Past and present residents including Councillor Danny Thorpe, the Royal Borough of Greenwich's Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Transport, put on their hard hats on Tuesday 6 October, as Berkeley Homes held a ground breaking event to mark the start of works on Kidbrooke Village Centre.
Cllr Danny Thorpe previously lived on Lebrun Square (part of the former Ferrier Estate), opposite Wingfield Primary school. Commenting on the ceremony, he said:"Kidbrooke has undergone a massive transformation since I lived here and today represents a major milestone in its history as work begins on its new Village Centre.
"The Council's vision for this part of the borough has already led to us delivering thousands of high quality new homes in partnership with Berkeley Homes through the creation of a brand new 'village' - complete with reworked attractive open spaces and brand new community facilities.
"Thousands of jobs have also been created through this long term development and even more will be available now that the works have started. There is already a community in place here and these works will provide important new amenities as it continues to flourish."
The new Village Centre will involve the creation of The Square which will be home to a wealth of retail and leisure facilities including shops, restaurants, community spaces and residential properties, all focused around a central piazza.
Berkeley Homes will also be improving and modernising the current Kidbrooke station facility - which sits within the new Village Centre - refurbishing it and increasing capacity by lengthening the platforms, allowing longer trains to stop. This updated transport hub will provide easy and enhanced routes into the city, with London Bridge accessible in only 15 minutes, Canary Wharf in 22 and Victoria in 28 minutes.
Kidbrooke Village resident Ann Buchanan has lived on the site since 1996 said: "Berkeley Homes has undertaken a massive project here and I have
been a big supporter of the vision they share with Royal Borough of Greenwich, for Kidbrooke Village since the start. I'm thrilled to be here to witness the first spade going in the ground and can't wait to see the new fully built new Village Centre which will be the heart of the community and open so many new opportunities for everyone in the area."
The Mayor of Royal Borough of Greenwich, Councillor Norman Adams and the Mayoress Serena Lovelace have both lived in the area for all of their lives and were delighted to take part in the occasion.
Karl Whiteman, Divisional Managing Director for Berkeley Homes said: "Today is a fantastic moment for everyone who has worked so hard to create this new village for London. We are proud to have been involved in the regeneration project at Kidbrooke Village and to have worked in such close partnership with the Royal Borough of Greenwich. We look forward to delivering the next phase and fulfilling our commitment to creating a place where people want to live and enjoy their community and surroundings."
For further editorial information please contact:
Chris Poynton
Berkeley Homes East Thames
(0) 20 8331 3200
chris.poynton@berkeleygroup.co.uk
Notes to Editors:
Located in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, Kidbrooke Village is one of London's most significant new housing-led developments; the £1 billion regeneration project is the transformation of the land formerly occupied by the Ferrier Estate into a new community in partnership with the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the Mayor of London.
Achievements include over 1,000 new homes already delivered to date alongside a new park, interim village centre, village squares and retail space. Residents benefit from living in a safe and sustainable modern community in one of London's most desirable boroughs, with over 130 acres of parkland and open space and 170 specially designed Senior Living homes. The regeneration has already created over 12,400 new jobs including 76 apprentices working in partnership with Greenwich Local Labour and Business.
Kidbrooke Village comprises of four distinct neighbourhoods:
Meridian Gate
Centrally located within Kidbrooke Village and ideally positioned between the newly created Cator Park and established Sutcliffe Park, offering stylish apartments and houses
Blackheath Quarter
Located to the North East of Kidbrooke Village, adjacent to the newly created Cator Park and home to a collection of outstanding apartments and houses
Kidbrooke Village Centre
The hub of Kidbrooke Village, with Kidbrooke station on the doorstep and offering a wealth of amenities including: Sainsbury's Local, shops, cafe, health centre with more planned, including a supermarket
City Point
Situated to the South of Kidbrooke Village, City Point sits adjacent to Sutcliffe Park, an established Green Flag status environment
UK First
Berkeley Homes subscribes to UK First.
The Berkeley Group has a 'UK First' marketing policy. This was introduced in 2013. It means the company launches all its developments in the UK first and every individual home brought to the market is offered to UK-based customers first or at the same time as overseas buyers.