Construction work to restart on halted housing project at York Rise, Orpington

Bromley Council have agreed to spend an additional £4.8 million to finish construction at the York Rise development near Orpington Station after the contractors originally appointed have gone into administration. 

Bromley Council has approved a new contractor to complete the works, which would provide 35 affordable homes and bring a net saving of £149k from temporary accommodation costs.

Construction had been stalled due to the contractor Modular-AR going into administration. The council now face losses and damages from the incomplete works, as well as the challenge of removing buried asbestos from the site.

The Lib Dems support the continued investment of the project to deliver homes for all.

However, Cllr Will Connolly, a Liberal Democrat representative on the Recreation, Housing and Renewal Committee, raised questions about lessons learnt from the project. He asked about the council's legal and insurance options to recoup the losses and damage to the site, and the protocols the council should have to check the site security and the payments of subcontractors.

The site is expected to be completed by June 2025.