3.72. The Plumstead and Shooters Hill spatial area sits in the central eastern part of the Royal Borough, bounded by the Woolwich, and Thamesmead and Abbey Wood areas to the north, and the Eltham, Avery Hill, Coldharbour and New Eltham area to the south. The Plumstead and Shooters Hill spatial area covers the wards of Plumstead and Glyndon, Plumstead Common, Shooters Hill and in part Eltham Park and Progress.
3.73. The area is largely characterised by residential areas, including two conservation areas and multiple large green spaces covered by protective designations. As such, the Plumstead and Shooters Hill area is not a designated opportunity area however it has the potential to grow through intensification, especially focused within and around Plumstead High Street, which is designated as a district centre, and is adjacent to Plumstead rail station. Additionally, the northern part of the area is close to Woolwich and adjacent to Thamesmead and Abbey Wood Opportunity area, increasing the opportunities for development.
Oppor tunities:
Main streets and urban road corridors enhancement
TFL roads (frontage enhancement)
New / improved connection
Proposed cycle routes
Proposed or improved quiet routes
Junctions improvement
Proposed and improved crossing/bridge/underpass
Existing Features and Plan Designations:
Borough boundar y
Sub-area boundar y
District centres
Site allocations
Rail Lines stations
Schools and Universities
Hospitals and Clinics
Open Space
Water space
Conser vation Areas
Heritage landmark
Existing cycling routes
Green chain walk
Plumstead and Shooters Hill
Vision
Plumstead and Shooters Hill is a vibrant and attractive area with several historic residential neighbourhoods, and many parks which provide significant biodiversity and recreational value. Although there will be some development in the area over time, this will be focused around Plumstead District Centre, where levels of residential density, local sensitivity and coherence are lower and give more scope for intensification. Elsewhere in Plumstead and Shooters Hill, local character, open spaces and heritage will be protected and enhanced into the future.
Policy P6 Plumstead and Shooters Hill
1. Development within Plumstead and Shooters Hill will be supported where it:
a. is in-keeping with local character and distinctiveness. Buildings should largely be low-rise and a finer grain to match with the overarching character of the area, with proposals for higher density development concentrated in Plumstead District Centre and near to Plumstead Station;
b. respects local heritage, especially within Plumstead Common and Shrewsbury Park Estate Conservation areas, and where impacting on listed buildings or their settings;
c. does not harm locally protected views from Winn’s Common northwards to the river Thames, from Shrewsbury Park northwards to the Thames, from Eaglesfield Recreation Ground eastwards towards Bexley and the Lower Thames, from Castlewood southwards, and from Shooters Hill towards central London;
d. increases the legibility of large institutional buildings;
e. contributes towards meeting wider Royal Greenwich housing need, focusing new residential development around Plumstead Station and Plumstead District Centre;
f. improves the vitality of Plumstead High Street as a District Centre;
g. improves upon, or does not negatively impact upon the accessibility, functionality and appearance of parks and other open spaces;
h. increases permeability of the area through opening up new active travel routes from the north to the south.
Reasoned Justification
3.74. Whilst Plumstead and Shooters Hill has some ability to contribute to Royal Greenwich’s strategic housing target, new residential development should be focused in the vicinity of Plumstead rail station. This is due to the transport infrastructure capacity being higher, and residential density and architectural sensitivity being lower here than in other areas in Plumstead and Shooters Hill. Commercial, service, and community development will also be supported within Plumstead District Centre in line with Policy TC1, in order to increase the vitality of the high street and support the local and wider economy, building upon the recent investment by the Council in the new Plumstead Centre and the Mayor of London’s Good Growth shopfront and public realm improvements. The proximity of the West Thamesmead, and Plumstead including White Hart Triangle Strategic Industrial Centres to the north of the Plumstead District Centre may offer opportunities for linkages creating further economic benefit.
3.75. Fine grain and low-rise development should be the standard for most new development in the Plumstead and Shooters Hill area, except in Plumstead District Centre and locations near to Plumstead train station where buildings of a larger mass and height may be appropriate as long as this massing remains contextual.
Additionally, where concerning large institutional sites like hospitals and schools, which are generally set back from roads and disconnected from surrounding areas, development with a larger massing may be appropriate. This development should be used to improve the legibility of these sites.
3.76. A significant proportion of housing and other architecture in Plumstead and Shooters Hill is pre-1919 or from the interwar period, with only some deviation in architectural form from post-war and late century estate and other infill developments. Shooters Hill is better able to absorb new architectural styles than Plumstead, due to having a higher number of infill developments, as long as the coherency of existing green streetscapes is retained. However, sensitivity to new development is considerable within Plumstead as there are only a few infill developments diverging from the dominant building form, and the housing stock is more compact and homogenous. In entirely residential neighbourhoods of Plumstead and Shooters Hill, new development must be respectful of the existing character and dominant building form, especially in Plumstead Common and Shrewsbury Park Estate conservation areas where development must preserve their recognised historic character.
3.77. Additionally, a large proportion of the Plumstead and Shooters Hill area comprises open space designated as Metropolitan Open Land and Borough Open Land, which must be protected, and where possible enhanced, in line with Policy EN2.
Site Allocations in the Plumstead and Shooters Hill sub-area
• Policy PS6-PS1: 11-15 Plumstead High Street