MORDEN WHARF.
BRIEFING FOR THE ROYAL BOROUGH OF GREENWICH PLANNING BOARD - 20/1730/O
IT’S TIME FOR MORDEN WHARF TO BE REBORN
MORDEN WHARF.
AN AWARD WINNING SCHEME The proposed scheme has been recognised as one of the world’s most exciting and innovative projects, winning this year’s Architectural Review and MIPIM Future Project award in the Regeneration and Masterplanning category.
Morden Wharf presents an almost unique regeneration opportunity; a place long forgotten but bristling with potential. 14 acres of brownfield land, 275m of riverfront, in one of London’s most exciting regeneration areas – the last piece of the complex puzzle that is Greenwich Peninsula. Identified in the Council’s Core Strategy as a strategic development location and zoned for tall buildings, we have overcome numerous regulatory hurdles to allow a largely vacant site to live again. It has taken 8 years of dedication, vision and ambition but now we can begin. Morden Wharf will have a transformative effect on the area, where our pioneering approach will inspire a true destination for the western side of the Peninsula with a strong sense of place, filled with abundant life, culture, green space, industry, heritage and entrepreneurialism.
Adding new homes in a London Opportunity Area, with 35% affordable housing at a 70/30 ratio, and attractive family housing.
2. AROUND 360 UNITS OF SOCIAL RENT HOUSING Majority with direct access to 0.75 acre communal garden for play and shared amenity. Social rent homes also included in riverfront block.
3. UP TO 680 FULL AND PART-TIME JOBS A diversity of jobs through retaining MDM Props, a Brew by Numbers brewery, varied new workspaces and a last-mile delivery warehouse.
4. ENHANCED THAMES PATH 3.9 acres of new green space delivered and maintained at no cost to the council in perpetuity.
5. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY A shared strategy for residents and workers based in a new purpose-built community hub.
6. NEW HEALTH AND CHILDREN’S FACILITIES Space reserved for Greenwich CCG (as part of 20,000 sqft of community space), a children’s nursery established on site and £4.8 million contribution to education.
7. HERITAGE ENHANCEMENT Retention and restoration of the Southern Warehouse. A conscious celebration of the site’s history through design and public art.
8. SUSTAINABILITY AND ECOLOGICAL ENHANCEMENT Meeting all London Plan construction and energy standards; improving flood protection and creating overall biodiversity net gain, including over 250 new trees.
9. CONNECTED ACCESSIBILITY Commitment to new bus route connecting with North Greenwich, innovative mobility hub and supporting new Thames Clipper pier and service.
10. PEDESTRIAN AND CYCLE PRIORITY With the exception of disabled car parking, the development is car-free with public realm designed to prioritize pedestrian and cycle movement.
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY
1. UP TO 1,500 NEW HOMES
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
The U+I vision is for a truly mixed-use place - a multi-layered mix of uses, all integrated and interconnected. Morden Wharf is a neighbourhood for the local community to live, work, play and thrive, a destination for visitors to explore, and a bold new vision for what a London mixed-use environment should be. We have worked at understanding the history and the story of the place, its tenants and community to inform our designs. In bringing in world-class architects OMA, we have put forward a bold masterplan which is trying to do something genuinely iconic and special.
OMA’s brief was to develop a sensitive but remarkable scheme – and that quality is backed up by an exceptionally detailed design code and commitments. Their scheme has already been recognised by a global award for regeneration and masterplanning. We have listened carefully to the borough’s vision for the site and integrated a large public park on the river, the key element for shaping our design strategy.
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
A PLACE MORE THAN A DEVELOPMENT
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
FROM MARSHLAND TO INDUSTRIAL MIGHT
This was where some of the world’s first submarine cables were made, where ships were manufactured by innovative steam-driven machines, where soapworks and ropeworks thrived. Relatively unscathed through the first world war, the second world war brought scarcity to industrial materials and workforce, and in 1944 one of the first V-1 bombs destroyed The Sea Witch pub and most of the riverfront buildings. Throughout the 20th Century Morden Wharf had many uses, from a cement works to a refinery making animal food and fertiliser to a home for several scrap metal companies. The site’s emphasis was on large-scale industry until market forces sparked its slow decline and the eventual demolition of all but three buildings, leaving the ailing Morden Wharf we know today.
