The University of Greenwich will be putting its new Stockwell Street designs on show in July.
The planned £76 million investment would see the creation of a new university library, TV studios and the School of Architecture & Construction at the site which was until last year used for the weekend Village Market.
The designs, created by architects Heneghan Peng, will also include a gallery and cafe, open to the community, at the ground floor level. A new pedestrian path will link Stockwell Street with King William Walk alongside the railway cutting.
The university’s Vice-Chancellor, Baroness Blackstone, says: “I am delighted that the university has been able to purchase this site, much of which has been derelict for many years. I believe our new buildings will greatly enhance Greenwich town centre and benefit the people of Greenwich as well as our students and staff.”
The public consultation will be run from Thursday 1 July until Friday 9 July in Room 015 at Queen Mary Court in the Old Royal Naval College.
Full details on opening times are available here.
It’s good that this project is up and running. But I hope the university’s plans include some real public and community involvement, in the form of a space which can be used as a market, to replace the one that Greenwich has lost, to its detriment.
Stockwell Street is now quiet, almost sad, and it’s likely the same will apply to Greenwich in general, unless we encourage the market feel that has brought people to Greenwich for decades.
One, simple courtyard space devoted to stalls would add an informal feel to a modern development, and would demonstrate an involvement with the community, and a commitment to keeping Greenwich as a unique, beautiful but quirky destination.
Stockwell Street will benefit from the increased number of students in the area.
Some of its smaller universities might disappear in the next few years, so it best if we support our local university in any way we can.