The planning application for the “Churchill Quarter” development in Bromley town centre has now been submitted (planning reference: 18/02181).
The development, adjacent to library gardens, is a co-development with the Council providing the land and Countryside Properties responsible for building and operations.
Before and after images showing the effect of the development can be seen on the right.
Civic Day, with the slogan “I care about where I live”, is a nationwide event organised by Civic Voice (formerly the Civic Trust). Bromley Civic Society is contributing to Civic Day by staging four heritage walks around Bromley Town Centre on Saturday 16th June.
All four walks are free and each will take about 90 mins. They will start and finish in The 
Glades at the north end upper level near Boots. We will have a display there about the heritage of Bromley and more details about the work of the Bromley Civic Society.
The idea is to engage and inform visitors about the town’s rich heritage of architecture and green spaces and the stories that can be told about the characters that lived there in the past. People coming on the walks will be encouraged to look up and see details of buildings they may not have noticed before although they may have walked past them many times.
If residents and visitors know more about their local environment and the history that shaped it, they are more likely to end the day by saying “I care about where I live”!
The four walks are:
9:30am Bromley Palace and Park
12:00pm Bromley’s Green Spaces, Parks and Gardens
2:00pm Victorian Bromley (Arts and Crafts, HG Wells)
4:00pm Pathways of the Past
For more details about the walks, please see our flyer for the day.
Yes it’s that time of year again and it’s been a pretty busy one for the Town in terms of proposed redevelopment and, occasionally, some welcome Conservation initiatives. Do come and join us to find out more and give us your thoughts.
Date: Thursday 7th June, 7.30pm
Bromley Parish Church Rooms, Church Road, Bromley
Provisional Agenda
Welcome from the Chairman
Review of the past year &; discussion
Financial review
Election of officers
AOB
Short refreshment break
Guest Speaker
More refreshments and social
Bromley Civic Society has been fortunate enough to secure a meeting with the new owners of the Royal Bell Hotel, High Street, Bromley.
They will be hosting a special members only meeting at the Bell on Saturday 28th April at 10.30am where there will be a chance to see proposed plans for the development of the hotel.
Places are limited and booking for this event is essential by emailing chair@bromleycivicsociety.org.uk
A second consultation on the Council’s Library Gardens/Ethelbert Close development (Churchill Quarter) will now take place in the Wells Room at the Churchill Theatre on the following dates:
Thursday 16 Nov: 2.00-7.00pm
Friday 17 Nov: Midday – 5.00pm
Saturday 18 Nov: 10.00am-2.00pm
Please see flyer for full details.
Bromley Civic Society would like to make local residents and businesses aware of current proposals that we believe will have a significant impact on the future face of Bromley town centre.
There will be a consultation on proposals for designated “Site A” near Bromley North Station on Thursday 14 September, from 17.00-21.00 at St John the Evangelist Church Hall, Park Rd Bromley. We understand that the proposal here is for a tower block higher than that currently under construction at Bromley South. A further consultation will take place on Saturday 16 September 12.30-16.30 at the Central Library, Bromley. Please see our flyer here.
The second proposal concerns the proposed redevelopment of the Library Gardens near central library (“Site G”) about which the BCS has already made representations. Please see our flyer here.
BCS are keen to bring to the attention of residents, businesses and customers of Bromley town centre, the proposed development of Library Gardens. This land was given to the people of Bromley in the will of Emily Dowling in 1900 for recreation and education. It is historically and visually distinct from the adjacent Church House Gardens which were acquired by the Council in 1926.
Library Gardens and Church House Gardens are designated as Urban Open Space which does not allow development other than small structures related to open space use. In 1987, both Gardens were designated as part of the Bromley Town Centre Conservation Area which carries a duty to ensure that any development will preserve or enhance the historic character or appearance.
The new proposed development will comprise 380 flats in two 11 storey blocks on the site of adjacent Ethelbert Close, which will extend into Library Gardens necessitating the sale of land. In its current form, the development continues along the Garden’s frontage opposite the library and theatre to provide more restaurants and shops along with paved forecourts. The development is likely to block the sky line and greenery and in our view removes any semblance of the Gardens given us in Emily Dowling’s will.
