Minutes:
Mr Virgil Rappa, LBB Town Centre Development Project Planner attended to provide an update on Town Centre Development across the Borough. Progress was continuing across the sites that made up the Bromley Town Centre Area Action Plan.
Bromley Town Centre was designated as a Housing Zone on 17th March 2016, with the possibility of receiving up to £27.1m pending final agreement with the Council. Subject to the outcome of the final agreement the funding could be used to accelerate the delivery of housing and infrastructure including Opportunity Site G: West of the High Street and Opportunity Site A: Bromley North Station.
At the meeting of the Executive on 23rd March 2016, it was agreed that the Greater London Authority’s Development Panel would be used to procure a development partner for Opportunity Site G. It was anticipated that the process would be completed by November 2016.
The Draft Local Plan would include a revised policy for former Opportunity Site A of the Area Action Plan following a viability assessment which had shown that the original proposed mixed use scheme consisting of 250 residential units would not be viable. The London Borough of Bromley was currently engaged with local stakeholders, Network Rail and the developers to help inform the appropriate massing and viability options for the site.
The Concept Design report produced by Studio Egret West for the Bromley Town Central High Street Public Realm Improvements had been agreed and the detailed design work had commenced. The proposals included relocating the market and eight semi-permanent kiosks, plus hard and soft landscaping.
Detailed construction design drawings had also been completed for the Beckenham Town Centre Improvements. Following consultation with the Beckenham Town Centre Working Group, a few details were now being reviewed. A decision from Transport for London (TfL) for extra funding had been expected in April 2016 following the submission of a new business case by the London Borough of Bromley. The latest information from TfL is that a decision would be made towards the end of July 2016 or beginning of August 2016. If successful, work was expected to commence in early autumn 2016.
With regards to other projects in Orpington and Penge town centres, the first phase of the detailed design for the Orpington Walnuts Centre Public Realm Scheme would be made available soon. Plans included improved paving, more seating, better lighting, signage for Orpington Library and a mural for the Walnuts Leisure Centre. In Penge town centre additional funding had been secured from Transport for London to implement extended paving and bus route and junction improvement work. Officers would also be implementing a shop front improvement scheme and a business support package which included business mentoring and the development of a town centre website.
The Growth Project had been focussing on certain strategic development sites within the Cray Corridor. These were the Klingers building, land to the rear of Edgington Way and the Allied Bakery site. Work was continuing with the site owners to bring forward development, but it was noted that this was a lengthy process as there were very few development sites coming on to the market and no clear cut investment proposal had come forward to date. At the meeting of the Council’s Executive on 18th May 2016, approval had been granted for the creation of an arm’s length development company with an existing commercial developer via a joint venture. The Growth Project in Biggin Hill had seen architects and masterplanners Hamson Barron Smith commissioned to carry out a development option assessment for the provision of an Aviation Training and Enterprise Centre at the West Camp of London Biggin Hill Airport. This would include the space options for Bromley College and an appraisal of the rest of the site to identify future growth potential. The masterplan was still in progress and was due to be completed before the end of August 2016.
RESOLVED that the update on the town centres development programme be noted.