A new industrial warehouse is planned for Charlton Riverside, following a decision by Greenwich Council's Planning Board. The warehouse is designed to accommodate flexible industrial and logistics floorspace with an ancillary office
and falls under Use Classes B2/B8/E(g)(III).
The board convened on Wednesday, 02 July 2025, to discuss and ultimately approve a planning application, reference 25/0717/F, for the redevelopment of Plot A, VIP Trading Estate, located at 50 Anchor and Hope Lane, Charlton, SE7 7TE. The proposal, submitted by GLI Platform, involves the construction of a new industrial/logistics warehouse with an ancillary office, a new access point, associated parking, landscaping, and other related works. The planning permission requires that construction must begin within three years of the permission being granted.
The development site is within Charlton Riverside, an area identified as an Opportunity Area and a Strategic Development Location in both the London Plan and Greenwich Core Strategy. The proposed warehouse will have a gross internal area of 4,838sqm and a gross external area of 5,162sqm, reaching an internal height of 12.5 metres and a maximum external height of 18 metres. The development will also include 12 staff/visitor car parking spaces and 24 cycle spaces.
Throughout the application process, revisions were made to the design to incorporate a more sensitive colour palette and materials that are sympathetic to the adjoining residential dwellings. The Planning Board reviewed the application and considered the Public Information Planning document.
The proposed development is expected to create between 74 and 134 jobs, a significant increase compared to the existing 9 full-time employees. The report provides two scenarios for employment density:
- Scenario 1: 100% storage and distribution uses at 70sqm (GEA) per FTE employee.
- Scenario 2: 100% general industrial uses at 36sqm (GIA) per FTE employee.
The Planning Board also noted the Declarations of Interests Report, where councillors declared any personal or financial interests in the items on the agenda.
The approval is subject to the satisfactory completion of a Section 106 Legal Agreement, which includes obligations related to transport and highway works, active travel enhancements, employment and training contributions, and sustainability requirements. Without this agreement, the development would fail to mitigate its impact on highways, the public realm, the local economy, and the environment, according to the Planning Board's report. The Section 106 Legal Agreement includes:
- Transport:
- Road infrastructure charge improvements contribution of £100,000
- Travel Plan (including monitoring)
- Active Travel Zone contribution of £2,000
- Bus stop enhancement contribution of £50,000
- Safeguarding of land required to provide east-west route for TfL bus, pedestrian and cyclist access
- Enter into a S278 agreement for works to the highway to provide an emergency egress
- Employment and Training:
- Commitment and participation towards GLLaB and business support
- Payment of £48,380 towards 'GLLAB'
- Energy:
- Renewable/Low Carbon Energy Equipment Monitoring
- Carbon Dioxide Offsetting Contributions (if required)
- Biodiversity:
- Monitoring fee
Main concerns raised during the planning application process included noise, regeneration, boundary line issues, and Transport for London (TfL) concerns. Noise concerns were addressed in section 13 of the report, while regeneration concerns, specifically a desire for large residential development at Charlton Riverside, were addressed in section 10 of the report. Boundary line issues relating to the incorrect representation of the boundary line were resolved, leading to the withdrawal of an objection. TfL's concerns were addressed by the agent providing an Active Travel Zone survey and a table responding to TfL's concerns. The agent stated that Policy T6 of the London Plan notes that the role of parking for both workers and operational vehicles varies considerably for industrial sites and provision should therefore be determined on a case-by-case basis.