Carved out of five historic military buildings, the project will create a new cultural destination in London. The predominantly unused Grade II and II* listed buildings will be converted to a 16,500-square-metre creative hub for multiple cultural occupiers, led by The Royal Borough of Greenwich. The new Woolwich Works will include a 450-seat theatre, a music venue, a museum and a variety of rehearsal studios, as well as providing a base for a number of internationally acclaimed theatre and dance companies.

Bennetts Associates previously carried out a feasibility study to explore the potential to house a number of prominent performing arts organisations in the buildings, which form part of a wider residential-led masterplan by Berkeley Homes. The vision provided by this study has fed into the Borough’s overall strategy for developing and funding the project. The project aims to increase the reach of those experiencing arts and culture, the sustainability of cultural organisations in local destinations, and to encourage the public and private sector to work together to support the growth of the local visitor economy. The opportunity offered by the new Crossrail station and the expansion of the residential quarter in Woolwich will bring diverse new audiences locally, and from all over London and the UK.