New Plan for Huge London Project

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A new master plan has been submitted for the long-delayed redevelopment of Convoys Wharf, the 18.6 hectare project in Deptford, London. 

The new plan by Terry Farrells will include 3,500 new homes, three public parks, 12,000 square meters of stores and 10,000 square meters of artistic and cultural space, according to BD Online. 

Originally Henry VIII's royal shipyard, the highly publicized project will be dominated by a 48-story residential tower.

The new plan will also include Raleigh River Gardens, a floating river park connected to land by a series of jetties. The park is named after Sir Walter Raleigh, who, according to legend, laid down his cape for Elizabeth I when she visited the docks. 

The Grade II-listed Olympia warehouse, built on the site in the 1840s, will be transformed into a cultural destination, the paper reported.

Mr. Farrells was recruited in early 2012 to revise previous plans submitted by Aedas for the south-east London project for the developer, Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa Property.

By focusing on the site's history, the new plan will address issues brought up last year by lobbyists and the local council, Mr. Farrells told BD.

"This part of Deptford has an incredible history, more so than any project I have worked on in my career and we feel we have a scheme that strikes the right balance between respecting and celebrating the cultural heritage and providing much needed new homes and jobs," Mr. Farrells said.

Plans for the mixed-use project were withdrawn last year after issues arose with the density and historic sensitivity of the Aedas plan. The Council for British Archaeology branded the plan, "monstrous."

Since Mr. Farrells' arrival, Aedas has not worked on the project, BD Online reported.  The new plan is still a cause for concern for the lobby group Deptford Is. "It's a solely maximum profit-led residential development. It's too big," lobby group co-founder Willi Richards told BD. 

Although Mr. Richards believes the plan is a step up from the Aedas proposal that ignored the site's historic background, he is still concerned about the number of residential units. "You've got this bulky base which is completely out of kilter with what's around," he said.