Greenwich Peninsula
Encyclopedia
Greenwich Peninsula is an area of South
London
, England
, located in the London Borough of Greenwich
.
The peninsula
is bounded on three sides by a loop of the Thames, between the Isle of Dogs
and Silvertown
. To the south is the rest of Greenwich
, to the south-east is Charlton
.
The peninsula lies within the London Borough of Greenwich
. Formerly known as Greenwich Marshes and as Bugsby's Marshes , it became known as East Greenwich as it developed in the 19th century, but has also been called North Greenwich due to the location of the North Greenwich tube station
. This should not be confused with North Greenwich
on the Isle of Dogs, at the north side of a former ferry from Greenwich. The peninsula's northernmost point on the riverside is known as Blackwall Point, and this may have led to the name Blackwall Peninsula sometimes being used in the late 20th century.
Landmarks include The Dome (also known by the current corporate logo The O2
and previously the Millennium Dome
) and the southern end of the Blackwall Tunnel
, but the area is now being substantially redeveloped with new homes, offices, schools, a college and parks.
The peninsula was drained by Dutch
engineers in the 16th century, allowing it to be used as pasture land. In the 17th century, Blackwall Point (the northern tip of the peninsula, opposite Blackwall
) gained notoriety as a location where pirates' corpses were hung in cages as a deterrent to other would-be pirates.
The peninsula was steadily industrialised from the early 19th century onwards. In 1857 a plan was presented to Parliament for a huge dock occupying much of the peninsula, connected to Greenwich Reach to the west and Bugsby's Reach to the east, but this came to nothing. Early industries included Henry Blakeley's Ordnance Works making heavy guns, with other sites making chemicals, submarine cables, iron boats, iron and steel. Henry Bessemer
built a steel works in the early 1860s to supply the London shipbuilding industry, but this closed as a result of a fall in demand due to the financial crisis of 1866. Later came oil mills, shipbuilding (for example the 1870 clipper
s Blackadder
and Hallowe'en
built by Maudslay), boiler making, manufacture of Portland cement
and linoleum
(Bessemer's works became the Victoria linoleum works) and the South Metropolitan Gas company's huge East Greenwich Gas Works
. Early in the 20th century came bronze manufacturers Delta Metals and works making asbestos and 'Molassine Meal' animal feed.
For over 100 years the peninsula was dominated by the gasworks
which primarily produced town gas, also known as coal gas
. The gasworks grew to 240 acre (0.9712464 km²), the largest in Europe
, also producing coke, tar and chemicals as important secondary products. The site had its own extensive railway system connected to the main railway line near Charlton, and a large jetty used to unload coal and load coke. There were two huge gas holders, of 8.6 and 12.2 million ft3 (240,000m3 and 345,000m3). The larger holder, originally the largest in the world, was reduced to 8.9 million ft3 (250,000m3) when it was damaged in the Silvertown explosion
in 1917, but was still the largest in England until it was damaged again by a Provisional Irish Republican Army
bomb in 1978. Originally manufacturing gas from coal, the plant began to manufacture gas from oil in the 1960s. Its peak production of 400 million ft3 per day (11.3 million m3) in the mid 1960s is believed to have been the largest of any single site in the world. The discovery of natural gas
reserves in the North Sea
soon rendered the complex obsolete.
On the eastern shore was Blackwall Point Power Station
; the original station from the 1890s was replaced in the 1950s by a new station which ceased operation about 1981. A large area including the site of the Victoria linoleum works later became the Victoria Deep Water Terminal in 1966, handling container
traffic.
At the southern end of the peninsula Enderby's Wharf
was occupied by a succession of famous submarine cable companies from 1857 onwards, including Glass Elliot, W T Henley
, Telcon, Submarine Cables Ltd, STC
, Nortel
and Alcatel
.
The peninsula remained relatively remote from central London until the opening of the Blackwall Tunnel
in 1897, and had no passenger railway or London Underground
service until the opening of North Greenwich tube station
on the Jubilee Line
in 1999.
Closure of the gasworks, power station and other industries in the late 20th century left much of the Greenwich Peninsula a barren wasteland, much of it heavily contaminated.
Surviving industrial uses today on the western side of the peninsula, between the river and the A102 Blackwall Tunnel southern approach road
, include Alcatel, the recently closed (September 2009) Tunnel Refiners glucose
plant (until about 2008 part of Tate & Lyle
), and two large marine aggregate terminals on the Delta Metals and Victoria Deep Water Terminal sites. One of the two gas holders also remains.
