisure and amenity will
be provided throughout the site, in the following areas:
Millennium Square
area outside the Dome (see above);
Riverside Walkway and Cycleway
The existing riverside walk and cycleway will be
extended and enhanced along its length with the
addition of adjacent open spaces.
Meridian Gardens
A new riverside area will be created in the Meridian
Gardens District on the northwest of the Peninsula.
This area will afford views across the Thames to the
towers of Canary Wharf and will be the location of a
new pier, known as Meridian Pier.
Dome Waterfront
The existing landscaped ecological area of the Dome
Waterfront District to the north of the Dome, which
includes areas of reedbeds, will be extended.
Link between Dome Central and Meridian Gardens
A new pedestrian link will be created providing a linkage
through the site above the A102 Blackwall Tunnel
approach ramps.
Central Park
The existing park will be retained and extended along
its eastern edge where the existing road will become
a pedestrian broadwalk. Routes will be formed from
the park, through the adjoining residential areas, to
the riverside walk creating accessible links between
the areas of open space.
Hard and Soft Landscaping
Whilst the detail of many design issues will be
determined in due course as reserved matters (with the
exception of those having no reserved matters such as
the Dome Arena, Millennium Square and initial car
parking), the overall principles of landscape design
adopted are clearly demonstrated in the Masterplan.
Greywater Treatment Plant
It is intended that the existing Greywater plant and
equipment will be relocated adjacent to the Dome.
Car and Coach Parking
Car Parking
There are a number of different types of parking spaces
that will be provided on the application site.
Parking Provision on the Site on
Completion of the Development
(see table 1.1)
The majority of parking will be in the centre of blocks
under buildings or under raised landscaped courtyards.
Vehicular access will be off perimeter streets with
separate pedestrian entrances. Parking will be screened
by buildings on the street front and by landscaping
elsewhere. Some street parking will be allowed for
residential visitors in designated and carefully controlled
areas.
Initially, parking for visitors to the Arena will be created at
ground level with landscaping and safe pedestrian
routes. It is envisaged that this is ultimately moved to
purpose built multi-storey parking.
NUMBER TYPE NUMBER OR RATIOS
1 Arena
2 Dome Waterfront 2,200 spaces
3 Retail (inside and outside the Dome)
4 Commercial 1 space per 1,000 sq.m.
5 Residential 0.85 spaces per dwelling ultimately reduced
to 0.7 spaces per dwelling on completion
of the development
6 Hotel and Conference 400 spaces
7 Commercial Visitor 1 space per 4,000 sq.m.
8 Residential Visitor 0.7 spaces per 10 dwellings
9 LUL 70 spaces (operational)
10 Existing cottages in River Way 36 spaces
and Pilot Inn public house
Table 1.1
11 Greenwich Peninsula Non-Technical Summary
The Proposed Development
The requirements for the LUL/commuter spaces will
be reduced to 570 spaces (inclusive of operational
requirements) at the time the Arena is open to the public.
This parking will be managed by LUL. A further reduction
to 70 spaces (operational requirement) will be achieved
when the relocation of the Arena car parking
to purpose built multi-storey parking is commenced.
Car parking provision for the Masterplan will be
constrained. The levels of parking will be, in many areas,
less than recommended for Greenwich Peninsula within
the Draft London Plan and the First Deposit Draft Unitary
Development Plan. This will help with the aim of reducing
private car usage and, at the same time, enable more
efficient use of the development site.
Coach Access and Parking
Thirty five coach spaces will be located west of
Millennium Way, with access being provided along
Millennium Way.
Helipad
The existing helipad use is to be relocated to the
northwest corner of the site. The helipad will not be
operated as a commercial facility. The use of the helipad
is to be used solely for health and safety reasons.
The maximum number of aircraft movements will be
50 round trips in any calendar year with the maximum
of one round trip per day. Flights will not take place
between 11.00 pm and 7.00 am.
Riverside Walk / Cycleway
Cycle Routes
A local network of cycle lanes will be included in the
proposal, which will provide direct links to and from the
centre and the residential areas. The cycle lanes will be
integrated with the London Cycle Network so that links
to Greenwich and into Central London are enhanced.
Pedestrians
Priority will be given to the pedestrian over the car.
The proposed development will extend existing
pedestrian routes from Greenwich Millennium Village
and provide linkages across the application site to
increase permeability. The street pattern and river
walks will be as indicated on the Masterplan.
River Pier
The Masterplan provides for the construction of a
new river ferry pier, known as Meridian Pier, at
Meridian Gardens on the west side of the Peninsula.
