L&Q and LSEC break ground on landmark scheme in Greenwich
Leading housing association L&Q and partners at London South East College (LSEC) have now started construction work on a new landmark scheme in Royal Greenwich, South London.
At an event to celebrate the milestone, London Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development, Tom Copley, joined L&Q’s Chief Executive Fiona Fletcher-Smith, its Executive Group Director Vicky Savage and LSEC’s Group Principal and CEO, Dr Sam Parrett CBE.
Also attending was Cllr Anthony Okereke, Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, Cabinet Member for Finances, Resources and Social Value, Denise Hyland, together with officers from the Greater London Authority (GLA) and the Council.
Originally permitted in 2021, the scheme will deliver 294 new homes, over half of which will be affordable, with a mix of Shared Ownership and London Affordable Rent. The development also responds to considerable local need for family housing, providing 63 three-bed homes for families.
The innovative proposals also include the delivery of a cutting edge, sustainable building on the existing Plumstead College site, which currently offers high-quality, career-focused education for young people and adults, including apprenticeships, traineeships and vocational qualifications, through to degree-level and professional courses.
The new building will create a more modern and flexible learning environment, enabling the college to meet employers’ current and future training needs. This will improve and expand opportunities for local people to upskill, reskill and achieve their career ambitions.
The development will also significantly improve public realm in the local area, with a new street to enhance connectivity and access for the community, students and residents.
The site is situated next to the existing Plumstead College building in Greenwich, aiming to be completed in Spring 2026. The first residents will be moving in a year before, and the first homes to become available will be a mixture of Outright Sales and Shared Ownership.
Meanwhile, LSEC also expects to open the doors of its new campus building in 2025.
Vicky Savage, Executive Group Director, Development and Sales, at L&Q, said:
“We are very excited to soon start work on another plot in Greenwich, working closely with our partners at LSEC, the GLA and with the support of the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
“As we know, these are unprecedented times for housing supply and affordability, but these new 294 homes re-emphasize our commitment to tackling the housing crisis. Over half of these will be affordable and a large proportion designed specially for larger families, as we are looking to build genuinely mixed and successful communities. And this particular scheme is all the more important, since we are delivering it through our in-house construction team, raising the bar for the sector and continuing to deliver the same high quality affordable homes, despite economic challenges and downturns.”
The scheme is supported by the Mayor of London through the Affordable Homes Programme. The Greater London Authority also contributed to the delivery of the new college, pledging £14m through the Skills for Londoners fund.
London Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development, Tom Copley, said:
“It was a pleasure to attend the ground-breaking of this exciting new development in Greenwich, which will provide much-needed genuinely affordable homes of all sizes for residents, part-funded by the Mayor of London. The new campus building for Plumstead College will also offer a modern environment for students, providing valuable opportunities to retrain and learn new skills, while a new street will improve access and connectivity to the local area.”
Group Principal and CEO of London South East Colleges, Dr Sam Parrett, said:
“This is such an exciting development and a fantastic example of community partnership. Together with L&Q, the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the GLA, we are making significant improvements to the local area – ensuring residents have access to quality housing and education.
“As a college, we are committed to supporting our communities; transforming lives through the power of learning. Our new college campus will enable us to deliver qualifications and courses that meet the rapidly changing skills needs of employers, ensuring current and prospective students can progress into great jobs.”
Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, Cllr Anthony Okereke, said:
“I greatly enjoyed my time at LSEC studying construction and I’m delighted to return today to celebrate such an important milestone in L&Q and LSEC’s development. It’s exciting to see work get underway on sustainable, high quality facilities that will inspire and support the next generation of students. The delivery of much needed affordable housing will give those students and other local families an opportunity to make their home here in Royal Greenwich.
“It’s fantastic to see such significant investment benefitting the area, which is a priority for the Council. This project will complement wider works around the high street to provide vital community facilities, improve public spaces and boost the local economy, funded by the Council and the Mayor of London."
The residential element of the scheme will be built out by L&Q, through its in-house construction team, whereas LSEC is expected to hire a contractor shortly, with works on the new campus building starting later this year.
L&Q already has considerable stock in the Greenwich, with a total of almost 6,000 homes across several estates and developments, including flagship schemes like Greenwich Peninsula, Kidbrooke Village and Greenwich Square.