Berkeley and TfL strike deal to see next phase of 5,000-home Woolwich scheme built out

Transport for London’s property company has completed a land deal with Berkeley to return a site within the 5,000-home Royal Arsenal Riverside regeneration area to the housebuilder.

Berkeley originally provided the site to Crossrail and Places for London, TfL’s property company, in 2010 to build the Woolwich Elizabeth line station which was completed in 2022.

The new PRP-designed 575-home development, which was approved earlier this year, will sit above the station and consist of four buildings as well as 6,500sq ft of commercial space, new public realm and landscaped amenity space.

Berkeley said the brownfield site has been impacted by “significant” regulatory and policy changes over the last six years – including amendments to building regulations, second staircase rules and other design requirements – which led to delays, increased costs and the resubmission of the original planning application.

Rob Perrins, executive chair of Berkeley Group, said: “We are extremely grateful to Places for London, the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the GLA for working with us over many years to overcome a series of regulatory challenges.

“There is still some way to go but we are very pleased to have reached this milestone, and were very fortunate to have the backing of a genuinely supportive and effective planning authority here in Greenwich.”

Royal Arsenal Riverside has been in the works since 2000 with a previously contaminated munitions manufacturing site now turned into a mixed-use neighbourhood.

Approximately 4,000 homes have been completed to date, with the wider development expected to deliver more than 5,000 in total.

In all, 23 listed buildings have been refurbished and repurposed by Berkeley during the programme.