The proposed Greenwich Market redesign would see new buildings of “character and potential historic significance”, a planning inquiry heard today.

That was the verdict of Dr Jonathan Edis who was called as a professional witness by Greenwich Hospital.

Dr Edis said that the market buildings dating from the 1950s do not “really hang together” with the rest of the market and are “not worthy of preservation”. He added that the scheme would see “no loss of significance” and would instead create an “attractive way of drawing people into a new and vibrant space”.

He was asked if he knew why Bespoke Hotels, the selected operator for the hotel if it gets the green light, had produced a web page advertising the hotel including “an alfresco restaurant-bar set amidst the cobbled courtyard” but Dr Edis said he had no knowledge of that.

The lawyer representing the council suggested to Dr Ediz that in his written submissions he had tried to “create an argument” with the council’s Senior Conservation Officer, Rebecca Duncan, and he was in fact a “hired gun”.

Dr Edis is a former local authority conservation officer himself and now runs his own cultural heritage consultancy.

Other developments from the inquiry’s fifth day included the Planning Inspector announcing that he will make his own unaccompanied visit to the market on Saturday. The inquiry schedule includes an accompanied visit on Thursday but market trader, Kate Jaconello, suggested earlier in the week that he visit at a weekend which he has now agreed to do.

The inquiry continues at the town hall on Wednesday, the site visit due to take place on Thursday and closing submissions on Friday.

Proposals to redevelop Greenwich Market will “rip the heart ouf of Greenwich”, a local councillor told an independent public inquiry into the market’s fate today.

Cllr Maureen O’Mara (Labour, Greenwich West) said that the market is a “well loved part of London” and that it would be a “disgrace to allow it to be destroyed”.

The councillor has served on the Greenwich Area Planning Committee since 1998 and was the Chair of the Borough Wide Planning Board between 2002. She explained that she had originally been involved in the Key Stakeholder Group that was discussing plans for the redevelopment but that she pulled out when she saw the scope of their plans.

She said that the Market owners, Greenwich Hospital, have never shown “any understanding or interest in the impact of their proposals on this sensitive location”.

Cllr O’Mara ended her comments to the inquiry, which started on Tuesday and is now in its third day, by requesting that the Secretary of State for Local Government, who has the final say, reject the appeal.

The afternoon’s session was mostly taken up by questioning of Greenwich Council’s Chief Planning Officer, Fred Brown.

Mr Brown acknowledged that the Greenwich Market site “needs investment” and conceded that the development had the “potential” to bring benefits, such as additional employment, but said there was a “question mark” over whether the changes would benefit residents and traders.

He said that the proposed boutique hotel “would not fill a gap” as there were other high quality hotels in Greenwich, specifically citing the Devonport Hotel and the Novotel, and more hotels were already planned.

He was questioned by Greenwich Hospital’s QC, Neil King, about the support for the scheme from local MP Nick Raynsford, the Greenwich Society, the University of Greenwich and ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites).

When asked about Nick Raynsford’s support for the scheme, Mr Brown commented that “Mr Raynsford is not an architect, he’s not an urban planner so is not qualified to make those judgements”.

Mr King QC seized on that and asked Mr Brown if indeed he was a qualified architect or urban planner either.

“No”, replied Mr Brown, although he did point out his experience of over twenty years in managing planning departments.

The inquiry continues on Friday and from Tuesday to Friday next week.

An independent planning inquiry into the redevelopment of Greenwich Market will begin tomorrow (Tuesday).

The plan to revamp the market and build a 100-bedroom hotel was first rejected by Greenwich Council last year, and they reaffirmed their opposition just last week.

Owners of the market, Greenwich Hospital, have appealed that decision the independent Planning Inspectorate will be conducting an inquiry before making a recommendation on the market’s fate to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

The inquiry will begin tomorrow at Woolwich Town Hall and will run until this Friday and then continue next week between Tuesday and Friday.

Greenwich West councillors, who protested last month outside the market, will be staging another demonstration outside the town hall as the inquiry gets under way tomorrow.