Agenda item

TOWN CENTRES DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME UPDATE

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.

 

With regards to Opportunity Site G: West of the High Street, the proposed Churchill Quarter development, the Council’s development team were continuing to liaise directly with property owners prior to the planning determination, a date for which was hoped to be set by the end of the month. Discussions were ongoing with the Bromley Town Church in relation to temporary relocation options, and officers were also preparing an Equalities Impact Assessment to support the acquisition process.

 

Phase 2 of the Bromley Town Centre High Street Public Realm Improvement works was continuing. The carriageway works at the High Street and Elmfield Road junction were underway and traffic diversions were in place. The road would be reopened from 18th April 2019, following which the bus routes would revert back to normal. The paving work in the pedestrianised area would be completed by Easter 2019, with the exception of the installation of the planters. Architectural up-lighting would be installed on the Primark building, the adjoining HG Wells building, 145-155 High Street, the adjoining Offspring Shoes building and Marks and Spencer, and it was anticipated that this would be completed by the end of the month.

 

In Beckenham town centre, the public realm improvement works would be completed this month, with the exception of the planters and any snagging works. The public realm improvement works in Orpington town centre were in the final stages with the remaining work just to be done on the fire escapes and any snagging issues.

 

The London Borough of Bromley had submitted a bid to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Future High Street Fund to fund the production of a new masterplan for Orpington town centre. The first phase of the bid was an Expression of Interest, which was submitted on 22nd February 2019 and defined the specific challenges faced by the high street and set out the strategic ambition for what the high street should become. The announcement of the outcome of the bids moving to Phase 2 would take place in July / August 2019. For bids that passed on to Phase 2 there would be revenue funding available to develop project proposals to produce a full business case, which needed to be submitted by spring 2020. Orpington town centre had been selected as it was the major town centre in the Borough, with Bromley town centre defined as a metropolitan town centre, and had received a lower level of investment. One of the key outputs from the masterplan would be to determine the location, mix and amount of development and officers would be working closely with the Orpington 1st BID Company and other stakeholders.

 

The shopfront improvement project in Penge High Street, as part of the New Homes Bonus, would be completed by May 2019 and impressive new shop fronts had been installed on five shops already. This had proved to be a popular scheme and would be considered for other town centres if funding opportunities arose.

 

The Chairman advised Members that the scaffolding around the Churchill Theatre would be in place for a few more months whilst an examination of the structure and replacement of tiles took place. A planning application for two glazed shop units to be situated on the former location of the market, would be submitted shortly.

 

RESOLVED that the update on the town centres development programme be noted.