The Royal Borough of Greenwich Transport and Place Scrutiny Panel met to discuss the transport work programme, receive an update from the Cabinet Member for Planning, Estate Renewal and Development, and to note the 2025/26 work programme items. The panel was also asked to note the work items scheduled for the next meeting in September.

Transport Work Programme

The panel was scheduled to receive an update on the council's transport work programme for 2025-26. The report included details on:

• The transport work programme
• Performance against targets
• The Policy Framework Action Plans supporting the Transport Strategy
• How transport interventions are being prioritised
• The Public Transport Programme
• The West and East Greenwich Neighbourhood Management Scheme

The Transportation work programme for 2025/26 included:

• Awarding contracts with Electric Vehicle (EV) providers to provide 1,150 lamp post chargers under Low Emission Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) funding and up to 1,000 charge points
• Traffic Management Order Consultation and decision relating to the Greenwich to Woolwich Ferry Cycleway
• Consult and complete detailed design Eltham to Greenwich Cycleway
• Consult and complete detailed design Shooters Hill to Greenwich Cycleway
• Consult and make decision Greenwich Town Centre Interim Cycle Network Scheme
• Consult and start detailed design Woolwich to Thamesmead Cycleway
• Consult and complete detailed design Cycleway 18
• Finalise modelling and undertake consultation and design for North to East Greenwich Cycle route
• Consider making permanent 11 x existing School Streets with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR)
• To complete public consultation on up to 21 additional School Streets with ANPR and subject to consideration of the consultation feedback, aim to deliver some by end of 2025/26.
• Review the suitability of up to 1,000 Healthy Sustainable Streets and publicly consult on them (which includes the introduction of parking controls to clean up poor parking within certain areas, alongside measures such as trees, cycle parking, EV bays and Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems)
• Deliver road safety schemes at Plumstead High Street (between Wickham Lane and Walmer Terrace) and Western Way Roundabout
• Developing a borough wide 20mph proposal
• Complete feasibility design on Superloop Bus Priority Measures, Eltham High Street Bus Priority Measures, Green Lane Bus Priority Measures, Avery Hill Road/Southwood Road Bus Priority Measures, Shooters Hill Bus Priority Measures, Eynsham Drive Bus Priority Measures, Battery Road Bus Priority Measures
• Committed to deliver up to 39 cycle hangars over the Summer and look to deliver an additional 20 cycle hangars by end of March 2026
• To consider to deliver 80 bays for Lime bikes
• Deliver Plumstead Public Realm Project to provide improvements around Plumstead Station
• Publicly consult on Greenwich Liveable Neighbourhood Scheme
• Deliver a decision on West and East Greenwich Traffic Management Scheme
• Deliver the update of Council's Highways Asset Management
• Deliver the update of Council's Flood Risk Management Strategy
• Deliver Sustainable Urban Drainage Opportunity Mapping
• Complete detailed design and consider to deliver £1m scheme to develop a Natural Flood Management scheme at Oxleas Woods, Clothworkers and Bostal Woods
• Deliver Bus Strategy and Action Plan with TfL
• Deliver the update of Council's Road Safety Action Plan, Active Travel Action Plan and Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Action Plan
• Support the progress of the DLR extension to Thamesmead and Bus Rapid Transit Project- Woolwich to Thamesmead.
• Deliver structural improvements to A206 Pettman Crescent Bridge

The report also provided updates on the Policy Framework Action Plans supporting the Transport Strategy, including the Road Safety Policy Framework Action Plan, the Active Travel Policy Framework Action Plan, the Electric Vehicle Policy Framework Action Plan, and the Kerbside Management Policy Framework Action Plan.

Cabinet Member Update - Planning, Estate Regeneration and Development

Councillor Majid Rahman, Cabinet Member for Planning, Estate Renewal and Development, was scheduled to provide an update on the achievements of the Planning, Estate Regeneration and Development portfolio since taking the post on 24 July 2024, and their priorities for the coming year.

The update was structured in three parts:

• Our Challenges
• Key Successes
• Priorities for the coming year

The report identified the delivery of affordable housing as the principal challenge, whether through Greenwich Builds, or private sector delivery through the planning system.

The report stated that Greenwich has the third highest housing target in London at 2,824 units per year, with much private sector delivery being affected by macroeconomic issues such as build cost inflation, land values affecting the viability of schemes and the second stair core issues which has slowed many schemes down.

The report stated that Greenwich's Local Plan is 11 years old and that is why it is a priority to bring forward a new one to help boost growth and factor in changes in policy and beyond in the period since the last plan was adopted.

The report listed the key successes over the past year by area.

Planning

The report stated that the planning department continues to work to reduce the backlog in applications and this has been reduced significantly. Some key metrics are set out below to show how the service is currently operating.

