A look inside the Royal Bell Hotel, Bromley

Posted on 10 October 2015 by Tim Hayward

Peter Martin, Vice Chair Bromley Civic Society, writes about the Royal Bell Hotel. This story appeared in our September newsletter. With thanks to Jo Hone for the photographs.

Royal BellThe Royal Bell has stood empty and forlorn now for some 5 years. Once the grandest hotel in Bromley, its most recent history has been somewhat chequered – as a troublesome nightclub (the horrible red plastic ‘Bromleys’ sign is still over the door), before that the ‘Sky Bar’ and before that a rather down at heel pub. Many will remember it as a Bernie Inn where you could get an excellent roast dinner in the large hall on the first floor at the back.

A group of people came together in 2012 to see if anything could be done about the state of the building. We discovered a stalemate between British Land (owners) and Spirit Group (leaseholders) that seemed destined to keep the building empty for the next 20yrs. Continue reading →

Posted in Archive | Comments Off on A look inside the Royal Bell Hotel, Bromley

Archive: September Newsletter now available

Posted on 21 September 2015 by Tim Hayward

The September BCS Newsletter is now available. It contains stories about future plans for the Royal Bell hotel, proposed development in opportunity sites B and G, and the future of the Civic Centre. Also a reminder about the BCS heritage walk on Saturday 26 September.

Posted in Archive | Comments Off on Archive: September Newsletter now available

London Borough of Bromley: Local Plan

Posted on 23 August 2015 by Tim Hayward

Bromley Council will be consulting on its Local Plan in September. This is a crucial tool for guiding development decisions for the Bromley area and anyone interested in being consulted about the Plan should contact the Council at the following address: ldf@bromley.gov.uk

You can read more about Local Plans on our planning page.

Posted in BCS news, Blog | Tagged , , | Comments Off on London Borough of Bromley: Local Plan

Membership Renewals are due!

Posted on 13 August 2015 by Jane Secker

Subscriptions were due on the 30th June for Membership of BCS for 2015/16. Many were collected at the AGM and we would urge those who could not attend to send your subscriptions to Tony Banfield as soon as possible. The money is urgently needed to fund the various campaigns which the society undertakes on your behalf. This is addition to the excellent newsletter!

Payment may be made by cheque or by bank transfer. Receipts will not be issued, but the current rates are listed on our website. We also have a Membership Form available for new members with details of the bank account and address for cheques.

Posted in BCS news | Tagged | Comments Off on Membership Renewals are due!

Bull Lane allotments designated as Local Green Space

Posted on 18 July 2015 by Tim Hayward

The Bull Lane action group has recently announced the welcome news that the allotments have been designated as Local Green Space.

The allotments, in Bull Lane Chislehurst, had recently come under threat of development which would have meant the loss of land important to the local community, as well as causing inevitable infrastructure problems.

The Council’s Development Control Committee met on Monday 13th July to hear the action group’s proposal for Local Green Space designation. Three councillors spoke for the proposal, no one spoke against it, and it passed with a unanimous vote.  This then went  to the Executive Committee which considered the petition and asked for objections: there were none, so the new designation was granted.  New developments on Local Green Space are not permitted except under very special circumstances. 

As the action groups explains, this does not guarantee that a planning application won’t be submitted, but it does make the process of getting planning permission significantly more difficult.  Most importantly, it sends out a very strong message that the community cares deeply about the allotments and will do everything they can to defend them.

 

 

 

Posted in Campaigns | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Bull Lane allotments designated as Local Green Space

BCS latest newsletter

Posted on 18 July 2015 by Tim Hayward

Our latest newsletter is now available and includes stories about the destruction of the Italian Gardens, future “improvement” to the high street, and the meeting between BCS and council officers about Site G.

 

Posted in BCS news | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on BCS latest newsletter

Bromley Museum

Posted on 17 June 2015 by Tim Hayward

We reported in our March 2015 newsletter about the planned closure of Bromley Museum and the sale of the Priory buildings in Orpington. Although LB Bromley acknowledge that the museum contains important collections, we understand that the intention is still to close the Museum which will include the loss of professional staff. To compensate for the loss of this important heritage asset to Bromley, there will instead be  a small display of exhibits in Bromley central library.

Bromley Civic Society supports a strong and professionally resourced museum for Bromley that reflects the important heritage contribution that the Borough makes to London. This aspiration is not met by the council’s proposal for a small display in the central library.

Claire Madge, who until recently worked as a volunteer in the Priory Museum, has written a blog revealing her thoughts about this issue. You can read Claire’s blog here.

Posted in Campaigns | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Bromley Museum

Havelock Recreation Ground

Posted on 13 June 2015 by Tim Hayward

Friends of Havelock have confirmed that Havelock Recreation Ground has been added to LB Bromley’s list of community assets, part of the Government’s Community Right to Bid initiative.

Bromley Civic Society is delighted with this news which is the result of the hard work and vision of the local community around the Rec. Only 15 local places have been successfully registered as community assets in Bromley since the Localism Act came into force.

You can read more about this important story on the Friend’s website.

Posted in Campaigns | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Havelock Recreation Ground

Bromley Civic Society AGM: 4 June 2015

Posted on 19 May 2015 by Tim Hayward

We would like to invite you to our Annual General Meeting and Social Evening to be held on Thursday 4th June 2015, 8pm

It will take place in the Parish Church Rooms, Church Road, Bromley (behind Primark)

The agenda is as follows:

  1. Chairman’s report 2014/15
  2. Treasurers’ report
  3. Election of officers
  4. General discussion
  5. Refreshment break
  6. Guest Speaker, Peter Martin, BCS – The Bell Hotel, Bromley: its history and redevelopment plans

Followed by Refreshments & Social

Posted in Archive | Comments Off on Bromley Civic Society AGM: 4 June 2015

Site G

Posted on 14 March 2015 by Patrick

Community Meeting about plans for the major development in the Town Centre (Site G) on Tuesday 20th May at 7.30pm in Bromley Town Church, Ethelbert Road. Organised by Friends of Community G and Bromley Civic Society, this was a chance to give local people and others with an interest in this area an update on plans. Also for them to share their thoughts and aspirations for the future of this part of the Town Centre

Posted in Campaigns | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Site G