Minutes:
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.
A planning application for Opportunity Site G: West of the High Street had been submitted by Countryside Properties (UK) Limited, which it was hoped would be determined before the end of the year. The London Borough of Bromley had produced a Masterplan for the site which had been published, and was subject to an eight week consultation period. The responses received were currently being reviewed and would be reported to the relevant Council committees during the autumn.
Phase 1 of the Bromley Town Centre High Street Public Realm Improvements were mostly complete, with the new wooden benches to be installed over the next couple of weeks. Funding for remedial works to the Churchill Theatre had been agreed by the Council’s Executive, and a selection process to appoint a building contractor to complete the works was underway. As a result, the temporary scaffolding on the High Street frontages would not be removed until the remedial works were undertaken in the New Year.
Phase 2 of the improvement works had been delayed due to supply chain issues with the material being delivered from China. The contractor had since secured the material needs, and works were expected to be completed by the end of October 2018. The market had been relocated; the stone planters and trees removed, and new planters would be installed by 30th November 2018. The engineering team had advised that works to the Elmfield Road junction would commence in early 2019, once the seasonal highway works embargo had been lifted.
In Beckenham town centre, the public realm improvement works were in the final stages. From the 24th September 2018, the High Street had reopened to two-way traffic and the diverted bus routes had reverted back to normal. There would be an official re-opening of the High Street once additional works were complete. The public realm improvement works in Orpington town centre had suffered further delays due to contractual issues.
As part of the New Homes Bonus, funding had been allocated to produce a Framework Plan for regenerating Orpington town centre. The Framework Plan had been produced by Cushman & Wakefield, and provided an overview of key market trends affecting town centres and benchmarking analysis. The findings would be presented in the form of a SWOT analysis, and progress would be reported at future meetings. As part of the shopfront improvement project in Penge town centre, planning applications were to be submitted for ten shopfronts. It was anticipated that works would be completed by March 2019.
Members were advised that the soft opening of the St Marks’ Square development was due to take place at the end of October 2018, with the cinema expected to open in November 2018. The official opening was anticipated to take place in early 2019.
Members enquired if there was an update on the sale of the Old Town Hall. The Chairman advised that the site was due to be reoffered through Cushman & Wakefield, following the expected buyer pulling out of the purchase.
RESOLVED that the update on the town centres development programme be noted.