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
A PLACE ON PAUSE
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
A PLACE REBORN
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
MORDEN PARK
Morden Park will be a new riverfront park, maintained at no cost to the Council in perpetuity. This will open up 275m of the Thames Riverside as well as a beach with controlled public access. We are delighted to be providing this major new public benefit which we believe will be an asset for generations. We have thought deeply about the nature of the landscaping, species and habitat which have been devised through dialogue with the community and volunteers such as Greenwich Wildlife Advisory Group and the Ecology Park. This includes pedestrian-friendly public realm with a welcoming sense of place and identity. As part of our green agenda, its management
will encourage biodiversity and we will seek to work with the Land Trust and The Conservation Volunteers to form part of a network of spaces across the Peninsula.
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
WE BELIEVE THIS NEW PUBLIC PARK IS CENTRAL TO THIS SITE BECOMING A PLACE, NOT JUST ANOTHER NEW DEVELOPMENT, AS WELL AS FORMING A KEY PART OF A NETWORK OF SPACES ALONG THE RIVER.
350 HOMES
MIXED TENURE
CAR FREE
AFFORDABLE HOUSING SET AROUND 0.75 ACRE RESIDENTIAL GARDEN AND LOCATED IN A RIVERFRONT BUILDING
CAR-FREE RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT WITH 3% BLUE BADGE PARKING
15,000
35%
20,000
SQ FT HEALTH FACILITY
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
SQ FT OF COMMUNITY SPACE
FOR LONDON AFFORDABLE RENT
2,400
2,000
SQ FT CHILDREN’S NURSERY
SQ FT COMMUNITY HUB
We have committed to providing 35% affordable homes by habitable room in the borough’s preferred mix. This is important to you, and to us, so we have gone well beyond what a viability assessment says is justified despite changes since submission worsening viability. We understand the real importance of family sized homes, particularly for social rent. Overall, up to 17% would be 3 bed or larger, with up to 38% in the socially rented tenure.
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
COMMUNITY RETHOUGHT
We want this to be a community not a dormitory, so we’ve gone further. We have committed to a Community Development Strategy through the Section 106, with concrete commitments for funding, activity and ongoing governance. We’re doing this now and have been speaking to local organisations who may want to get involved in making the 2,000 sqft purposebuilt community café or hub, really deliver for the new community.
New resident allotments in the 0.75 acre Morden Gardens
Morden Gardens is a 0.75 acre semi-private space which runs for over 150 meters. Filled with play space, allotments and sociable spaces, this forms the family heart of Morden Wharf, where most of the larger homes are situated.
A NEIGHBOURHOOD RECLAIMED U+I acknowledge the increasing demand for primary school places in Greenwich, and following consultation with RBG following submission of the planning application in June 2020 we have agreed to a £4.8m education contribution which will be used by the council to increase existing capacity. This goes alongside the abundance of facilities to benefit and incubate this new community hub, including a new children’s nursery, a wide range of age-specific play places, communal allotments and landscaped public spaces, each with their own distinct character.
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
MORDEN GARDENS
The extended and revitalised Southern Warehouse acts as the spine of Morden Wharf, a building U+I fought to keep and re-use rather than see the last traces of this site’s industrial past disappear.
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
REINVIGORATING INDUSTRY
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
Some of you might already be aware of MDM Props, an existing tenant at Morden Wharf. They are a world-class creative business specialising in artwork fabrication and theatre backdrop construction. We have worked to secure their long-term future – before we have secured planning consent and are granting them a new 15-year lease at a significantly discounted rent.
Brew By Numbers are a craft brewery based out of Bermondsey; a great independent business producing world class products. We are delighted they have chosen Morden Wharf as their new home for the next 10 years and look forward to working with them to revitalize this stretch of the Thames Path. If approved, the application will deliver a new pub/restaurant, a reincarnation of the Sea Witch pub destroyed by a V-1 bomb in 1944.
MDM PROPS
PUBLIC ART MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
Boathouse for the Queens barge Gloriana designed by Carmody Groarke architects.
As a nod to the industrial legacy of the site, the base of one of the towers is transformed into a silo structure.
We will commission public art to celebrate the history of the site and continue to work with local historians and experts to weave elements of Greenwich’s industrial legacy into the future designs of the scheme. This goes hand in hand with our proposal for a new, permanent home for the Queen’s boat the Gloriana, which will be housed in a bespoke boathouse designed by Carmody Groarke, located on the public jetty. The Gloriana extends the borough’s strong royal and naval maritime history by creating another heritage link just a short walk along the Thames Path from the Maritime Museum and Cutty Sark. We believe this is a fitting home and visitor attraction for the Royal Borough.