Public and private investment since the early 1990s has brought about some dramatic changes in the Peninsula's topography. In 1997 the national regeneration agency, English partnerships, (now the Homes and Communities Agency
) purchased 1.21 square kilometres (300 acres) of disused land on the Peninsula. The agency's investment of over £225m has helped to enhance the transport network and create new homes, commercial space and community facilities and to open up access to parkland along the river.
In addition to the construction of the Millennium Dome, new roads were built on the eastern side of the Peninsula in anticipation of new developments. New riverside walkways, cycle paths and public artworks were also created, including Antony Gormley's
Quantum Cloud
and A Slice of Reality
the work by Richard Wilson
.
The first two phases of Greenwich Millennium Village
is an expanding residential development, with the Millennium Primary School, a medical centre, a nature reserve and associated education centre. A Holiday Inn
hotel was also built nearby, and Greenwich Yacht Club was relocated to a new site east of the Dome.
North Greenwich tube station
on the Jubilee Line
opened in 1999. It is one of the largest London Underground
stations and also has a bus station
. The North Greenwich Pier offering commuter boat service to other parts of London, both east and west, is located on the Thames just to the east of the tube station.
In 2004 outline planning permission was granted for further large-scale redevelopment of the site, including over 10,000 further homes, some facing the river or overlooking the park, 3500000 square feet (325,160.6 m²) of office space and the conversion of the Millennium Dome into an indoor arena, renamed The O2. South of The O2, new public realm has been created, Peninsula Square and Green Place. To the east of Peninsula Square is Ravensbourne College, which relocated to Greenwich Peninsula in September 2010.
To the south east of the square, the six storey 14 Pier Walk building houses offices for Transport for London
. Adjacent to this is the 11 storey 6 Mitre Passage office building. New restaurants and shops have opened facing onto Peninsula Square and Green Place.
South of these developments is a large temporary building housing the London Soccer Dome, formerly the David Beckham Academy
. Approximately 400m further south, is the Pilot Inn public house
, one of the oldest remaining buildings on the Peninsula.
Central Park runs through the central spine of the Peninsula, with the Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park
further south providing a haven for many different species of bird, plants and bugs.
. The former Millennium Dome, now The O2, will be a London 2012 venue. The present London Soccer Dome building will be a training facility for the 2012 games, after which the temporary building will be dismantled to make way for residential developments.
The redevelopment of Greenwich Peninsula is planned to take around 20 years. The improved access to the Peninsula from Canary Wharf
, Silvertown
, The City
and Central London
by the Jubilee Line
has increased the prospects for continued residential regeneration.
This year, the Ravensbourne (college) new campus at Greenwich Peninsula won the Royal Institute of British Architects
(RIBA) Awards for London 2011. From a shortlist of 55 schemes, the Ravensbourne (college) building won through in the education and community category in the ceremony hosted at the V&A.
Transport for London will be constructing a cable car over the River Thames
for the 2012 Summer Olympics
. This will run from a station close to the O2 at Greenwich Peninsula over the river to the Royal Victoria Dock
.
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, located in the London Borough of Greenwich
London Borough of Greenwich
The London Borough of Greenwich is an Inner London borough in south-east London, England. Taking its name from the historic town of Greenwich, the present borough was formed in 1965 by the amalgamation of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich with part of the Metropolitan...
.
The peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
is bounded on three sides by a loop of the Thames, between the Isle of Dogs
Isle of Dogs
The Isle of Dogs is a former island in the East End of London that is bounded on three sides by one of the largest meanders in the River Thames.-Etymology:...
and Silvertown
Silvertown
Silvertown is an industrialised district on the north bank of the Thames in the London Borough of Newham. It was named after Samuel Winkworth Silver's former rubber factory which opened in 1852, and is now dominated by the Tate & Lyle sugar refinery and the John Knight ABP animal rendering...
. To the south is the rest of Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
, to the south-east is Charlton
Charlton, London
Charlton is a district of south London, England, and part of the London Borough of Greenwich. It is located east-southeast of Charing Cross. Charlton next Woolwich was an ancient parish in the county of Kent, which became part of the metropolitan area of London in 1855. It is home to Charlton...
.
The peninsula lies within the London Borough of Greenwich
London Borough of Greenwich
The London Borough of Greenwich is an Inner London borough in south-east London, England. Taking its name from the historic town of Greenwich, the present borough was formed in 1965 by the amalgamation of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich with part of the Metropolitan...
