New Year Honour

A member of the Greenwich Society Executive Committe received an award in the New Year Honours

Cutty Sark Glass Canopy 

Artist's impression of the Cutty Sark with the new canopy

The Greenwich Society has at last had an opportunity to comment formally on the latest design for the glass canopy round the Cutty Sark, which is now being constructed. We have objected strongly, both to the design itself and to the inadequate consultation, which means that it is now obviously too late to make any changes.

The earlier design, approved in 2005, showed an undulating glass roof over the underground space, roughly at the level of the ship’s waterline. But apparently detailed design work since then has shown that the canopy needs to be lifted, to meet safety and access requirements (which have also made necessary the unsightly access tower to be built at the end of King William Walk). The result is an inflated glass bubble, rising at bow and stern and obscuring the lines of the hull which are one of the ship’s main attractions.

The Greenwich Society deplores this damage to an iconic image of Greenwich, part of the World Heritage Site and an important national monument. We also deplore the way commercial considerations appear to have made it necessary to force the scheme through without proper public consultation. As late as May this year, the Council’s approval of the access tower said that detailed plans for the revised canopy must be submitted and approved “before any works on site commence”, but this has been totally ignored.

Read the article in The Mercury

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The Greenwich Society, which was born as a civic amenity group in the late 1950s, aims to work to make Greenwich a better place for all who live, work and study here – from Deptford Creek to the O2 and from the river to Blackheath. The Society has a special interest in thriving, long and sustainable businesses, the town’s commercial centres East and West, regeneration, traffic management, the natural and built environment and relations with the local authority and all the agencies who have to manage change. Whether it is the watchfulness that is required to protect the town’s heritage or the natural concerns of local residents to improve its amenities, the Greenwich Society welcomes members and gives a voice to everyone who cares about the past, the present and the future.