Greenwich Millennium Village (GMV) is a mixed-tenure modern

development Development or developing may refer to: Arts *Development (music), the process by which thematic material is reshaped * Photographic development *Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting * Development hell, when a proje ...

on an

urban village In urban planning and urban design, design, an urban village is an urban development typically characterized by medium-density housing, mixed use zoning, good public transit and an emphasis on pedestrianization and public space. Contemporary urb ...

model located on the Greenwich Peninsula in

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

, in south-east

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, and part of the

Millennium Communities Programme The Millennium Communities Programme (or Millennium Villages initiative), is an English Partnerships initiative to construct 7 new 'villages' that are intended to 'set the standard for 21st Century living, and to serve as a model for the creation ...

under

English Partnerships English Partnerships (EP) was the national urban renewal, regeneration agency for England, performing a similar role on a national level to that fulfilled by regional development agency, regional development agencies on a regions of England, region ...

(now renamed Homes and Communities Agency). The village is designed by architects Ralph Erskine and partners with EPR Architects Ltd as executive architect as part of the regeneration of the whole

brownfield site Brownfield is previously-developed land that has been abandoned or underused, and which may carry pollution, or a risk of pollution, from industrial use. The specific definition of brownfield land varies and is decided by policy makers and l ...

of East Greenwich Gas Works. GMV is south of the former

Millennium Dome The Millennium Dome was the original name of the large dome-shaped building on the Greenwich Peninsula in South East (London sub region), South East London, England, which housed a major exhibition celebrating the beginning of the third millen ...

, now renamed the O₂.

Location

The village is on the southern banks of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

, about one mile upstream (west) from the Thames Barrier and adjacent to the purpose-built Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park, cycle paths and recreational areas. The village currently has the Millennium Primary School, a GP surgery, and a few shops. East of the village, at Peartree Wharf, is the Greenwich Yacht Club, a modern building provided by English Partnerships. The village is south of the O₂ dome complex; commercial developments are situated to the south.

Development

Greenwich Millennium Village - Village Square

The village is being developed by a

consortium A consortium () is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations, or governments (or any combination of these entities) with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for achieving a ...

of Countryside Properties and Taylor Wimpey. The development aimed to cut

primary energy Primary energy (PE) is the energy found in nature that has not been subjected to any human engineered conversion process. It encompasses energy contained in raw fuels and other forms of energy, including waste, received as input to a system. Pri ...

use by 80% using low-energy building techniques and

renewable energy Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...

technologies. GMV was planned by the developers to continue to expand until about 2015, with its own integrated village shopping and community centres. By 2010, 1,098 flats and houses as well as a village square with shops had been completed. Of the units completed about 20% are

affordable housing Affordable housing is housing which is deemed affordable to those with a household income at or below the median, as rated by the national government or a local government by a recognized housing affordability index. Most of the literature on ...

which are owned by a

housing association In Ireland and the United Kingdom, housing associations are private, Non-profit organization, non-profit organisations that provide low-cost "Public housing in the United Kingdom, social housing" for people in need of a home. Any budget surpl ...

which rents to those in social need as well as to key workers under

shared ownership Equity sharing is another name for shared ownership or '' co-ownership''. It takes one property, more than one owner, and blends them to maximize profit and tax deductions. Typically, the parties find a home and buy it together as co-owners, but ...

"rent to buy" purchase schemes. In 2005, some GMV residents complained that the noise insulation in the Kilby Court blocks was inadequate.

Transport

Buses

Greenwich Millennium Village is served by numerous

London Buses London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL) that manages most bus services in London, England. It was formed following the Greater London Authority Act 1999 that transferred control of London Regional Transport (LRT) bus s ...

routes, including 108, 129, 132,

161 Year 161 ( CLXI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Caesar and Aurelius (or, less frequently, year 914 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 161 for this ye ...

, 180, 188, 335, 422, 472 and 486.

London Underground

The nearest station is North Greenwich on the

Jubilee line The Jubilee line is a London Underground line that runs between in suburban north-west London and in east London, via the West End of London, West End, South Bank and London Docklands, Docklands. Opened in 1979, it is the newest line on the ...

National Rail

The nearest stations are Charlton and Westcombe Park for Southeastern services towards

Dartford Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames Estuary, is Thurrock in ...

, London Cannon Street and

London Charing Cross Charing Cross railway station (also known as London Charing Cross) is a London station group, central London railway terminus between the Strand, London, Strand and Hungerford Bridge in the City of Westminster. It is the terminus of the South ...

London River Services

The nearest pier is North Greenwich for

Thames Clippers Uber Boat by Thames Clippers is a set of river bus services on the River Thames in London, England. The company operates both commuter services between eastern and Central London and tourist services under licence from London River Services. ...

services towards Embankment,

and Woolwich Arsenal.

London Cable Car

The

London Cable Car The London cable car, also known as the Dangleway and officially as the IFS Cloud Cable Car for Naming rights, sponsorship reasons, is a Aerial lift, cable car link across the River Thames in London, England. The line was built by Doppelmayr Gar ...

line opened in June 2012 and connects North Greenwich with the

Royal Docks Royal Docks is an area in the London Borough of Newham in the London Docklands in East London, England. The area is named after three docks – the Royal Albert Dock, the Royal Victoria Dock and the King George V Dock. They are more corre ...

on the north side of the

. Its southern terminal is located north of the Millennium Village, on the south side of Edmund Halley Way.

In popular culture

The video for Lady Leshurr's ''Queen's Speech Ep.4'' was filmed at the Greenwich Millennium Village. The development was also the setting for BBC One ident “Windows” in 2006. Residents were seen using their windows to reflect sunlight into a ring. Filmed at the

Millennium Village in south east London and directed by Matthias Hoene. This ident was withdrawn in 2008 and was often used to introduce daytime programming.

References

{{reflist

External links

BBC video and text report about GMV
(February 2008)

(2008)
Transport for London (TfL) area bus map for GMVMillennium Primary SchoolPhotographs of Greenwich Millennium Village from Flickr.comGreenwich Peninsula Ecology Park, managed by: The Trust for Urban Ecology
Buildings and structures in the Royal Borough of Greenwich Areas of London Redevelopment projects in London Planned communities in England Millennium Communities Programme Town and country planning in London BAFTA Interactive Award winners