The report stated that the Planning Board in 2024/25 resolved to permit 3,208 homes of which 818 were affordable with 380 social rented, subject to legal agreements.

The report stated that the council adopted a revised Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Charging Schedule in July 2024 following a successful public examination by an independent Examiner. This increased the rates which developers are charged CIL and is set to increase the amount collected by the Council by over £5m over the next 5 years.

The report stated that officers continue to work to develop the Local Plan. which will be published for consultation in October 2025.

Planning Enforcement

The report stated that Planning Enforcement plays a key role in the planning process, ensuring that development is completed in accordance with the appropriate policy and design aspirations of the Borough. In 2024/25 the team received 490 complaints, taking formal enforcement by way of legal action on 29 sites.

The report stated that the Enforcement Notice for Mast Quay Phase II was varied and upheld by the planning Inspector and planning consent was granted for a conditioned scheme. This required significant alterations to the structures and financial contributions (totalling £7.8m) to be made to Council to provide remediation to address the developments short comings in respect to matters such as affordable housing.

The report stated that the team had a successful prosecution matter regarding the unauthorised development at Marwan Motors, where the developer has not complied with the Enforcement Notice requirements.

Building Control

The report stated that The Royal Borough has a 43% share of the Building Control market. To ensure the service is fit for purpose following the Fire Safety Act the service is being reviewed to ensure the new regime requirements are captured in the service function.

Housing Development and Delivery

The report stated that the Greenwich Builds programme is a tremendous success story which has delivered 435 new affordable homes for local people at council rents since the start of the programme in 2019, and there are a further 1147 homes in the Greenwich Builds development pipeline.

The report stated that the borough faces significant financial pressure from the escalating cost of temporary accommodation for homeless households. To meet the challenge of these costs, over the last 12 months officers in Place and Growth have secured £46.8m in capital grant funding to acquire 267 individual properties, which can be made available to homeless households so that they can move out of expensive temporary accommodation.

Regeneration and Capital schemes

The report stated that key schemes and projects include:

• Leisure Centre Scheme Construction of new leisure centre in Woolwich continues and is due to open late 2025, providing high-quality sport and leisure facilities. The scheme will also provide around 450 new homes delivered by the Council's residential development partner.
• Old Town Hall and Public Library completed major refurbishment of both buildings. The Old Town Hall will now be further developed to create new truly affordable studios for the creative industries that will support circa 30 jobs.
• Woolwich Town Hall Major repair works underway and on programme to complete in early 2026.
• Heritage Action Zone / Future High Street Fund invested £19m of grant funding into Woolwich Town Centre, supporting businesses and residents, improving the offer of the high street, and enhancing the conservation Area.
• Woolwich Front Room over 21,000 local residents took part or visited the community hub on Powis Street.
• Public realm over 11,500 sqm of public realm improvements for Woolwich town centre, including planting, seating, water feature and modern and publicly accessible toilets. Scheme completes end June 2025.
• Decarbonising the Estate Secured £14m of Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) funding to decarbonise the corporate estate. When complete this will remove c. 2,000 tonnes CO2e per annum.
• Community Centres completed large scale external repairs to Clockhouse & Shrewsbury House community centres (c £3m); fit out at Kidbrooke Village Block D to create new pharmacy, dentist, community centre and health centre (c £6m S106); and refurbishment of Ezra centre to create a new community centre in Woolwich (c £2.8m)
• Cambridge Barracks Gatehouse refurbishment of the gatehouse to create a Citizen Advice Centre.
• New SEND School construction works commenced on site for the Rowan Wood Secondary & Post 16 SEND school.
• 77 Bexley Rd planning permission secured for a new transition learning centre for SEND pupils up to age 24. Final design to complete in 2025 with construction completion targeted for 2027.
• Hawksmoor Youth Hub Completed large scale remodelling and refurbishment works. Awarded 'Best Secured by Design Youth Refurbishment 2024' at the Designing Out Crime Officers (DOCOs) annual national security conference, held by Secured by Design.
• Birchmere long term strategic planning underway to improve and modernise the site to take account of future growth, EV strategy and resolve a number of condition and suitability issues.
• Calderwood Car Park Investigations into concrete repairs complete and works tendered. Costs and delivery options being reviewed alongside long term plan for the site.
• Urban Regeneration Frameworks Place-based strategies for Abbey Wood, Plumstead and Woolwich, being developed with stakeholders and the community, to reflect the ambitions of the areas for the next 10 years.
• Charlton Riverside c. £600k funding from Homes England to reinvigorate the regeneration vision for the Charlton Riverside Opportunity Area, to deliver new homes, new jobs, new community facilities, new open space and new infrastructure.
• Estate Regeneration Cabinet commitment to undertaking a comprehensive and rolling review of existing Council residential assets with the objective of delivering mixed tenure developments, an overall net increase in social rent homes and improving the condition of existing stock in the Borough. And commitment to the development of a focused Social Value Policy to maximise the benefits felt by the Council and affected third parties throughout the estate regeneration process.

