Agenda item

Report DRR16/022

Members were provided with an update on progress achieved in delivering the Town Centres Development Programme.

The GLA had provisionally accepted Bromley’s Expression of Interest Bid for Housing Zone status which would require formal ratification from the new Mayor.  Subject to formal confirmation, this would result in the Council benefitting from direct grant and soft developer loans to progress developments at Site G, West of the High Street and Site A, Bromley North Station.  Further consultation would take place between the Council and the GLA to progress the delivery contract and Members would be updated in due course.

It was reported that Site G was being successfully marketed and plans were moving forward. There was no fixed date for completion of the work and residents would be kept informed of developments.

A revised planning policy for Site A (Bromley North Station) was being consulted upon by way of the Local Plan Review.

Work was under way to produce detailed designs for the redevelopment of the Old Town Hall and adjacent residential scheme which was granted planning permission in November 2015.

The Stage C Design report of the Bromley Central Area High Street Improvements Scheme was endorsed by the Executive on 2 December 2015.  Detailed designs were now being developed and it was anticipated that further design and budget updates would be brought to Members at the next PDS Committee meeting.

An update was given on developments concerning the proposed Beckenham Town Centre Public Realm improvements.  Detailed designs for the project were being progressed by the Term Contractor FM Conway Ltd and would be provided to TfL for approval.  Samples of the proposed new paving would be laid in Beckenham High Street during the following week.

Referring to section 3.14 of the report, the Chairman asked if LBB was guaranteed to receive the £950K contribution from TfL for the Beckenham Town Centre Improvement Project.  It was reported that this contribution was the upper limit for funding and allocation depended on the Council presenting a positive and detailed business case.  As good relations existed between the Council and TfL, the Project Officer was optimistic that funding would be forthcoming.  No issues or risks concerning this aspect of the project had been identified.

Discussions with Network Rail were ongoing so it was yet to be established what funding would be allocated to the project. The Chairman suggested that more pressure be levied on Network Rail.  Whilst the Project Officer was in regular contact with Network Rail, a decision was yet to be made. The Head of Renewal clarified that despite this apparent delay, it was his opinion that Network Rail regarded the Beckenham Project as a priority. An update on this matter would be given at the next meeting of the PDS Committee.

Members were updated on the Biggin Hill New Homes Bonus Project. The New Homes Bonus was a grant paid by central government to local councils to reflect and incentivise housing growth in their areas. The New Homes Bonus was currently paid each year for six years.  It was based on the amount of extra Council Tax revenue raised for new-build homes, conversions and long-term empty homes brought back into use. There was also an extra payment for providing affordable homes.

Discussions had taken place between officers and the site holder to discuss what could be done on site.  Consultations had taken place with Biggin Hill Airport Ltd, Bromley College, Historic England and the GLA.  An assessment to identify demand for managed workspace was being undertaken.  LBB officers had recently attended a meeting with other stakeholders where a presentation was given by the Aviation Skills Partnership (ASP), who were aiming to establish an aviation skills training centre at Norwich Airport in late 2016.  Discussions had taken place recently concerning the possible development of a training centre at Biggin Hill which would focus on jet aircraft.

Project architects, Kinnear Landscape Architecture (KLA), had undertaken a consultation in relation to town centre development plans for Penge.  The process had identified assets and various matters to be taken forward. Concept designs were being developed which focussed on Empire and Arpley Squares. The final designs would be available in Spring 2016.

Improvements to both Squares would be implemented alongside TfL funded carriageway and bus route improvements to the High Street. A scheme was also being developed to reinvigorate Maple Road, improve shop fronts and provide business support. The project was progressing to Design Stage 2 and the Chairman stated he was pleased with the developments.

Councillor Wilkins welcomed investment in Penge and asked for as much consultation to be carried out as possible. It was reported that London Buses were seeking funding from the Council of circa £45k per annum to cover increased diesel costs incurred as a result of diversions.

An update on the Town Centre Development Programme for Orpington was provided.  A stakeholder workshop took place on 26 November 2015 where options for the Walnuts Shopping Area Public Realm Improvement Scheme were discussed.  East Architects had produced a Stage 1 report from which eight briefs had been developed; these would be used to agree the Stage 2 Design. A further update would be reported at the next R&R PDS meeting. It was noted that NHB Funding should be utilised by the end of March 2017.

Members were updated on developments in the Cray Business Corridor. The area itself had been classed as a Strategic Industrial Location. The Council’s primary objective for this location was to identify industrial areas where economic intensification could be promoted and supported. Meetings with representatives from key strategic sites had taken place and significant interest was shown in developing the sites whilst working closely with the Council to achieve the aims. Work was required to identify available industrial space and maximise usage.  To this end, models were being developed and a demand study was ongoing.

Councillor Wilkins declared an interest in the Cray Business Corridor Development as she had previously sought to secure a unit on an industrial complex.  Members were informed that whilst consultation was initially confined to the Cray Corridor, it had since expanded borough-wide and enquiries were also undertaken with the GLA. The Council was working with The Society of London Manufacturers (Soloman Executive) on the demand study.

Generic enquiries were being made to the market and a generic database was being compiled. The number of available sites for development would be clearly identified and discussions would take place with site owners. The Council would build a database for the supply side and were working with Soloman to build up a demand side database.

The Chairman requested sight of a report identifying the number of occupied business units as it was important to establish whether the Council’s investment was proving to be successful.  The Portfolio Holder considered this request to be incompatible with the direction of travel adopted by the Town Centre Development Team to date and suggested it was unlikely that further information would be available for the next meeting in April.  

Some Members considered the lack of an update in April 2016 would imply that eight months had elapsed since the project work commenced in September 2015, with little progress being achieved

The Head of Renewal confirmed that Member comments would be considered.  An activity log would be established and maintained and a possible shift in strategy would be discussed.

The Chairman expressed his thanks to the Head of Renewal and his team for the updates and looked forward to future submissions. 

RESOLVED that:-

(1)  the Town Centres Development Update report be noted;

(2)  an update on negotiations with Network Rail be provided to the next meeting of the R&R PDS Committee in April 2016; and 

(3)  an update on business units being taken up in the Cray Corridor be brought to Members in April 2016.