A petition opposing a 27-storey tower and 804 flats in front and behind the Tesco in Woolwich has gathered almost 1,000 signatures in less than a week.

Developer Meyers Homes submitted a plan for a large scale developments in the centre of Woolwich on September 1.

The plans include a 27-storey tower with shops at the ground floor at 206 flats on the upper floors, as well as three other buildings between nine and 16 storeys tall including 598 residential flats.

These proposals are the next stage of the developer’s larger plans for Woolwich Central, granted in 2007, which included the development of the Tesco store which “won” the Carbuncle Award in 2014 for the country’s worst architecture.

Meyers Homes say the development will give Woolwich a new landmark and that it will “shift the centre of gravity back to the historical town centre”.

However many locals have been protesting against the development, including the tower for some time, and plan to submit this petition to Greenwich Council.

The petition, run by local residents group Speak Out Woolwich, states the flats do not include enough homes for low income buyers, saying the development will “primarily benefit speculators and investors”.

The petition states: “We need housing that works for everyone. The Meyer Homes’ plan, unfortunately, falls very short of achieving this.

“If built, the development will be at the expense of low-income households in the borough and would accommodate very few middle-income households.”

You can sign the petition here

Jamie Pearson from Meyer Homes said: “Both sites received outline planning consent in 2007 and have remained empty since then, with phase four at the top of Grand Depot Road being broken into on a number of occasions and used for anti-social behaviour.

“We are committed to bringing these sites back to life, whilst providing real long-term benefits to the local community.

“This includes over 160 Affordable flats, a mix of 1, 2 and 3 bedroom units, which include the Mayor’s London Living Rent product.

“This is alongside a dedicated community meeting area in the Phase 3 scheme, and a significant area of commercial space that will be offered at a reduced rental level to help local start-up businesses.

“Our development will be making significant improvement to the public realm around Love Lane and will be adding a new pedestrian route from General Gordon Square to the Royal Artillery Barracks.

“Meyer Homes is committed to supporting the local area and will be contributing over £6m to the local area via the Community Infrastructure Levy which will go directly to benefitting the local community via the Royal Borough of Greenwich.”