GREENWICH Market bosses have told traders there will be no start to its controversial redevelopment for at least another year.
The news was delivered by Edward Dolby, Resources Director at Greenwich Hospital, at a recent meeting with traders, held at the Trafalgar Tavern.
The naval charity, which owns large parts of Greenwich town centre, committed itself at the meeting to giving all commercial tenants twelve months’ notice before beginning works.
When Greenwich Hospital won its planning appeal to go ahead with the scheme, it was anticipated that the project would get under way in January 2013.
The delay is good news to some traders who feared for their place at the market during, and after, the regeneration. John Dawson, who runs a spanish food stall, welcomed the news and told this website it was a “huge relief.”
“You invest thousands of pounds and many hours of work into setting up the business, so to think it could be lost in a few mounths time was a bad feeling,” he added
The market revamp which includes a new 99-bedroom boutique hotel had been unanimously rejected by the Greenwich Council’s Planning Board, but the decision was overturned by an independent planning inspector.
Mr Dolby told Greenwich.co.uk, “We are continuing to take strategic advice on the best method of moving the market regeneration forward in these very challenging times.”
Wish they would hurry up and renovate it, the central buildings around the market behind the old façades are actually horrendous 1960’s brick things which could do with being dragged into the modern era.
Also glad to read that they are reusing all of the cobbles so the place should keep its old world charm whilst being newer.
Bespoke Hotels are now saying that they will be opening their Greenwich branch in Spring 2015. This would involve closing the current market at the end of 2013 as Greenwich Hospital maintain that the development will take around a year.
Interesting that Bespoke’s website is making a big feature of their alfresco dining in the cobbled courtyard – this has to mean the end of the much loved food court.
Wonder how they feel about the huge hotel over-capacity in Greenwich, especially after the huge new 168-bedroom hotel in the old Maurice Drummond house opens within the next year.
Paul –
I was thinking exactly the same thing. The situation of over-capacity in Greenwich will not be helped by the fact that there are now far more affordable chain hotels in the Docklands area than there used to be – all of these have rooms at tourist-friendly prices and are a short DLR journey from Greenwich town centre.