Developer Contributions

The report stated that in 2024/2025 Greenwich collected £5,151,027 in Borough CIL (BCIL), bringing the total of BCIL collected to £29.9m since 2015. Greenwich also acts as the collecting authority for the Mayor, and also collected over £1,487,455 in Mayoral CIL in 2024/25.

The Royal Borough secured £9.4m of new planning obligations in 2024/25, which will become due when schemes are implemented and payment triggers are reached. The borough received payment of £10.9m in planning obligations during the same period. This includes £5.6m that was secured from the Mast Quay scheme as a result of the Royal Borough's enforcement action.

Property

The report stated that the Council's commercial (retail/industrial) property portfolio is currently 93% occupied.

The team are currently overseeing and undertaking the Council's annual asset valuation programme (dwellings and corporate portfolios) as required for the Council's annual accounts. The total value reported per annum is circa £2.5bn (adjusted from £7bn to reflect local government accountancy guidelines).

Priorities

The report stated that the priorities for the coming year include:

• Local Plan: To publish a draft Local Plan in October 2025 for consultation, to give communities and developers certainty about where the Council wishes to see new development for homes and jobs with a long-term plan that guides decisions on planning applications.
• Updating processes including replacement Planning System: To replace the legacy system to improve the customer experience and improve the efficiency of work within the planning and building control service through digital enhancements.
• Continued housing delivery: To respond to challenges with housing supply through a range of Council interventions that include direct delivery, development agreements and strategic acquisitions that not only provide new Council homes but also create more viable schemes for developers.
• Estate regeneration: Borough-wide review of the existing housing estates applying data sets to undertake an in-depth review including market testing and feasibility studies before presenting back to cabinet in late 2025.
• Charlton Riverside: Revisioning the existing SPD and development of a Delivery Plan for the programme. Integration of this work into the Local Plan and the production of a Business Case for central government resource.
• Thamesmead: This is the next transformational area in London. Public Transport infrastructure is required in the form of a DLR extension from Beckton to underpin the housing numbers and that development potential is optimised to ensure best use of land.
• DLR extension to Thamesmead: Supporting work to secure the extension which will unlock significant development in the area.
• Heat Network Business Case: Produce an outline business for the feasibility of a borough heat network to pipe low carbon hot water and provide heat to council assets in key cluster areas.
• Urban Regeneration Frameworks: Development of regeneration frameworks for Woolwich, Plumstead and Abbey Wood to identify the actions and interventions required to ensure deliverability.
• Waterfront Strategy: Overview and Scrutiny have been reviewing the Thames Path. Scrutiny will make recommendations that will reflect their work undertaken., We will ensure that the importance of the Thames path area is reflected in the new local plan, leading to the development of a waterfront strategy to reflect what is important and how we wish to see this area improved.
• Capital Delivery: Complete and open the new leisure centre in Woolwich, deliver new build SEND facilities to tackle growth and demand in this area, complete major repairs to the Town Hall, agree a strategic plan for Birchmere that meets demand and EV strategy, agree the plan of works at Calderwood Car Park and implement all other elements of the capital programme.
• Reimagining our Working Environment: Complete staff surveys and analysis to develop design proposals for Birchmere and the Woolwich Centre to enable them to meet future workforce strategy and demands.

Declarations of Interest

The panel was asked to note the list of councillors' memberships on outside bodies, joint committees and school governing bodies. Members were asked to declare any personal or financial interests in items on the agenda.

Work Programme Schedule 2025-2026

The panel was asked to note the 2025/26 work programme items and agree on their scope. The draft meeting schedule included the following items:

• Update on Local Implementation Plan (LIP) and funding.
• Update on the development of the Local Plan.
• Update on Estate Regeneration policy and implementation.
• Update on the flood risk strategy and surface water management plan.
• A working group of officers and scrutiny members to present recommendations on the Councils approach to community asset transfer.
• Update on the councils highways asset management plan.
• Update on jetties, piers, wharves and dry docks within the borough.
• Annual Transport Meeting
• Retrospective of 2022 – 2026 for Mission 7.
• Retrospective on 2022 – 2026 for Mission 8.

Commissioning of Future Reports

The panel was asked to note the work items that are scheduled to be presented to the meeting of the Transport and Place Scrutiny Panel taking place on 18th September 2025, and to consider the scope of forthcoming reports and specify any detailed requirements.

The reports scheduled for the 18th September meeting were:

• Local Implementation Plan (LIP) and funding update
• Local Plan update