Thursday 7 February 2013

Revised proposals for Convoys Wharf: open days 28 Feb and 2 March


Developer Hutchison Whampoa, which owns the huge Convoys Wharf site on the Deptford riverfront, will be presenting its revised proposals for the redevelopment of the site of the former Royal Dockyard.

It's now more than six months since HW last presented its plans to the general public - the 'revised masterplan' put forward using a 2D model which left out all the details of massing and tower blocks that many people object to. It also underwhelmed those who had previously helped bring the redevelopment juggernaut to a shuddering halt with their objections to the masterplan's insensitivity to the incredible heritage of the site.

This enormous site, which was once home to the Royal Dockyard and which saw the construction and launch of many famous ships, still retains many of its original features in the form of buried dockyard structures - the great basin, five slipways, a double dry dock - and the Olympia Building above ground. The site also extends over land which originally formed part of John Evelyn's famous garden, Sayes Court.

It is fundamental to understanding the history of Deptford and how it came to be what it is today; but the site also has huge significance in the history of the river, of London and even nationally as part of British history.

I'll be going along to see what Hutchison Whampoa and its masterplan architect Terry Farrell have come up with as their latest plan for the site. I'll be hoping that they've put a bit more imagination into the plans, and haven't just shuffled things round a bit to see if we notice.

Thursday 28th February (3pm-9pm) at Charlotte Turner School, Benbow Street, Deptford, SE8 3HD

Saturday 2nd March (10am-3pm) at The Albany, Douglas Way, Deptford, SE8 4AG

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