. Formerly known as Greenwich Marshes and as Bugsby's Marshes , it became known as East Greenwich as it developed in the 19th century, but has also been called North Greenwich due to the location of the North Greenwich tube station
North Greenwich tube station
North Greenwich is a station on London Underground's Jubilee Line, opened on 14 May 1999.Despite its name, North Greenwich is not in the area historically known as North Greenwich, on the Isle of Dogs, north of the river; an entirely different station used to be there, between 1872 and 1926...
. This should not be confused with North Greenwich
North Greenwich
North Greenwich is a 19th century name for the southern tip of the Isle of Dogs, located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It was named for the now defunct North Greenwich railway station , that served a former passenger ferry to Greenwich and stood near the later Island Gardens and...
on the Isle of Dogs, at the north side of a former ferry from Greenwich. The peninsula's northernmost point on the riverside is known as Blackwall Point, and this may have led to the name Blackwall Peninsula sometimes being used in the late 20th century.
Landmarks include The Dome (also known by the current corporate logo The O2
The O2 (London)
The O2, visually typeset in branding as The O2, is a large entertainment district on the Greenwich peninsula in South East London, England, including an indoor arena, a music club, a Cineworld cinema, an exhibition space, piazzas, bars and restaurants...
and previously the Millennium Dome
Millennium Dome
The Millennium Dome, colloquially referred to simply as The Dome or even The O2 Arena, is the original name of a large dome-shaped building, originally used to house the Millennium Experience, a major exhibition celebrating the beginning of the third millennium...
) and the southern end of the Blackwall Tunnel
Blackwall Tunnel
The Blackwall Tunnel is a pair of road tunnels underneath the River Thames in east London, linking the London Borough of Tower Hamlets with the London Borough of Greenwich, and part of the A102 road. The northern portal lies just south of the East India Dock Road in Blackwall; the southern...
, but the area is now being substantially redeveloped with new homes, offices, schools, a college and parks.
History
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
engineers in the 16th century, allowing it to be used as pasture land. In the 17th century, Blackwall Point (the northern tip of the peninsula, opposite Blackwall
Blackwall, London
Blackwall is an area of the East End of London, situated in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets on the north bank of the River Thames.The district around Blackwall Stairs was known as Blackwall by at least the 14th century. This presumably derives from the colour of the river wall, constructed in...
) gained notoriety as a location where pirates' corpses were hung in cages as a deterrent to other would-be pirates.
The peninsula was steadily industrialised from the early 19th century onwards. In 1857 a plan was presented to Parliament for a huge dock occupying much of the peninsula, connected to Greenwich Reach to the west and Bugsby's Reach to the east, but this came to nothing. Early industries included Henry Blakeley's Ordnance Works making heavy guns, with other sites making chemicals, submarine cables, iron boats, iron and steel. Henry Bessemer
Henry Bessemer
Sir Henry Bessemer was an English engineer, inventor, and businessman. Bessemer's name is chiefly known in connection with the Bessemer process for the manufacture of steel.-Anthony Bessemer:...
built a steel works in the early 1860s to supply the London shipbuilding industry, but this closed as a result of a fall in demand due to the financial crisis of 1866. Later came oil mills, shipbuilding (for example the 1870 clipper
Clipper
A clipper was a very fast sailing ship of the 19th century that had three or more masts and a square rig. They were generally narrow for their length, could carry limited bulk freight, small by later 19th century standards, and had a large total sail area...
s Blackadder
Blackadder (clipper)
Blackadder was a clipper ship, a sister ship to Hallowe'en, built in 1870 by Maudslay, Sons & Field at Greenwich for John Willis.Blackadder was dismasted on her maiden voyage due to failures in the mast fittings and rigging...
and Hallowe'en
Hallowe'en (clipper)
Hallowe’en was an iron clipper ship with a tonnage of 920 tons. She was built in 1870 by Maudslay, Son & Field at Greenwich for John "Jock" "White Hat" Willis, and was a sister ship to Blackadder....
built by Maudslay), boiler making, manufacture of Portland cement
Portland cement
Portland cement is the most common type of cement in general use around the world because it is a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar, stucco and most non-specialty grout...
and linoleum
Linoleum
Linoleum is a floor covering made from renewable materials such as solidified linseed oil , pine rosin, ground cork dust, wood flour, and mineral fillers such as calcium carbonate, most commonly on a burlap or canvas backing; pigments are often added to the materials.The finest linoleum floors,...