The construction of this new pier will make use of the
existing mooring dolphins that currently support the
aggregate conveyors. Use will also be made of the
Queen Elizabeth II Pier on the east side of the Peninsula.
Existing ferry services link the City with the Isle of Dogs
and discussions with the service providers will be
undertaken to negotiate extensions to these services.
Highway and Transport Works
Bus and Transit
The Masterplan is focused around the existing Transport
Interchange at North Greenwich. This is a modern
underground station capable of handling between
15,000 and 20,000 passengers per hour. The existing
bus station, which wraps around the western edge of
the interchange building will be redeveloped to provide
facilities for approximately 70 bus services per hour,
which is almost double the current service level. The new
bus station will also be designed to accommodate the
proposed Waterfront Transit System. This was originally
conceived as a tram system running within
a dedicated corridor between Thamesmead and
Greenwich Town Centre via Woolwich and North
Greenwich. It is planned now as a bus-based system,
which may be upgraded in the future.
Phase 1 of the Transit system, from Thamesmead to
North Greenwich Transport Interchange, via Woolwich,
is expected to begin operating in 2007. It will use a
dedicated corridor, already constructed, which runs
along the spine of the Peninsula adjacent to West
Parkside. This route will also be utilised by other
buses and it will mean that all parts of the proposed
development will be within 300 metres of the bus/Transit
corridor offering extremely frequent service provision.
Highways
The road network for the Masterplan respects much of
the infrastructure for the Millennium Exhibition. The road
network will be extended to the west side of the
Peninsula with key east to west corridors connecting
over the existing A102. This achieves the aim of creating
better and more effective linkages within the Peninsula.
12 Greenwich Peninsula Non-Technical Summary
The Proposed Development
The road grid will be refined with the introduction
of small access roads, again based on the previously
established grid structure. A feature of the main
residential areas will be the creation of ‘Home Zone’
environments where pedestrian and cyclists will have
priority over cars. A network of inter-linking cycle routes
and footways will be overlaid on the road network
avoiding, wherever possible, conflict between the two.
Key pedestrian routes will be adequately sized and
provide efficient connectivity, especially to the North
Greenwich Transport Interchange.
The road, cycle and pedestrian networks will be
connected at key nodes to the existing infrastructure
around the perimeter of the Masterplan. A number of
improvements to the existing road network are proposed.
Their timing will depend upon the progress of
development and assessed need. These proposals
include alterations to junctions on the A102 north and
south of the Thames, to improve traffic flows through
the Blackwall Tunnel and merging opportunities at key
junctions, as well as modifications to other junctions to
provide improved bus priority measures.
Blackwall–Silvertown Crossing
Not forming part of the application, but an important
influence on the Masterplan, is the potential construction
of the Blackwall–Silvertown Crossing. This may take the
form of a bridge or a tunnel, which will require land within
the Masterplan site boundary. Should the scheme
progress, it will provide a link connecting the Peninsula
with Silvertown on the north bank of the Thames.
The Masterplan has been designed to respect the
safeguarded route of the Crossing and to adapt to either
a bridge or a tunnel solution or, indeed, to no future
provision. An important physical impact will be the form
of the junction between any new Crossing and the
existing A102. The Applicants have considered options
for the creation a new ‘Gateway’ junction to the
development site, taking account of both the existing
configuration of the A102 and any future Crossing
proposal (i.e. bridge or tunnel).
These may be summarised as:
• Improvements to existing slip roads at
Tunnel Avenue and Ordnance Crescent
• The safeguarded, free-flow junction arrangement
between any future Crossing and the A102
• A grade-separated roundabout junction between
any future Crossing and the A102
Works to River Wall
Repair of the river wall will be undertaken at the same
time as Meridian Gardens is developed with residential
buildings. The works will involve the replacement and
upgrading of a failing section of river wall to preserve
flood defences and enhance the ecological capital of
the area.
Electricity Sub-station
A new electricity substation will be required and
this will be located at the northern end of the Gateway
site. Additional small substations will also be required
throughout the site.
• Conference/Exhibition/Trade Shows
• Religious and Community Festivals
• Award Shows
• Other, such as corporate shareholder meetings,
large banquets, product launches and filming
It is anticipated that there will be approximately 150
events in the Arena Bowl per year initially, which could
eventually increase to 240 events or more per year.
Events will range in duration from 2-3 hours for
concerts, sports and family shows to all day for
conferences, exhibitions and trade shows.
Access to the Arena
Visitors will arrive at the Arena by one of four
main methods:
1. public transport i.e. via the Underground,
buses or river buses
2. walking and cycling
3. coach
4. car/taxi/motorbike