Charlton Riverside

The area formerly known as New Charlton is situated in the Greenwich wards of Peninsula and Woolwich Riverside. It is bounded by the river Thames in the north and the A206 (Woolwich Road) in the south. On the west it borders the Greenwich Peninsula at Horn Lane and Horn Link Way. On the east it borders Woolwich at the Thames Barrier and Eastmoor Street.

The Westminster Estate, the area between the Thames Barrier and Warspite Road, has at times been referred to as part of New Charlton. The Survey of London however regards it as a part of Woolwich, since it is situated in the historic parish of Woolwich. From 1863 until 1968 this was the site of Siemens Brothers, where many who were living across the road in New Charlton worked. This is also where Charlton Athletic F.C. played their first football matches at Siemens Meadow from 1905 until 1907.[2] In the Charlton Riverside Masterplan SPD the Westminster Estate is considered a part of Charlton Riverside. The SPD also includes Charlton railway station and a small section of Charlton Church Lane.[1]

New Charlton in 1905, as seen from Maryon Park. On the left: housing along Hardens Manor Way, now Eastmoor Street, all since demolished. To the right, along Woolwich Road: Maryon Park School (1896), now Windrush Primary School. In the centre: Charlton Athletic's earliest ground. Beyond: factory buildings of Siemens Brothers

Industrial development on the flat land adjoining the Thames at Charlton Riverside began in the middle of the 19th century, especially after the opening of a private railway branch line to Angerstein Wharf in 1852. A notable establishment was the Siemens Brothers Telegraph Works opened in 1863 (although the factory was largely in Woolwich). The company manufactured two new transatlantic cables in the 1880s,[3] and contributed to the PLUTO project in World War II. Since the 1960s the area had sunk into industrial decline, with most of the original factories closing (Siemens Brothers in 1968).[2]

There have been several regeneration projects in the area, starting in the 1980s, after the opening of the Thames Barrier. It was identified as part of an Opportunity Area by the Mayor of London in 2008 and, more clearly, in the London Plan of 2011. Regeneration of the area is now focused on the Charlton Riverside Masterplan agreed by the Royal Borough of Greenwich in April 2012 and updated in February 2017. The masterplan envisages a series of new neighbourhoods with medium-rise housing and a significant proportion of family homes. A network of streets and open spaces will be shaped by the area's industrial heritage.[1]

In 2013, Royal Greenwich UTC opened as part of this plan. The college failed to attract sufficient numbers of students and in 2016 was converted into a free school, Royal Greenwich Trust School.[4] Adjacent to it, also on Woolwich Road and officially in Woolwich, is Windrush Primary School, formerly Maryon Park School, from the 1990s until 2015 Holborn College.

New commercial developments include the Greenwich Shopping Park,[5] the Peninsula Retail Park and Stone Lake Retail Park.[6] A new Sainsbury's superstore opened in 2015 between Woolwich Road and Bugsby's Way. Sainsbury's also has a large distribution centre in New Charlton; it was rebuilt and expanded in 2012 and re-opened by deputy prime minister Nick Clegg in 2013.[7] A new IKEA-store is expected to open in 2019.[8][9]