(Bessemer's works became the Victoria linoleum works) and the South Metropolitan Gas company's huge East Greenwich Gas Works
East Greenwich Gas Works
The East Greenwich Gas Works of the South Metropolitan Gas Company was the last gas works to be built in London, and the most modern. Originally manufacturing town gas from coal brought in by river and exporting coke and chemicals, the plant was adapted to produce gas from oil in the 1960s...
. Early in the 20th century came bronze manufacturers Delta Metals and works making asbestos and 'Molassine Meal' animal feed.
Gasworks
A gasworks or gas house is a factory for the manufacture of gas. The use of natural gas has made many redundant in the developed world, however they are often still used for storage.- Early gasworks :...
which primarily produced town gas, also known as coal gas
Coal gas
Coal gas is a flammable gaseous fuel made by the destructive distillation of coal containing a variety of calorific gases including hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane and volatile hydrocarbons together with small quantities of non-calorific gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen...
. The gasworks grew to 240 acre (0.9712464 km²), the largest in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, also producing coke, tar and chemicals as important secondary products. The site had its own extensive railway system connected to the main railway line near Charlton, and a large jetty used to unload coal and load coke. There were two huge gas holders, of 8.6 and 12.2 million ft3 (240,000m3 and 345,000m3). The larger holder, originally the largest in the world, was reduced to 8.9 million ft3 (250,000m3) when it was damaged in the Silvertown explosion
Silvertown explosion
The Silvertown explosion occurred in Silvertown in West Ham, Essex on Friday, 19 January 1917 at 6.52 pm. The blast occurred at a munitions factory that was manufacturing explosives for Britain's World War I military effort...
in 1917, but was still the largest in England until it was damaged again by a Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
bomb in 1978. Originally manufacturing gas from coal, the plant began to manufacture gas from oil in the 1960s. Its peak production of 400 million ft3 per day (11.3 million m3) in the mid 1960s is believed to have been the largest of any single site in the world. The discovery of natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
reserves in the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
soon rendered the complex obsolete.
On the eastern shore was Blackwall Point Power Station
Blackwall Point Power Station
Blackwall Point Power Station was a coal-fired power station on the east side of the Greenwich Peninsula, in London. An early station from the 1890s was replaced in the 1950s by a new station, which ceased operation in 1980...
; the original station from the 1890s was replaced in the 1950s by a new station which ceased operation about 1981. A large area including the site of the Victoria linoleum works later became the Victoria Deep Water Terminal in 1966, handling container
Containerization
Containerization is a system of freight transport based on a range of steel intermodal containers...
traffic.
At the southern end of the peninsula Enderby's Wharf
Enderby's Wharf
Enderby's Wharf is a wharf and industrial site on the south bank of the Thames in southeast London, associated with Telcon and other companies...
was occupied by a succession of famous submarine cable companies from 1857 onwards, including Glass Elliot, W T Henley
William Thomas Henley
William Thomas Henley was a pioneer in the manufacture of telegraph cables. He designed and built a wire covering machine which is now in the London Science Museum....
, Telcon, Submarine Cables Ltd, STC
STC
- Education :* S. Thomas' College, Mt Lavinia, a private school in Sri Lanka* South Texas College* South Thames College* Sha Tin College, Hong Kong* Saint Theresa's College, Philippines- Organizations :* Scarborough Town Centre* Space Transport Corporation...
, Nortel
Nortel
Nortel Networks Corporation, formerly known as Northern Telecom Limited and sometimes known simply as Nortel, was a multinational telecommunications equipment manufacturer headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada...
and Alcatel
Alcatel
Alcatel Mobile Phones is a brand of mobile handsets. It was established in 2004 as a joint venture between Alcatel-Lucent of France and TCL Communication of China....
.