We will transform the Thames Path, riverfront and experience for visitors and general public. Our proposals seek to re-activate the river with controlled access for activities such as kayaking, whilst seamlessly integrating it with the public park and Sea Witch lane to create a vital link for those traveling between Greenwich and the wider peninsula.
FUTURE PROOFED AND SUSTAINABLE CAR FREE
AIR-QUALITY
BUS ROUTE
CAR-FREE RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT WITH 3% BLUE BADGE PARKING
HIGHLY SUSTAINABLE, AIR-QUALITY NEUTRAL SCHEME
NEW BUS ROUTE INTO THE SITE WITH £2.5M CONTRIBUTION
Extension to the southern warehouse with small workshops and creative spaces.
1,100 NEW AND RETAINED JOBS WILL BE SUPPORTED BY THE DEVELOPMENT ONCE COMPLETED, 680 ON SITE, PLUS A FURTHER 2,400 DURING CONSTRUCTION
The scheme will provide more than just housing, with a real focus on employment and creative industry with up to 200,000 sqft of commercial space (about the same size as the Icon shopping centre in the O2). This is a genuinely mixed-use place with a range and diversity of jobs at its core. Given a large part of the site is allocated as Strategic Industrial Land, we have proposed a vibrant mix of industrial uses. In addition to the Southern Warehouse there is a large industrial building with maker-units fronting Sea Witch Lane, small workshop spaces which we hope to work with Greenwich Enterprise Board to manage, office space to incubate new start-ups, flexible retail, café and bar space – including the new brewery-pub where the Sea Witch once stood. A total of 1,100 new and retained jobs will be supported by the development once completed, 680 on site, plus a further 2,400 during construction. Not only will this provide much needed jobs for the area at a time of recovery from the coronavirus pandemic but also generate £42m in economic output every year.
RIVERSIDE
BIODIVERSE
SUSTAINABLE
NEW THAMES PATH AND PEDESTRIANS AND CYCLING CONNECTIONS
OVER 250 NEW TREES, GREEN WALLS AND RICH NATIVE PLANTING INSPIRED BY MARSHLAND HISTORY
COMPREHENSIVE ENERGY STRATEGY INCLUDING PHOTOVOLTAICS AND HEAT PUMPS
REFURBISHED JETTY
MOBILITY HUB
FLOOD DEFENCE
UP TO £1.75M TOWARD NEW THAMES CLIPPER STOP AND A NEW HOME FOR THE QUEEN’S ROWBARGE GLORIANA
MOBILITY HUB EMBRACING NEW FORMS OF SUSTAINABLE AND ON-DEMAND TRANSPORT
FLOOD DEFENCES UPGRADED FOR THE NEXT CENTURY
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
DIVERSE MIX OF JOBS
The climate emergency means we must design a scheme which is future proofed and sustainable – socially as well as environmentally. We are investing into the biodiversity of the site and have thought hard about the species which will be planted in consultation with local experts. As part of this, there will be vertical vegetation to the towers and measures such as heat pumps, ability to connect to the District Heating Network, green roofs and solar panels. We will be air quality neutral and amongst the top performing developments for sustainability in the UK.
pedestrian and cyclist safety – and Sea Witch Lane will provide a safe, active route to the planned new bridge over the A102.
The scheme has been designed around pedestrians and cyclists, with the car very much as guest. Following discussions with TfL and the GLA, the scheme will now be largely car-free with much of remaining workplace and Blue Badge Parking in the basement to maximise public realm. As part of this, we will deliver a new, improved Thames Path and a new bridge which will dramatically improve
We haven’t forgotten public transport and will contribute £2.5m towards a new TfL bus service through the site and connection to North Greenwich, secured in the S.106 Agreement. We will also contribute a forecast £1.75m to a new Thames Clipper stop and service, planned jointly with the Council and neighbouring developers.
Importantly, there will be a mobility hub to future proof Morden Wharf. We are working with Digital Greenwich Cities to develop a blueprint for the next generation of mobility hubs for London. It will include different transport modes such as bike or car club rental, readiness for mobility as a service (MaaS), autonomous vehicles, and integrated services for residents.
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
DESIGN FOR THE FUTURE
MORDEN WHARF WILL BE A TRUE 21ST CENTURY DEVELOPMENT – INSPIRED BY THE PAST BUT READY FOR WHAT THE FUTURE WILL BRING.
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
POLICY AND TALL BUILDINGS It has been a deliberate and conscious design choice to prioritise creation of significant amounts of open space and a public park, as well as delivering up to 200,000 sq ft of employment space for 680 jobs, and 1,500 homes with 35% affordable housing. We believe these priorities are supported by both policy and public feedback in a location specifically designated for higher density development and tall buildings.
