There are 6 “Character Areas” in the plan. These are listed below:
In the 2020 consultation on the SPD (supplementary planning document) 86% of responses about building heights rejected more high-rises (defined as over 6 storeys) (see here). New policies in the London Plan enable our council to set limits on the heights of new buildings. This means that Guidence Note 11 is not worded strong enough – for instance, perhaps it could be updated to say that new developments should be no more than 2 or 3 storeys more than the surrounding roads.
The Council is currently consulting on the Bromley Town Centre Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) which will govern how large and where future buildings will be, in the town centre. It will provide better control of the development (that affects the character and appearance of the town) by providing detailed guidance – in fifteen Guidance Notes and 8 Character Areas/Sub-Areas. The SPD is a dense document and long read (as it needs to be) but there’s 4 areas we would like you to comment on:
Make your comments – not forgetting to cc us at : chair@bromleycivicsociety.org.uk
* by email to: ldf@bromley.gov.uk;
* in writing to: Head of Planning Policy and Strategy, London Borough of Bromley, Civic Centre, Stockwell Close, Bromley BR1 3UH; or
* via bromley council’s survey monkey link (see our post here on how you might want to fill this in)
The council is consulting on how new buildings should appear, by creating an Urban Planning Guide for architects. Most of this document is good, there are only… the illustrations. These are nearly all cheap, ugly, and very undesirable. Including these will make it very hard to object to schemes like the brutalist-car-park design for Churchill Quarter, because they look just like what the council has used as best-example illustrations!
We would like to see these examples removed and replaced:
It is late to object (as the author is not a planner and has a job to earn a living) but you can still write to ldf@bromley.gov.uk. Please cc your email to us at chair@bromleycivicsociety.org.uk, and to the town centre councillors at btcouncillors@bromleylibdems.org.uk. You can write to Head of Planning Policy and Strategy, London Borough of Bromley, Civic Centre, Stockwell Close, Bromley BR1 3UH.
In Bromley, the council has policies designed to stop ‘Protected Views’ from being destroyed by developers. In practise, this is not always the case. Two protected views that are on the line with current planning proposals:
(1) The East side of the Ravensbourne Valley, notably from Queens Mead
(2) View of Keston Ridge from the Broadway (lower High Street)
This protected view has already been partially blocked by the new Police station, but the proposals for 1 Westmoreland Road will completely close it.
Other Protected Views in the town centre:
And, there are FIVE applications, which we’d like you to object to (you could copy-and-paste the same wording):
The new owners of the “Y-buildings” in the grounds of the Civic Centre, want to increase their height by an extra storey – this means it will be above the height of the trees, and visible all around. The extra height will overlook the local (2-storey) houses down Rafford Way, and put even more pressure on local amenities like parking, in a quiet area. They will be right next to the lovely, Grade II listed, Old Bishops Palace.
The consultation ends on Friday (though you will be able to object for a time after this date).
Though this striking Arts & Crafts building is now several shops, originally it was a large Co-Op store, with a meeting hall above, built in 1888.
Bromley Little Theatre is housed in two linked buildings at the back – they were originally a Victorian bakery, store rooms and hay loft for the Coop. The theatre movement was founded in 1934 by Harold Wilson Pook, and took a lease on the vacant bakery the following year. The first production was in December 1937. The raked auditorium was built and seating was installed having been obtained from the Alhambra Theatre in London. The theatre opened with its first production in December 1937 and, apart from a break during WW2, has been showing performances ever since.
Continue reading
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...
