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The Royal Borough of Greenwich is starting work next month on an exciting range of improvements to make Woolwich town centre’s main market and high street a more vibrant place to live, work and shop.
The improvements include:
Powis Street: giving the street a refresh by removing clutter, installing new paving, more planting to complement the tree-lined street, public seating, new play spaces and better lighting.
Beresford Square: transforming the market and creating a more flexible and friendly public space with a new urban garden, terraced seating, lighting and an interactive water fountain.
Market pavilion: a striking new market pavilion building with a café, seating, lush planting, play spaces for children and fully accessible public toilets with a changing places facility.
Royal Arsenal Gatehouse: working with the Greenwich Enterprise Board to reopen the gates of the Grade II listed Royal Arsenal Gatehouse for the first time in nearly 25 years, and lighting the building at night to create an attractive focal point in the town centre.
Nearly £25 million funding for the work, and other improvements to Woolwich town centre, has been awarded from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ Future High Street Fund (FHSF) and Historic England’s High Streets Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ), complemented by match funding from the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
Read more at royalgreenwich.gov.uk/woolwich-town-centre-works
We're inviting expressions of interest from local artists for four new artworks in Woolwich by 15 August 2022.
We're looking for a collection of local artists to animate blank walls and facades at four sites in Woolwich town centre. The artworks will highlight Woolwich's historic high street, add colour and creativity, and celebrate the local people who make up Woolwich today.
The murals will make Woolwich more attractive and vibrant for residents, businesses and shoppers.
Read more about the project: royalgreenwich.gov.uk/haz
The Royal Borough of Greenwich has received further funding of £74,500 from Historic England and National Lottery Heritage Fund to bring the history of local people alive, as part of a two-year culture and arts project, to attract more people back to Woolwich town centre.
This cultural programme will be run on the Council's behalf by the established arts organisation Emergency Exit Arts to complement the physical improvements being made to heritage buildings in the area through the Woolwich Heritage Action Zone.
To create an arts trail in and around Powis Street the Council is looking for artists to create four unique murals that tell a story of Woolwich’s history and future. Architecture practice Turner Works will manage the commissioning process on behalf of the Council.
The proposed locations are:
Cllr Adel Khaireh, Cabinet Member for Culture, Communities and Equalities, said: “Our cultural programme will celebrate the diverse stories of our communities in Woolwich and delve more intimately into the lives and experiences of our community, showing just how connected we all are. I can’t wait to see how local artists will also creatively reinterpret the local people’s stories to build a trail that is immersive, captivating and real.”
Cllr Aidan Smith, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, said: “Woolwich is a priority area for the Council. We are investing in a brand-new leisure centre as well as refurbishing Tramshed Theatre and leading the makeover of the town centre’s civic spaces and heritage buildings. We want to attract residents from nearby communities to Beresford market and the high street, increasing spend and footfall, supporting local businesses and increasing the diversity of what’s on offer in the town centre for residents.”
Artists interested in creating a mural should apply by Monday 15 August.
Apply for positions with Emergency Exit Arts.
In addition to the Government's Heritage Action Zone funding the Council successfully bid for £17 million from its Future High Street Fund to boost Woolwich town centre too. The Council is currently consulting on proposals to revitalise the area and people can have their say until Sunday 17 July.
Tomorrow (2 July) from 10am to 1pm, our team are in Beresford Square talking to residents and shoppers about our exciting new design proposals for Woolwich town centre.
Come along to check out the proposals to improve Beresford Square and Powis Street, and give your feedback.
Our consultation is open until Friday 17 July 2022 and you can still get involved in a number of different ways.
You can give your views on Commonplace or you can visit our exhibitions at the Front Room (105 Powis Street) and Woolwich Centre library and fill in a questionnaire.
You can also sign up to take part in one of our online webinars on Saturday 9 July or Wednesday 13 July .
Following the consultation, the feedback received will be used to help finalise our designs before a planning application is submitted in the summer. Construction is expected to start in spring 2023 and take approximately 12 months.
We look forward to hearing your views.
We're asking local people to share their views on exciting new proposals that will make Woolwich a more attractive and accessible place to shop, work and live. The proposals have been developed in consultation with the local community to improve the look and feel of the town centre.
The proposals include:
• improving the layout of Beresford Square and Powis Street to encourage more shoppers and visitors
• providing flexible space for community events and al-fresco dining for local cafes and restaurants
• improving facilities for market traders
• a new interactive water feature, play spaces and planting
• improving lighting to make the town centre feel safer and support the night-time economy
• improving paving and providing more public seating
• artwork celebrating Woolwich’s unique history
• removing street clutter
• improving connections with local bus stops and train stations
The consultation is open until midnight on Sunday 17 July 2022 . Please visit Commonplace to check out the proposals and share your views.