The peninsula remained relatively remote from central London until the opening of the Blackwall Tunnel
Blackwall Tunnel
The Blackwall Tunnel is a pair of road tunnels underneath the River Thames in east London, linking the London Borough of Tower Hamlets with the London Borough of Greenwich, and part of the A102 road. The northern portal lies just south of the East India Dock Road in Blackwall; the southern...
in 1897, and had no passenger railway or London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
service until the opening of North Greenwich tube station
North Greenwich tube station
North Greenwich is a station on London Underground's Jubilee Line, opened on 14 May 1999.Despite its name, North Greenwich is not in the area historically known as North Greenwich, on the Isle of Dogs, north of the river; an entirely different station used to be there, between 1872 and 1926...
on the Jubilee Line
Jubilee Line
The Jubilee line is a line on the London Underground , in the United Kingdom. It was built in two major sections—initially to Charing Cross, in central London, and later extended, in 1999, to Stratford, in east London. The later stations are larger and have special safety features, both aspects...
in 1999.
Closure of the gasworks, power station and other industries in the late 20th century left much of the Greenwich Peninsula a barren wasteland, much of it heavily contaminated.
Surviving industrial uses today on the western side of the peninsula, between the river and the A102 Blackwall Tunnel southern approach road
East Cross Route
East Cross Route is a dual-carriageway road constructed in east London as part of the uncompleted Ringway 1 as part of the London Ringways plan drawn up the 1960s to create a series of high speed roads circling and radiating out from central London...
, include Alcatel, the recently closed (September 2009) Tunnel Refiners glucose
Glucose
Glucose is a simple sugar and an important carbohydrate in biology. Cells use it as the primary source of energy and a metabolic intermediate...
plant (until about 2008 part of Tate & Lyle
Tate & Lyle
Tate & Lyle plc is a British-based multinational agribusiness. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index as of 20 June 2011...
), and two large marine aggregate terminals on the Delta Metals and Victoria Deep Water Terminal sites. One of the two gas holders also remains.
Redevelopment since early 1990s
Homes and Communities Agency
The Homes and Communities Agency is the non-departmental public body that funds new affordable housing in England. It was established by the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 as one of the successor bodies to the Housing Corporation, and became operational on 1 December 2008.-Background:On 17...
) purchased 1.21 square kilometres (300 acres) of disused land on the Peninsula. The agency's investment of over £225m has helped to enhance the transport network and create new homes, commercial space and community facilities and to open up access to parkland along the river.
In addition to the construction of the Millennium Dome, new roads were built on the eastern side of the Peninsula in anticipation of new developments. New riverside walkways, cycle paths and public artworks were also created, including Antony Gormley's
Antony Gormley
Antony Mark David Gormley OBE RA is a British sculptor. His best known works include the Angel of the North, a public sculpture in the North of England, commissioned in 1995 and erected in February 1998, Another Place on Crosby Beach near Liverpool, and Event Horizon, a multi-part site...
Quantum Cloud
Quantum Cloud
Antony Gormley's Quantum Cloud was commissioned for a site next to the Millennium Dome in London. At 30 metres high, it is Gormley's tallest sculpture to date . It is constructed from a collection of tetrahedral units made from 1.5 m long sections of steel...
and A Slice of Reality
A Slice of Reality
A Slice of Reality is a work of modern art by Richard Wilson sitting by the Millennium Dome on the north-western bank of the Greenwich Peninsula. It consists of a sliced vertical section through a former sand dredger and exposes portions of the former living quarters of the vessel to the elements ....
the work by Richard Wilson
Richard Wilson (sculptor)
Richard Wilson is a sculptor, installation artist and musician.Born in Islington, in London, he studied at the London College of Printing, Hornsey College of Art and Reading University...
.
The first two phases of Greenwich Millennium Village
Greenwich Millennium Village
The Greenwich Millennium Village is an innovative mixed-tenure modern housing estate on an urban village model located on the Greenwich Peninsula in Greenwich in south-east London, and part of the Millennium Communities Programme under English Partnerships...
is an expanding residential development, with the Millennium Primary School, a medical centre, a nature reserve and associated education centre. A Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn is a brand of hotels, formally a economy motel chain, forming part of the British InterContinental Hotels Group . It is one of the world's largest hotel chains with 238,440 bedrooms and 1,301 hotels globally. There are currently 5 hotels in the pipeline...
hotel was also built nearby, and Greenwich Yacht Club was relocated to a new site east of the Dome.
North Greenwich tube station
North Greenwich tube station
North Greenwich is a station on London Underground's Jubilee Line, opened on 14 May 1999.Despite its name, North Greenwich is not in the area historically known as North Greenwich, on the Isle of Dogs, north of the river; an entirely different station used to be there, between 1872 and 1926...
on the Jubilee Line
Jubilee Line
The Jubilee line is a line on the London Underground , in the United Kingdom. It was built in two major sections—initially to Charing Cross, in central London, and later extended, in 1999, to Stratford, in east London. The later stations are larger and have special safety features, both aspects...
opened in 1999. It is one of the largest London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
stations and also has a bus station
North Greenwich bus station
North Greenwich Bus Station serves the area of North Greenwich in the London Borough of Greenwich, Greater London, England. The station is owned and maintained by Transport for London....
