Greenwich Council is preparing for a public consultation on its new Local Plan, scheduled to begin in October 2025. The announcement was made during a Transport and Place Scrutiny Panel meeting on Thursday, where Councillor Majid Rahman, Cabinet Member for Planning, Estate Renewal and Development, provided an update on the planning department's priorities.
The new Local Plan aims to boost growth and factor in policy changes since the last plan was adopted 11 years ago. According to the Cabinet Member Update - Planning Estate Regeneration and Development, the current plan is outdated, making a new one a priority to help boost growth and factor in changes in policy and beyond in the period since the last plan was adopted.
One of the key challenges identified is the delivery of affordable housing. Greenwich faces a target of 2,824 new homes per year, the third highest in London. Macroeconomic issues, such as build cost inflation and land values, have affected private sector delivery.
Despite these challenges, the planning department has made strides in reducing the backlog of applications. In 2024/25, the Planning Board resolved to permit 3,208 homes, with 818 designated as affordable, including 380 for social rent, subject to legal agreements. The council also adopted a revised Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Charging Schedule in July 2024, which is set to increase revenue by over £5 million in the next five years.
Other priorities for the coming year include updating planning processes, continuing housing delivery, estate regeneration, and supporting the DLR extension to Thamesmead. Beyond the DLR extension, the Transportation work programme for 2025/26 includes a number of other transport infrastructure improvements, such as cycleways, school streets, bus priority measures and flood management schemes. These include:
- Traffic Management Order Consultation and decision relating to the Greenwich to Woolwich Ferry Cycleway
- Consult and complete detailed design Eltham to Greenwich Cycleway
- Consult and complete detailed design Shooters Hill to Greenwich Cycleway
- Consult and make decision Greenwich Town Centre Interim Cycle Network Scheme
- Consult and start detailed design Woolwich to Thamesmead Cycleway
- Consult and complete detailed design Cycleway 18
- Finalise modelling and undertake consultation and design for North to East Greenwich Cycle route
- Consider making permanent 11 x existing School Streets with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR)
- To complete public consultation on up to 21 additional School Streets with ANPR and subject to consideration of the consultation feedback, aim to deliver some by end of 2025/26.
- Review the suitability of up to 1,000 Healthy Sustainable Streets and publicly consult on them (which includes the introduction of parking controls to clean up poor parking within certain areas, alongside measures such as trees, cycle parking, EV bays and Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems)
- Deliver road safety schemes at Plumstead High Street (between Wickham Lane and Walmer Terrace) and Western Way Roundabout
- Developing a borough wide 20mph proposal
- Complete feasibility design on Superloop Bus Priority Measures, Eltham High Street Bus Priority Measures, Green Lane Bus Priority Measures, Avery Hill Road/Southwood Road Bus Priority Measures, Shooters Hill Bus Priority Measures, Eynsham Drive Bus Priority Measures, Battery Road Bus Priority Measures
- Committed to deliver up to 39 cycle hangars over the Summer and look to deliver an additional 20 cycle hangars by end of March 2026
- To consider to deliver 80 bays for Lime bikes
- Deliver Plumstead Public Realm Project to provide improvements around Plumstead Station
- Publicly consult on Greenwich Liveable Neighbourhood Scheme
- Deliver a decision on West and East Greenwich Traffic Management Scheme
- Deliver the update of Council's Highways Asset Management
- Deliver the update of Council's Flood Risk Management Strategy
- Deliver Sustainable Urban Drainage Opportunity Mapping
- Complete detailed design and consider to deliver £1m scheme to develop a Natural Flood Management scheme at Oxleas Woods, Clothworkers and Bostal Woods
- Deliver Bus Strategy and Action Plan with TfL
- Deliver the update of Council's Road Safety Action Plan, Active Travel Action Plan and Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Action Plan
- Support the progress of the DLR extension to Thamesmead and Bus Rapid Transit Project- Woolwich to Thamesmead.
- Deliver structural improvements to A206 Pettman Crescent Bridge
The council also aims to develop urban regeneration frameworks for Woolwich, Plumstead, and Abbey Wood, which are place-based strategies being developed with stakeholders and the community to reflect the ambitions of the areas for the next 10 years.
The Work Programme Schedule 2025-2026 includes an update on the development of the Local Plan scheduled for the Transport and Place Scrutiny Panel meeting on 18 September 2025.