Agenda item

 Report HPR2023/053

The report proposed the adoption of the Bromley Town Centre Supplementary Planning Document which provided guidance to assist with the determination of planning applications in the Bromley Town Centre area, including on design requirements.  The final draft SPD included a number of amendments made as a result of a public consultation undertaken between 28 October 2022 to 27 January 2023.  This report would also be considered by the Development Control Committee at its meeting on 5 October 2023.

A Member who was also the Chairman of Development Control Committee underlined that this document was not planning policy but had been designed to inform planning policy.  The Member expressed broad satisfaction with the final draft SPD but emphasised the importance of acknowledging Bromley Town Centre’s distinctive character as a retail, business and residential area and suggested an amendment referencing the role that new residential units played in increasing footfall.  Another suggestion was to make reference to the role of planning policy in designing out crime; however, the Head of Planning Policy and Strategy reassured Members that this particular aspect of planning was already explored in detail within the Urban Design Guide.

Note: Following the meeting the Head of Planning Policy and Strategy confirmed that Paragraph 5.41 of the Bromley Town Centre SPD had previously been amended to state that loss of retail units could mean that the projected increase in demand for retail services from new town centre residents would not be met.

In responding to questions from another Member, the Head of Planning Policy and Strategy clarified that references to Churchill Theatre in the final draft SPD related to the cultural contribution it made to Bromley Town Centre.  The Member highlighted the need to consider how the town centre would evolve over time and stressed the importance of fostering mixed-use and residential development alongside a vibrant cultural and retail offer, particularly in light of the changing working practices in the post-COVID period.  The Member also queried why the Civic Centre site was described as having medium development potential and it was explained that this was due to site restrictions that would limit development, including the Listed building and public park. 

A Member spoke on behalf of Ward Members for Bromley Town who were concerned that aspects of their consultation submission had not been adopted, including the height of buildings in Bromley North, West and South and the overall quality of housing.  The Head of Planning Policy and Strategy advised that the Bromley Town Ward Councillors had been consulted on an early version of the draft SPD prior to public consultation and that as far as he was aware, a further response had not been received to the draft SPD consultation.  The issues previously raised had aligned with other representations and the Local Authority’s response to these representations was set out in the SPD consultation statement.  The Chairman noted that any specific changes could be put to the Council’s Executive which would be considering the final draft SPD for approval at its meeting on 18 October 2023.

RESOLVED: That the Council’s Executive be recommended to:

·  Adopt the Bromley Town Centre Supplementary Planning Document as a local development document, subject to any further minor changes (e.g. – related to formatting or mapping) prior to adoption; and,

·  Authorise officers to write to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to request that the Bromley Town Centre Area Action Plan is revoked, as per the provisions of section 25 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.