. The North Greenwich Pier offering commuter boat service to other parts of London, both east and west, is located on the Thames just to the east of the tube station.
In 2004 outline planning permission was granted for further large-scale redevelopment of the site, including over 10,000 further homes, some facing the river or overlooking the park, 3500000 square feet (325,160.6 m²) of office space and the conversion of the Millennium Dome into an indoor arena, renamed The O2. South of The O2, new public realm has been created, Peninsula Square and Green Place. To the east of Peninsula Square is Ravensbourne College, which relocated to Greenwich Peninsula in September 2010.
To the south east of the square, the six storey 14 Pier Walk building houses offices for Transport for London
Transport for London
Transport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...
. Adjacent to this is the 11 storey 6 Mitre Passage office building. New restaurants and shops have opened facing onto Peninsula Square and Green Place.
South of these developments is a large temporary building housing the London Soccer Dome, formerly the David Beckham Academy
David Beckham Academy
The David Beckham Academy is a football school founded by England international David Beckham in 2005. , it operates in two locations: in London, United Kingdom, and in Los Angeles, California, United States, though the London location closed in early 2010 .Further Academy sites are planned at...
. Approximately 400m further south, is the Pilot Inn public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, one of the oldest remaining buildings on the Peninsula.
Central Park runs through the central spine of the Peninsula, with the Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park
Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park
The Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park is park situated along the River Thames in the Greenwich Peninsula in South London. The park reflects the nature of the original marshland on the peninsula. The park provides a haven for many different species of bird, plants and bugs and acts as an important...
further south providing a haven for many different species of bird, plants and bugs.
Future development
The peninsula is now being developed with new homes at Peninsula Riverside, Parkside Peninsula Quays and the latest phase in construction at Greenwich Millennium VillageGreenwich Millennium Village
The Greenwich Millennium Village is an innovative mixed-tenure modern housing estate on an urban village model located on the Greenwich Peninsula in Greenwich in south-east London, and part of the Millennium Communities Programme under English Partnerships...
. The former Millennium Dome, now The O2, will be a London 2012 venue. The present London Soccer Dome building will be a training facility for the 2012 games, after which the temporary building will be dismantled to make way for residential developments.
The redevelopment of Greenwich Peninsula is planned to take around 20 years. The improved access to the Peninsula from Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf is a major business district located in London, United Kingdom. It is one of London's two main financial centres, alongside the traditional City of London, and contains many of the UK's tallest buildings, including the second-tallest , One Canada Square...
, Silvertown
Silvertown
Silvertown is an industrialised district on the north bank of the Thames in the London Borough of Newham. It was named after Samuel Winkworth Silver's former rubber factory which opened in 1852, and is now dominated by the Tate & Lyle sugar refinery and the John Knight ABP animal rendering...
, The City
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
and Central London
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
by the Jubilee Line
Jubilee Line
The Jubilee line is a line on the London Underground , in the United Kingdom. It was built in two major sections—initially to Charing Cross, in central London, and later extended, in 1999, to Stratford, in east London. The later stations are larger and have special safety features, both aspects...
has increased the prospects for continued residential regeneration.
This year, the Ravensbourne (college) new campus at Greenwich Peninsula won the Royal Institute of British Architects
Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally.-History:...
(RIBA) Awards for London 2011. From a shortlist of 55 schemes, the Ravensbourne (college) building won through in the education and community category in the ceremony hosted at the V&A.
Transport for London will be constructing a cable car over the River Thames
Royal Docks and Greenwich Peninsula Cable Car
Emirates Air Line is a Transport for London gondola link across the River Thames in London that is planned to be built by the 2012 London Olympics, sponsored by the air carrier Emirates. The scheme, announced in July 2010, envisages a cable car line running from the Greenwich Peninsula over the...
for the 2012 Summer Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
. This will run from a station close to the O2 at Greenwich Peninsula over the river to the Royal Victoria Dock
Royal Victoria Dock
The Royal Victoria Dock is the largest of three docks in the Royal Docks of east London, now part of the redeveloped Docklands.-History:...
.