The new London Plan puts clear emphasis on tall buildings to be in appropriate locations identified through the plan-making system, and to form part of existing clusters, as inserted by the Secretary of State. Our approach complies with local policy (Policy DH1 and DH2) and the new London Plan (Policy D9) –
The site is located in area identified for tall buildings at a local level
The application protects the open quality of any riverside public realm
The application assess short, medium and longer views, and impact on heritage assets
The proposals help to maximise the benefits of new jobs, services and economic activity
The tall buildings aid legibility and wayfinding
The World Heritage Site executive committee and Historic England have been consulted and did not raise any objections to the proposals
The tall buildings are of high architectural quality and integrity The proposals include clear public benefits
The application submission includes a robust assessment of the appropriateness of tall buildings and demonstrates that the proposals meet policy requirements. The site is an appropriate location for tall buildings and the proposed height and massing will form an appropriate, high quality designed cluster, that will facilitate substantial public benefits and create a new and thriving mixed use environment.
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
Verified townscape view of Morden Wharf in the context of consented developments from the General Wolfe Statue in Greenwich Park.
66% SUPPORT
Supported or strongly supported the final plans at consultation
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
Morden Wharf is one of the last key jigsaws pieces in the peninsula, with an extraordinary list of benefits being delivered. In representative and informed pre-application consultation, two-thirds supported the plans. We are pleased to have recieved a wide range of support from local residents, businesses and organisations since submission. Over 8 years we have worked closely with, and have positive feedback from our tenants and neighbours, the GLA, the World Heritage Site Executive, Historical England, and your officers.
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
IT’S TIME FOR MORDEN WHARF TO BE REBORN
U+I is a specialist regeneration developer, recognised for creative vision and entrepreneurial flair. We have a £11.5 billion development pipeline, of complex, mixed-use, community focused regeneration projects spanning the UK and Ireland. U+I challenges conventions to find better solutions. Our working model is to deliver projects that leave a legacy that all involved – the company, the local communities we work with, our investors, our funders and other partners – can be proud of. U+I’s ambition is to be recognised as the best property regeneration company in the industry.
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
OMA is an international award-winning practice founded in 1975 operating within the traditional boundaries of architecture and urbanism and known for its ground-breaking work. Some of its most notable projects include De Rotterdam (2013), Fondazione Prada in Milan (2018), Qatar National Library (2018), The Commonwealth Institute and Design Museums in London (2016), Timmerhuis, the new home for Rotterdam’s municipal offices (2015) and CCTV Headquarters in Beijing (2012).
Morden College is an independent charity based in Blackheath, established over 300 years ago. Its purpose is to help older people by offering either a home for independent living, a home for supported living, or 24/7 residential care with nursing. The College is a long-term partner of both London (their independent Board of Trustees are all Aldermen of the City of London) and the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Its key objective is to create a financially viable scheme which releases value, to allow Morden College to continue to help the older generations in London for the next 300 years as they have done to date.
MORDEN WHARF.
mordenwharf.com e: info@mordenwharf.com t: +44 (0) 20 3633 6482
MORDEN WHARF . REGENERATION RETHOUGHT
UP TO
1,500
UP TO
350
UP TO
680
NEW HOMES
LONDON AFFORDABLE RENT HOMES
FULL- AND PART-TIME JOBS ON SITE
Adding new homes in a London Opportunity Area, with 35% affordable housing at a 70/30 ratio. Including both smaller units and attractive family housing
Majority with direct access to ¾ acre of communal garden for play and shared amenity
A diversity of jobs through retaining MDM Props, supporting a Brew by Numbers brewery, varied new workspaces and a last-minute deliveries warehouse
£42M P.A. GENERATED FOR THE LOCAL ECONOMY
London Affordable Rent also included in riverfront block
3,500+
3.9
NEW JOBS
ACRE RIVERSIDE PUBLIC PARK AND ASSOCIATED PUBLIC REALM
Over 2,400 construction jobs (temporary) and 1,100 direct and indirect operational jobs (permanent).
Overall nearly half the site given over to public realm
20,000
200,000
50,000+
SQ FT OF COMMERCIAL SPACE
SQ FT RETAIL, RESTAURANT AND CONVENIENCE SPACE
SQ FT OF COMMUNITY SPACE
Industrial space and flexible creative workspace units
Including reinstated Sea Witch pub
In addition to allotments and community gardens
UP TO