Plans for 188 new homes close to the Thames Barrier could be in jeopardy after the developer behind the scheme put the site up for sale.
Aitch Group has put the land at Eastmoor Street on the market with an asking price of £12,750,000.
The company’s first plans for homes on the Coopers Yard site were rejected by Greenwich councillors in July last year, but were approved by a planning inspector in May.
The site, behind the derelict Victoria pub, is billed as a “significant residential development opportunity” that currently generates £167,300 a year in rent, according to sales documents.
A neighbouring site, to be developed by the housing association Optivo, is unaffected by the possible sale.
There are plans to build up to 7,000 houses on the riverside, but the Aitch site is one of just three major projects to win planning permission and no work has started on any scheme so far.
Plans for a low-rise neighbourhood have been hampered by advice from the Environment Agency warnings that ground floors should not be occupied because of flood risks.
There are also fears that a shortage of land for warehouses in inner London could mean that Charlton remains more valuable for industrial developers rather than homebuilders. One site once earmarked for homes – the VIP Trading Estate off Anchor & Hope Lane – has been bought by a company specialising in logistics hubs.
Representatives for Aitch and the company itself have not responded to requests for comment.
Optivo, which plans to build 67 homes for London Affordable Rent on the site next door, said: “We can confirm our plans for Evelyn House have not been affected. We’re still planning to deliver 67 homes with work due to start by the end of the year.”
Just north of Eastmoor Street, plans for more than 1,200 homes at Herringham Road were approved in March on the casting vote of Stephen Brain, the former chair of planning, despite a warning of “nauseous” smells from the Tarmac plant next door.
But plans for a school fell through during the summer when the Department for Education pulled out of plans to buy part of an industrial estate on Anchor & Hope Lane, citing reduced demand.
LIKE WHAT THE CHARLTON CHAMPION DOES? HELP US KEEP IT GOING
We tell the SE7 stories you won’t read elsewhere. And we’ll do the others better than anyone else. But it won’t survive without your help.
– Please tell us about your news and events – we reach people who stay away from social media groups
– Become a monthly supporter at presspatron.com/charltonchampion.
The Charlton Champion 