Waitrose’s Bromley Cliff Face proposals approved.

The proposals were approved. One of the major problems we had with the campaign was the approx 100 supportive comments lodged on the proposals after the first consultation. Most of these were because the authors thought that this proposal would help the local ‘housing crisis’. Unfortunately, it will not.

It will not help local housing need; even the few “affordable” ones will be at 80% of market rates, pricing them beyond local people’s pockets – to be precise this is requiring an income of £51K and costing £1196 a month*.

It has also set a dangerous precedent that will encourage developers to propose other high-rises down the High Street.

BUILD TO RENT TO WAITROSE CUSTOMERS

The idea of this development was to diversify John Lewis partnership into renting property, as proposed by their then-chair. However, Since then the leadership of the business has changed and they are focussing on their core business. Where does this leave these proposed high-rises? Will they run out of heart for it and sell the site on, half built?

The flats for John Lewis to rent, were 353 ‘build to rent’ in four towers: 24, 19, 12 and 10 storeys. The existing food store is retained, and some commercial space is provided.  The development is car free – ie no parking spaces for residents (there might be some disabled spaces).  There is parking for the Waitrose store however – reduced from the present levels.  There is some new open space provided past the bridge – also a hard landscaped ‘piazza’ at the entrance to the store. The Build to Rent flats are to be controlled and managed by John Lewis Partnership, with a minimum of 10% affordable housing (by habitable room) in the form of Discount Market Rent at London Living Rent levels. 

WHAT WE ARE OBJECTING TO:

Note for people thinking of commenting: Objections that simply say ‘…the buildings are too high’ or that express a dislike of tower blocks will carry little weight by themselves. However, look at the paragraphs below for phrases you could effectively make, remembering that your own words will be better than copying ours.

OBJECT… AND WRITE.

The planning application is at 23/02633/FULL1.

Please copy your own ward councillors in on your comments – when the meeting is held, you want your representative to know that you think this development is unacceptable and to have told their colleagues that they don’t agree with it – find your councillor here.

Please also copy in the Town centre’s ward councillors (LibDem) at btcouncillors@bromleylibdems.org.uk:

OUR LAST POST, 12 REASONS TO OBJECT

Our previous post here collated together 12 points to help you compose a comment, covering topics like:

• scale and massing (height) out of character with the town;
• setting a precedent for more and even taller buildings (there’s been a master plan for these all down the west side of the High Street, that we don’t want revived);
• completely dominating and overshadowing of the old school building (listed);
• overloading local infrastructure (the development is not in the Local Plan so schools/doctors etc are not planned);
• the affordable housing is inadequate, and at 80% of market rate, unaffordable to local need.
• the application claims that the high-rises will be integrated into the neighbourhood by stepping down – but on 2 sides, that’s stepping down from 10 storeys to 2 and 10 storeys to 4.

A thank-you to our LibDem councillors for finding the prices of the not-so-affordable 30-odd affordable flats. They have a detailed page about their reasons for opposing the scheme : here