More affordable homes come a step closer in Woolwich as the council names The Hill Group as development partner on its Woolwich Leisure Centre Scheme.

The Council is investing in a brand-new state-of-the-art leisure centre fronting General Gordon Square in the heart of Woolwich town centre. This will offer a wide range of facilities, including a six-lane 25-metre swimming pool, waterslide and flumes, spa, gym and much more. Along with the leisure centre, there will be shops, places to eat, public spaces and the refurbishment of the Tramshed theatre and arts centre.

Approximately 500 new homes, a combination of private and affordable, are planned to be delivered by the Council’s development partner Hill Group, who were appointed following a competitive tender process. The homes will be built between Vincent Road and Wilmount Street, adjacent to the new leisure centre. Hill has extensive experience in delivering mixed tenure developments for local authority partners, working in close collaboration to provide high-quality homes and create places that bring greater social value for the community whilst incorporating the highest standards of sustainability.  

Cllr Denise Scott-McDonald, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Good Growth, said: 

“Building a state-of-the-art leisure centre in the heart of Woolwich will bring residents back into the town centre throughout the week and have a positive knock-on effect as more people spend their money and time in the area. But it’s not the only big investment we’re making in Woolwich. We’ve also secured funding from Government to rejuvenate Powis Street and Beresford Square, create jobs, attract visitors and boost the local economy.”

Cllr Anthony Okereke, Cabinet Member for Housing, said: 

“Like every other borough in London, we are facing an unprecedented housing crisis and we are doing everything we can to tackle it. Our Woolwich Leisure Centre Scheme will deliver hundreds of much-needed flats and houses in a range of sizes, including homes for families. Some will be for market sale, as well as affordable housing including 51 social rented homes for local residents, on leases from the Council. We selected Hill, a family-run business, as our development partner from a wide range of responses due to their excellent experience delivering high quality homes for a range of councils and their strong sustainability credentials.”

Andy Hill, Chief Executive at Hill Group, said: 

“We are proud to be selected to work in partnership with Royal Borough of Greenwich and the residents to deliver their vision for the regeneration of the Woolwich Leisure Centre Scheme. We look forward to meeting the community and other stakeholders to learn and discuss proposals that keep their ambitions at the heart of the plans. We take a resident-led approach to regeneration to ensure the developments we create in existing neighbourhoods benefit the entire local community.”

In another significant step, the former Wilko store on General Gordon Square has been demolished, following its relocation to new premises in Charlton. The demolition works also included the strip-out of the old Tramshed building as part of a major refurbishment and extension of the theatre and arts centre there – also being funded by the Council – which is about to start. The demolition was carried out by Morgan Sindall Construction, the Council’s main contractor for the leisure centre.  

The Council expects the new leisure centre to be complete and ready for use in winter 2024. It will replace the old facilities at the Waterfront Leisure Centre with their modern equivalents and will also provide new facilities not currently available at the existing building. The town centre location means the new leisure centre will benefit from Woolwich’s excellent transport links. The Waterfront Leisure Centre will stay open while the new centre is being built.