‘Pig ugly’ Tesco tower approved by Greenwich council

By Jacob Phillips, Local Democracy Reporter

Greenwich council has approved planning permission for a 15-storey tower block dubbed “pig ugly” that’s set to be built outside the Woolwich Tesco store.

Councillors voted four to three in favour of the controversial new building.

In total, 590 flats will be built between the Woolwich Tesco and John Wilson Street. Another seven tower blocks ranging between nine and 16 storeys in height will be built along the street.

The tower block will contain 134 flats as well as retail and office space. Local residents have criticised the tower.

Gaye Rose said: “I want you to know how pig ugly that building is. It’s as if they’ve come from a Soviet bloc country. I know we’re a poor working-class area but I don’t see why this should be inflicted on us.”

A three-hour-long planning meeting brought an end to years of debate surrounding the redevelopment of the area. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan will now have the final say on the approval of the new tower block.

Former council leader Denise Hyland voted in favour of the development. She said: “What [the space outside Tesco] is at the moment is a dog toilet, a bomb site piece of land and actually we need to do something better with it. [Councillors] spoke about large lumps of concrete but would you say that about the South Bank?”

Councillor David Gardner described the decision as “extremely difficult” but ultimately believed more homes were needed in Greenwich.

He said: “The number of affordable homes [is] far too low… But there are affordable units and we need them. The current site is a bit of an eye sore.. it has been occupied illegally a number of times and had to be cleared.”

Plans had already been scrapped for a 27-storey tower block on the same site two years ago. But Greenwich council is facing pressure to meet housing targets.

Tesco first won approval for its store, hundreds of new homes and a new council HQ in Woolwich centre in 2007. A planning inspector later said the Tesco store as a “terrible mistake”.

Only 113 of the homes will be for London Affordable Rent – about half market rent and available to those on waiting lists. Another 50 will be for shared ownership, making 23 per cent “affordable” housing.

Pictured top: CGI images of the development outside of the Woolwich Tesco (Picture: Greenwich council)