In December 2025, residents of Woolwich Dockyard and St. Mary’s Estates discovered that their homes were included in a site allocation in Greenwich Council’s draft Local Plan, which proposes the replacement of 676 existing homes with 1,700 new homes. Residents had not been consulted about the proposed plan, which will be formally adopted by Greenwich Council if the plan is approved without amendment.
We were approached by the Woolwich Dockyard and St. Mary’s Estates Resident Association to assist them in preparing an alternative proposal. As a first step, we carried out out a survey of all the building types on the estates to review their condition, talk to residents and discuss possible repair and retrofit works. We found that although the construction of the buildings spanned from the 1950s to 1990, they were mostly in good condition, having been well maintained by Greenwich Council, although in need of further upgrading. In contrast external spaces were not well maintained and need renewal, and community facilities have fallen into disuse, leaving young people in particular with no where to go.
The community of Woolwich Dockyard estate has been shaped by its situation within the walls of the historic dockyard, resulting in secure and
The proposals shown by Greenwich
We looked at options for