The Council has already issued a public notice of intention to sell parts of Library Gardens to the developer under the 1972 Local Government Act s.123(2a). This is largely the land where the tower blocks will intrude into the Gardens. While it is argued that other land will be added to Library Gardens, this is essentially an area hemmed in by the two tower blocks. This notice of sale comes in advance of consideration of consultation comments or a planning application.
BCS wrote to the Council before the 12 July deadline setting out our objections to sale of the land and we will continue to keep the people of Bromley informed of developments.
Please see our original flyer here.
Bromley Civic Society is organising four heritage walks on Civic Day, Saturday 17 June.
Walks will start and finish at Market Square, Bromley and times are given below. Each walk will last for approximately 90 minutes and will be free.
10.00am Bromley Palace and Park 
The 18th century home of the Bishops of Rochester and the adjoining historic park.
12.00pm 17th century Bromley & Shepherd’s Colleges
The 17th century Grade 1 listed building form a quiet oasis in Bromley North.
2.00pm Victorian Bromley (Arts and Crafts, HG Wells)
A walk around the old town of Bromley to get a flavour of its Victorian heyday.
4.00pm Bromley’s Green Spaces, Parks and Gardens
Discover Bromley’s rich heritage of historic landscape features.
A Walk Around Bromley Palace and Park
Sunday 21st May 2017
Meet at 10:00am on the corner of St Blaise Avenue and Widmore Road
FREE (donations welcome)
The walk will last not more than 2 hours.
The 18th century Bromley Palace is the jewel in the crown of Bromley’s heritage. This is an opportunity to take a close look at the building and its transformation from the Georgian home of the Bishops of Rochester to the home of Victorian entrepreneur Coles-Child in 1845. Inside we will see the magnificent grand staircase, carved oak panels, Robert Adams fireplace and more. The walk will also take in the Park including the St Blaise Well, the Pulham Rocks, the Ice House, Ha Ha and Victorian folly.
Bromley Civic Society Annual General Meeting
Wednesday 7th June, 7.30pm, Parish Rooms, adjacent to the parish church in Church Road, Bromley BR2 0EG (behind Primark). 
It is that time of year again for our AGM. Please do join us at 7.30pm for our Annual General Meeting. Light refreshments and drinks will be served. It will be an opportunity to renew your membership of Bromley Civic Society and find out what we have been up to this year. We will also have a guest speaker from Bromley Historic Collections to tell us about the new exhibition space in Bromley Central Library and the collections on display.
Subscription rates for membership of BCS remains good value and the rates are below:
Full members £7.00 per annum
Two or more full members in the same household £11.00 per annum
Under-18s £3.50 per annum
Corporate members £12.00 per annum
EXHIBITION IN THE MARKET SQUARE AND WALKS
Spread the word! Tell your friends to visit the BCS tent on Saturday 17th June and come on the walks.
We also need volunteers to help staff the tent in two hour slots on the day and to assist in any preparation for the walks. Please contact chair@bromleycivicsociety.org.uk if you are interested in helping out.
The Society plan to celebrate Civic Day by staging an exhibition in the Market Square in Bromley Town Centre. The exhibition will be in a market stall style tent from which four walks will be scheduled throughout the day. Each walk will have a different theme and visitors will be shown different aspects of the town’s heritage.
The aim is to increase awareness of and enthusiasm for heritage amongst visitors, residents, businesses and people who work in the town centre so that heritage issues are given greater prominence in the future. The event will be used as a launch pad for a yearlong programme of walks and talks. We will get as many people as possible to sign up to the Civic Society and we hope to recruit more walk leaders and speakers.
Civic Day is a National Initiative with the theme of celebrating civic pride and getting people to ‘care about where they live’. BCS have registered their participation with Civic Voice (formerly Civic Trust) who are the organising body. The event, supported by Theresa May, will have National media publicity which will be used to publicise our own exhibition.
2017 is also the 50th anniversary of Conservation Areas legislation and our exhibition will use this to focus attention on the Bromley Town Centre Conservation Area. The exhibition will be a celebration of our Town’s heritage that will hopefully encourage a great appreciation of the local environment.
Browse our old photos, in
from being dominated by tower blocks: Look here and email our ward councillors about:
* High rises in the Local Plan
* housing and a hotel on the civic centre (old palace)
and
* 16+ high rises from the draft Master Plan down the Lower High Street
* and there's others...
