Woolwich MP Shows Support for the Restoration of Historic High Street
Matthew Pennycook MP recently joined Historic England and Cllr Aidan Smith from the Royal Borough of Greenwich to see how the Woolwich High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) is improving the historic town centre and engaging local people in the rich history of the area.
Through the HSHAZ, local shopkeepers and business owners are being helped to restore historic features and improve their shopfronts along Powis Street and Hare Street. The outside of the Grade II listed Old Town Hall has been restored and the internal spaces are being refurbished to provide affordable workspace for creative businesses.
The council has also transformed a vacant shop unit on Powis Street into affordable flexible community, work and exhibition space with a café. The Woolwich Front Room has quickly established itself as a popular venue for community and cultural events, including cookery classes, art exhibitions and music classes.
It was a pleasure to meet with representatives from Historic England to explore in detail how the High Street Heritage Action Zone is breathing new life into Woolwich Town Centre through the restoration of shop fronts and facades, the repurposing of historic buildings, and the opening of new community spaces. By improving and enhancing a number of Woolwich’s many architectural and historical assets, the project will help to revitalise Woolwich and attract additional investment into the area.
The Woolwich HSHAZ was one of more than 60 projects which successfully bid for funding from Historic England and is now entering its final year in the four-year programme. The Royal Borough of Greenwich is working in partnership with Historic England on the multi-project programme, backed by £1.76m government funding with £2m match funding from the Council.
Mr Pennycook, Cllr Smith and representatives from Historic England took a tour of the improvements and discussed what’s next for the programme, including a series of colourful large-scale murals, shopfront repairs, a heritage trail, and further public realm improvements.
The HSHAZ is part of a £21m Council-led improvement programme in Woolwich which aims to transform the town centre into a more attractive place to live, work and shop. It aims to support local businesses by encouraging footfall to the high street, celebrating Woolwich’s heritage and improving connections with the historic Royal Arsenal site.
We’re very proud of Woolwich’s rich history and to see it celebrated throughout the town centre in the buildings and public spaces. I’m delighted to see some very impressive murals going up around town. They’ve been created with ideas and inspiration from local school children and community groups, and I hope they will be very pleased to see their work on display for the whole town to enjoy. This is an exciting time for Woolwich. Work will be starting soon on a state of the art new leisure centre and on additional improvements throughout the town centre, ensuring that Woolwich also has the high quality community facilities and public spaces that our residents and businesses deserve.
Woolwich's local heritage and character is proving to be a catalyst for further investment across the area. £17.1m of Future High Street funding has been awarded to make significant improvements to Beresford Square, Powis Street and Beresford Street market. Together, these schemes will transform the town centre into a more attractive place to live, work and shop, helping to attract footfall to the high street and improving connections with the historic Royal Arsenal.
It was great to showcase the variety of buildings and businesses in Woolwich that have already benefitted from the High Street Heritage Action Zone and outline the work to come. Woolwich has an amazing depth of history reflected in its streets with a lot of new development on the horizon. Our work here shows how this area’s future can successfully incorporate its past.
