Investment Opportunities
Opportunity Areas
Area of Intensification
Central activity Zone
International or metropolitan
Major
District
Borough Boundary
Green Belt
Metropolitan open land / Other open spaces
Rail station
Railway track
Foreshore
Water
Charlton Riverside has the potential to become an exemplary new urban district, integrating the Riverside with the existing Charlton community, connecting the transport network and creating a thriving new neighbourhood which combines homes with employment, community uses and open spaces. It’s a critical piece of the Thames riverside landscape, connecting Greenwich Peninsula to Woolwich town centre. The vision for this Opportunity Area is to create a living working neighbourhood with additional jobs, integrate employment uses into new development and create new homes.
Thamesmead and Abbey Wood is one of the largest opportunity regeneration areas in London, well located for significant employment growth. Prepared jointly by the Mayor of London’s office, Transport for London, Royal Borough of Greenwich and London Borough of Bexley, the Thamesmead and Abbey Wood Opportunity Area Planning Framework (OAPF) supports and plans for the Mayor’s proposal to extend the DLR to Thamesmead and beyond. With transport improvements including the DLR extension and upgrades to the bus network, the OAPF identifies the potential for the area to provide over 15,000 new homes and 8,000 new jobs.
Identified in the London Plan 2021 for 17,000 new homes and 15,000 new jobs, there continues to be potential throughout this area. It offers a riverside location, spectacular views over Canary Wharf, proximity to a World Heritage site and 48 acres of green space. It is also home to the O2, one of the leading sports and entertainment venues in the world, providing 4,500 jobs; contributing £300 million GVA to the Greenwich economy. Other highlights include Tide, London’s first-ever elevated 5k riverside linear park and the Design District, 16 buildings by eight pioneering architects which have established Greenwich as a new hub of innovation in London one minute from North Greenwich Underground station.
Woolwich is a famous historic town, set on the Thames with a wealth of high-quality historic and listed buildings. It benefits from good transport infrastructure including the DLR and the Elizabeth line, putting the Docklands, the City and the West End all within easy reach. The area is an Opportunity Area identified in the London Plan 2021 with potential for 5,000 new homes and 2,500 jobs. Woolwich Works is a landmark, multi-million-pound restoration project by Royal Greenwich which has transformed several historic buildings on the Royal Arsenal into a new creative district for London with theatres, concert venues, dance and recording studios, flexible workspace to entertain, train and educate. Royal Greenwich is delivering £21m of investment to improve the town centre and provide high quality public spaces, a project that will act as a catalyst for further town centre development.
Plumstead is a priority regeneration area for the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Plumstead High Street is one of the borough's key district centres with a traditional high street environment dominated by independent, small businesses. Expected property/rental price rises and a demographic shift in the area as a result of new transport connections and the housing zone present both challenges and opportunities. Substantial resources are being focussed from both the public and private sector to bring forward positive change in the area. The Council’s multi million pound investment in the Plumstead Centre has refurbished the Grade II listed building into a state of the art community hub featuring library and leisure facilities. Supported by the Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund (GGF), the Council is also upgrading shopfronts and public spaces on Plumstead High Street. Plumstead Power station is another significant Grade II listed heritage building that is being bought back into use and transformed into a virtual production hub; the site will also be home to incubator space, supporting new media technology start-up businesses.
The Royal Borough of Greenwich is a thriving and diverse place to live and work in London, and one of the most iconic destinations in Europe for visitors. Located 10 minutes from central London, it's renowned for its rich royal and naval history, including Maritime Greenwich UNESCO World Heritage Site, its green spaces and as one of the London's emerging creative industry hubs.
This dynamic and vibrant area is undergoing rapid transformation as a result of some of the largest regeneration schemes in the capital. It has seen over £1.3bn investment made in the last 10 years, and with a further £1.8bn planned over the next decade by Royal Greenwich.
Royal Greenwich offers a wealth of opportunity for new developments, with a strong and resilient business network and vibrant historic town centres. The borough is known for its entrepreneurial talent and innovative micro and small businesses across a broad range of sectors from food to specialist engineering. Four higher education institutions provide access to skills and talent with the University of Greenwich ranked within the top 7% of higher education institutions globally.
Our vision for Royal Greenwich is to have a flourishing economy that creates investment opportunities for businesses and communities to grow in an inclusive and sustainable way. We’re championing the shift to a green, low carbon and digital economy and using our locational strengths to attract and sustain high growth, innovative businesses that will create good, skilled jobs - vital for our economic recovery and future prosperity.
Population projections 2021 292,093
Population projections 2050 378,886
London plan new homes (ten-year target) 28,240
Building council homes for Londoners (four-year programme) 588
““There’s never been a more exciting time to live, work or study in Royal Greenwich. Its hundreds of beautiful green spaces, access to the river Thames and mix of communities and cultures – along with a rich heritage and history – make it one of London’s greatest places to be. This is reflected in the 20 million visitors that visit the borough each year, as part of a tourism industry that supports 17,000 jobs and generates £1.5 billion for the local economy.
We’re keen to continue our work with investors, developers and businesses to grow the economy and support a sustainable recovery from the pandemic, creating opportunities for our residents and local business community.
Woolwich town centre, Charlton Riverside and Thamesmead are all key regeneration and priority areas for us that have the potential to provide employment opportunities alongside new homes. Our focus over the next 10 years is to work closely with our partners, investors and local stakeholders to make these great places for our communities, helping to grow businesses and attracting more visitors to enjoy everything our borough has to offer.
Whether it’s supporting our creative districts and innovation hubs or identifying ways to improve our town centres, we want to ensure that our residents and businesses can take advantage of the opportunities arising from regeneration and feel the benefits of change.””
Cllr Anthony Okereke, Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich
