[You can see the slideshow of the images at the bottom of this post.]
During 2013 I spent 7 months exploring and photographing Woolwich which is a post-industrial riverside area in south east London undergoing significant regeneration. My early encounters with Woolwich made me curious about the appearance of two separate areas being regenerated; the Royal Arsenal Riverside development and Woolwich Town Centre. I initially found it hard to reconcile the two areas, particularly because there is a dual carriageway that separates them and they have an entirely different ‘feel’ to each other. One seems exclusive and quiet whereas the other is busy.
The Royal Arsenal Riverside previously housed the Royal Ordnance Factory alongside workshops and factories for the manufacture and storage of armaments. There are a number of Grade 1 and Grade II listed buildings together with a significant building programme of modern apartments. The site also houses the Royal Artillery Museum and the Greenwich Heritage Centre. Throughout the site evidence of its history is very apparent particularly with the placement of cannons in various locations and street names such as Cannon Square, Cartridge Place and so on. This is a luxury development containing a number of gated communities, its own gym, concierge services and a small Tesco’s.
The Woolwich town centre developments have been significant. Tesco have invested to create a mixed use scheme that includes a Tesco superstore with 8000 square metres of retail space, 8 blocks of apartments with the highest rising to 16 floors, a police station, other retail and community facilities and a car park. General Gordon Square has been re-developed to provide a community space with wide walkways and a large TV screen that remains on all day. Beresford Square which houses the market has also been re-developed.
Woolwich Riverside Ward (under the Royal Borough of Greenwich) is one of the most deprived wards in Greenwich with a significantly high level of child poverty (over 30% against a national figure of 20%), a high level of fuel poverty and some areas within the ward are in the 5% most deprived areas of England, whilst others sit at 10-20%
I’m interested in what is hoped to be achieved by the amount of regeneration taking place within a ward that contains some pockets of real hardship.
The Royal Arsenal appears to be a relatively exclusive riverside development with many gated communities. It has been likened by Zoopla and Berkeley Homes (the developer) to a village with its own amenities. New expensive high rise living is currently being built along the Woolwich riverside and is being promoted as ‘a new definition of riverside living’. This development is going to change the river area completely and the architectural visualisations tantalise with notions of beautiful views against the sunset.
The town centre with its new high rise living above Tesco’s appears to be designed to bring in young professionals who would enjoy a ‘contemporary haven’ knowing that Woolwich is going to have good connections to the city. The new regenerated spaces appear to have been designed with these new inhabitants in mind and indeed, the marketing to bring in new retail outlets with cafes and restaurants confirms that plans are afoot to ensure that this new market is catered for.
The marketing of the regeneration of Woolwich has promoted the town using images of Canary Wharf suggesting that association with neighbouring areas is more important than local connections. Now that Cross Rail has been approved for Woolwich, land values will undoubtedly increase and prices will go up significantly.
Meanwhile Woolwich has signed a contract with developers who will begin work in May 2014 to demolish three council estates and replace them with 975 new homes for the open market, 375 homes for affordable rent and 150 shared ownership homes.
I don’t think my work is finished yet and I foresee continuing for several years to come.
If you choose to, you can click on the slideshow and it will take you to my SmugMug account where you can choose how you wish to view the photos. If using the IOS system the slideshow isn’t showing up but the link should!
http://gillgolding.smugmug.com/VisualStoriesinthemaking/A-New-Face-for-Woolwich
http://gillgolding.smugmug.com/VisualStoriesinthemaking/A-New-Face-for-Woolwich
Gill Golding / Photographer 