Plans for the redevelopment of Deptford’s historic docks are due to be submitted to Lewisham Council within the next few days. The proposals, by architect Sir Terry Farrell on behalf of developers Hutchison Whampoa, promise to bring cultural and commercial life to the waterfront along with a high quality living environment.
The proposals for the 40 acre Convoys Wharf site include business space, shops, restaurants and 3,500 homes. They also include the creation of three new parks, the conversion of a Grade II listed Victorian warehouse into a cultural venue and plans to connect local neighbourhoods to the waterfront where a 270 metre promenade will run parallel to the riverbank.
Deptford Dockyard was established by Henry VIII and is the site where Queen Elizabeth I knighted Sir Francis Drake. It was also at Deptford that Sir Walter Raleigh is said to have placed his cape on the ground before the same queen. In addition the area is associated with Elizabethan dramatist Christopher Marlowe and was the site of his murder by property speculator Ingram Frizer in 1593.
Sir Terry, who has recently been appointed to lead an independent review of architecture and the built environment, promises the scheme will respect this rich history while also providing the next chapter in the future of the area. Speaking to the Evening Standard he said Deptford’s growing reputation as a cultural hub gives it huge potential.
“You have Goldsmiths nearby and there are lots of creative people living here. I think this is the equivalent of Hoxton or a Shoreditch of the south,” he said.
Not all residents agree. Some are concerned about the lack of affordable housing and fear that gentrification will have the same effect it has had on other areas of London where locals have been priced out.
Roo Angell, of campaign group Deptford Is, said; “There doesn’t seem to be much balance. Is 14 per cent affordable housing really enough to integrate it into the local area?
“It is surrounded by social housing and it could do with more employment space. It should not be just an island with its back turned to Deptford – these proposals do not really feel like part of London.”
However the group’s fundamental objection is to the density and massing of the buildings proposed for the site which they claim will create a ‘canyon-type experience at street level.’
This is something that also concerns blogger The Deptford Dame who questions whether the proposals are appropriate for the site. Another issue is the proposed amount of retail space which, the writer suggests, is based on ‘questionable demand.’
“Many empty units grace the streets of SE8 already, in much better locations than Convoys Wharf will offer,” the post says.
Despite these objections Sir Terry believes the scheme has struck the right balance between its residential and commercial elements and he is hopeful of receiving planning permission later this year.
