Although building work on new homes on Greenwich Peninsula has slowed down due to the economic problems of the last year or so, commercial development is continuing with the opening of a new office block near the O², occupied by Transport for London, in June. Work is also progressing well on the new building for Ravensbourne College, due to open in 2010. Encouragingly, work has now resumed on the site of most of Greenwich Millennium Village (GMV) where housing for sale and for rent is being built by Bellway and London & Quadrant. This is the first of many planned and housing schemes on the northern part of the Peninsula.

Over 1,000 homes are already occupied on the GMV. As the population grows, it is very important that residents of the Peninsula have local services within walking distance, on top of the heath centre and Millennium Primary School, which opened ten years ago as the first homes on the GMV.

That is why I have supported an appeal to open a local chemists at the new Village Square in the Millennium Village, which would help to form a vibrant group of shops on the GMV.