Greenwich Council's Planning Board has granted full planning permission for the redevelopment of the former Lewisham College site at 1 Deptford Bridge, London, SE8 4HH. The decision, made on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, allows for the demolition of the existing building and the construction of new buildings ranging from one to 30 storeys.
The revised scheme proposes 802 residential units site-wide, of which 778 would be private (market-rate) units. Within the Royal Greenwich section, there would be 254 private units.
The development will incorporate residential, local community, education, and drinking establishment uses, alongside associated landscaping and highway improvements. However, the scheme will provide only 10 affordable homes, representing 5.1% of affordable housing by habitable room. This falls below the council's adopted policy targets, which require a minimum of 35% affordable housing locally (Policy H3 of the Core Strategy) and align with the London Plan's strategic target of 50% (Policy H4) and its Fast Track Route threshold of 35% by habitable room (Policy H5).
The report presented to the board highlighted that while this figure falls below policy targets, it is above the level identified as viable. The submitted Financial Viability Assessment, independently reviewed, confirmed that the scheme cannot viably support a higher level of affordable housing at this time. The agreed viability position indicates that the proposed development would generate a deficit of approximately £19.63 million when assessed in accordance with standard viability methodology.
Significant public benefits were identified, including new homes, affordable housing, affordable workspace, public realm improvements, new routes, play space, biodiversity enhancements, remediation of contaminated land, improved flood defence arrangements, and access to Deptford Creek. The scheme includes affordable workspace within Block H, to be provided for a period of 15 years. The terms for this affordable workspace stipulate that all workshop floorspace within Block H, within the Royal Greenwich part of the site, will be let at rents no greater than 50% of the prevailing market rent for equivalent commercial floorspace. A Section 106 agreement will secure eligibility criteria, marketing arrangements, management responsibilities, and monitoring provisions.
The development is planned to deliver a substantial increase in area habitat units, from a pre-intervention baseline of 0.37 biodiversity units to 3.35 units post-intervention, representing a net gain of approximately 804.87%. The scheme will also provide 0.48 hedgerow units and a 16.67% net gain in watercourse units. Enhancements include biodiverse living roofs, green roofs, and permeable paving. The Landscape and Ecological Management Plan (LEMP) will secure habitat creation, enhancement, and management, including provisions for bat boxes, bird boxes, black redstart-specific enhancements, and any feasible kingfisher provision or appropriate alternative.
The development would introduce new pedestrian and cycle routes, improve access towards Deptford Creek, provide active frontages, and create new landscaped public realm. Specifically within Royal Greenwich, 'The Prospect' is described as a key internal pedestrian route connecting the DLR station and Deptford Bridge frontage to the Creekside public realm. 'The Yard' is described as a public space connecting Greenwich High Road to internal routes, Creekside, and the wider public realm, including a woodland grove play space. 'Creekside' is described as a major public realm component providing a generous public walkway along the water's edge. The play space provision for the Royal Greenwich element is calculated to be 553.5sqm, exceeding the London Plan requirement.
The development is located in Flood Zone 3 and adjacent to Deptford Creek, with existing flood defences. The scheme includes measures to ensure the development is safe from flood risk for its lifetime and does not increase flood risk elsewhere. Key measures include setting finished floor levels for residential dwellings no lower than 6.32 metres above Ordnance Datum (mAOD) or at first floor level, whichever is higher. Flood resilience and resistance measures are to be incorporated, and a Flood Warning and Evacuation Plan will be secured. Conditions also require the flood defences to be designed with a lifetime of no less than 100 years, with crest levels no lower than the 2090 Thames Estuary 2100 Plan level (minimum 6.2 metres AOD). The scheme will also include measures to mitigate fluvial floodwater and surface water flooding, and ensure the structural integrity of the river wall. Tidal habitat features will be installed to mitigate environmental impacts. A 100-year monitoring and maintenance plan for flood defences and tidal habitat features is also required.
The Transport Assessment indicates that the development would be constructed as one continuous project, with the works expected to be approximately 7 years and 5 months. The anticipated site working hours would be 08:00 to 18:00 on Mondays to Fridays and 08:00 to 13:00 on Saturdays, with no works on Sundays or Public Holidays.
The decision was made after careful consideration of the development plan, national policy, and material considerations, including extensive consultation responses and detailed assessments of heritage, townscape, amenity, transport, sustainability, and flood risk. The report concluded that the identified harms were outweighed by the substantial public benefits of the proposal. The application is classified as an EIA development and is accompanied by an Environmental Statement.
![Conceptual diagram illustrating different zones of the redevelopment project at the former Lewisham College site, including The Frontage,
Underlook,
Wild Ait,
Backwater,
Overlook,
Creekside,
The Prospect,
and The Yard.
](https://opencouncil.network/rails/activestorage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBBell4VlE9PSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--6a89cd4d201f570df5a3a29af7ae83cf76d366d6/page158Picture_0.jpeg Conceptual diagram illustrating different zones of the redevelopment project at the former Lewisham College site, including \
The Frontage,\\
Underlook,\\
Wild Ait,\\
Backwater,\\
Overlook,\\
Creekside,\\
The Prospect,\and \
The Yard.\")