Background
Our client sought to enhance the historic Greenwich Market – within the Greenwich Town Centre Conservation Area and the Greenwich World Heritage Site – by bringing forward plans for a new market roof, refurbishing existing buildings and creating a new food court and area of public open space.
Challenge
A previous application for a comprehensive regeneration of the market had proved very unpopular. It was therefore important to distance the new plans for market enhancements from the previous scheme, and to better understand community views.
Solution
- SP Broadway set up meetings with the local London Assembly Member and Member of Parliament.
- We organised a public exhibition over two days in November 2013.
- Exhibition feedback established that 89% of respondents supported the market enhancements, a statistic we included in a Statement of Community Involvement submitted with the planning application.
- Once the application was submitted we organised a second exhibition over three days in March 2014, aimed specifically at market traders & retailers. During the exhibition a petition in favour of the market enhancements was signed by 185 people.
- Prior to planning committee we met the two principal local newspapers, to explain that the petition demonstrated widespread support among traders & retailers. Articles subsequently appeared in both papers in the week before the planning committee, highlighting the support in the petition.
Result
The market enhancements were unanimously approved by Royal Borough of Greenwich Planning Board in April 2014.
