THE future of charity buildings situated on heritage land is being considered.

The Key Stakeholders' Consultative Group (KSCG) wants to ensure Greenwich Hospital's land is developed to meet residents' needs over the next 50 years.

It must also ensure developments are in keeping with requirement of buildings on a World Heritage Site.

A World Heritage Site is deemed to have cultural or natural importance. They must be preserved and are protected under international law.

Greenwich Hospital was established in 1694 to support serving and retired members of the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines.

It is a crown charity, meaning land belongs to the state.

The charity owns key properties in the borough's town centre which have been World Heritage sites since 1997.

Properties include the Island Site, surrounded by College Approach and King William Walk; the market area and commercial buildings in the area surrounded by Romney Road, Nelson Road and Greenwich Church Street.

The KSCG is made up of a World Heritage Site steering group, Greenwich Council and town centre business owners.

Greenwich Hospital director John Chadwick said: "We are committed to good stewardship of our properties in Greenwich and to the regeneration and improvement of those properties.

"The hospital is committed to full engagement and consultation with stakeholders and accepts there is a need to maintain retail diversity and character of the market area.

"We recognise the position of traditional retailers in considering the options for regeneration and improvement."

A consultation process to decide how best to develop the land is now under way and the KSCG will give the wider community its say later in the year.

It hopes to look at how to renovate the sites but does not currently have any firm plans.

The group hopes to meet three more times before the consultation ends in June.