Bromley Council Sells Civic Centre Site
Bromley’s Conservative Executive has agreed the sale of the Civic Centre site at Stockwell Close. The move of the Council's base from the Stockwell Close site to their new premises in the old Direct Line building in Churchill Court is due to complete by the end of 2024.
The details of the sale are commercial in confidence at this time. Only when the deal is finalised will the public be informed of the amount of money raised by the sale including, and crucially, what the new owner is planning to do with the site.
The Lib Dems have criticised the way the deal has been rushed through the Committees at short notice, and without time or enough information to properly scrutinize either the deal or the way that the freehold was marketed and valued. Are Bromley residents getting the best deal from this sale? This is especially concerning as the Conservative-led Council chose to sell the freehold of the site, rather than the leasehold - once sold the Council will have lost control over how this prime piece of land will be developed.
Lib Dem Councillor Julie Ireland said: “It’s a large site at the heart of Bromley town centre which surrounds a park (not included in the sale), and includes the listed Bromley Palace. It’s important to local residents that they know what’s being planned for this site and that they have an opportunity to comment. When a public asset is being sold off local people want guarantees that local people will benefit, and I am sorry to say the Council cannot make that guarantee”.
There were many alternatives available to the Council where the freehold could have been retained and the site developed with the Council having influence to ensure it benefited the community and delivered the housing and services needed. However, this is the way this Conservative-led Council operates - determined to sell off assets as quickly as possible, with minimal consultation with the residents of Bromley, and very little opportunity for scrutiny. We have seen this with the sale of Community House and Beckenham Public Halls.
Like many people we have concerns about the future development site, including the number and type of homes being planned, how many will be affordable, the height of any buildings, the protection around the Palace and the access to and maintenance of the park. While the sale process includes the developers’ outline plans for the site, none of this information is currently publicly available. The development will have to go through the planning process, where Councillors and residents will be able to scrutinise the proposals and contribute to the consultation process. We also anticipate the developers will hold pre-planning consultation meetings. We will keep you updated.
The regeneration of the old Civic Centre provided a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform this site to deliver housing, public services and recreational amenities local people need. With the Council about to relinquish control and responsibility, we just have to hope the new owners' aspirations for the site match our own.