History of the site
A covenant dating from 1956 stated that the ground could only be used for sport or for detached houses. However, its protected status was lifted to allow some development of the land as part of London Borough of Greenwich’s Kidbrooke Development Plan. In 2009 an application to build on the site was withdrawn, while a follow-up scheme was rejected by an inspector in 2014. In 2016 Derreb Ltd again submitted plans to develop the Huntsman site, but planning permission was refused.
Following an appeal to the High Court by the developer, the covenant restricting the development of the land was partially overturned in 2017. The High Court found that whilst the land should no longer be restricted to use as a sports ground, it imposed a number of restrictions including banning cars and other motorised vehicles (apart from mobility scooters) from entering or exiting via the Cator Estate, in order to protect the tranquil nature of the estate. And it imposed restrictions on the development in order to protect the privacy of houses neighbouring the Huntsman, which was threatened by the proposals. It should be noted that the changes to the ground covenants were never registered with the Land Registry, so the original covenants still apply. These state that the land can only be used as a sports ground and for detached houses.
In 2026, Greenwich Council’s draft Local Plan set out its vision that the former sportsground become ‘a residential neighbourhood with an appealing human scale and a generous offer of communal amenity, which enhances the surrounding context and mediates between Kidbrooke Village and Blackheath Park conservation area.’ The Blackheath Society has already submitted an objection to the plan as have a number of local residents, setting out their concerns about the impact of the plan on the local area.