We like our Market Square with enough open space for our market – If you want to continue to have our market in Market Square, find a moment to object to this planning proposal 19_00241: https://searchapplications.bromley.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=PLEVE4BTJHM00
Just to let everybody know about the plans with the lakeland slate tiles that are falling off the cladding on Churchill Theatre:
Continue readingThe former Tunnel Shoes occupy the original 1902 premises of Boots the Chemists. The Art Nouveau wrought iron work in front of the first floor windows is typical of boots in this period and similar work can also be seen in Boots old shop in the Pantiles in Tunbridge Wells. Behind the modern false ceiling the gallery of Boots famous ‘Penny Library’ still survives. The building replaced that of Rawes School, one of Bromley’s most important educational establishments in the 19th century.
Unfortunately, this building is being allowed to fall in to disrepair. The beautiful dutch gables that adorned the fronts, have all been removed, and are only recorded in the mural on Sainsbury’s.
From Bromley Gloss on FB:
Bromley Mystery 🛑 Have you got a theory, or are you in the know about the Tunnel Shop on Bromley High Street North. Remember Tunnel Discount Shoe Shop… A decade ago or there abouts it shut down, and has continued to stand empty to this day.
❤Set in a beautiful ornate vintage building in a location with lots of footfall throughout the year, why has there not been the slightest hint anyone is interested in taking it over. What’s your theory? #tunnel #tunnelshoeshop #bromleyhighstreet #bromleyshops #bromleyarchitecture #bromleymyster
Jason : I looked into leasing this property, however was told it was already sold to developers to build a block of flats. That was however 3 years ago so not sure if that has changed.
The problem is the rent for the shop is so high nobody would ever be able to cope with it, so it’s been dead.
A1 USE
EXTENSIVE RETAIL DEVELOPMENT IN PROMINENT TRADING LOCATION
The property occupies a prominent position close to the junction with Market Square. Nearby multiple retailers include Primark, McDonald’s, and William Hill together with many banks, restaurants and bars. (See attached Street Traders Plan extract).
From 1863 until 1930, the market sported a ‘Elizabethan’ style, brick ‘Town Hall’. The new Lord of the Manor built it at his own cost. He had bought the title and the Old Bishop’s Palace from the Bishops of Rochester in 1845 (on a reorganisation of the English dioceses that resulted in Bromley – for a time – not being in the Rochester diocese). The new landowner was a Mr Cole-Childs, a coal merchant from Deptford. As the ‘Town Hall’ was constructed at his own cost, in 1863, the bricks were made from his own brick-pit, from where Havelock Rec is now: http://friendsofhavelockrec.org/about-the-brick-pit-of…/.
It replaced a much smaller, more traditional market building in the centre of the square.
“The ancient heart of Bromley, the Market square, was re-laid out in 1863 when an all purpose town hall (centre background), was erected.
It housed the first police station (with a cell to replace the ‘Cage’ on Widmore Road), the first fire-station (before that the engine was lodged at the White Hart and then the Parish Church) – the next one is on West Street, and the current one on South Street), and a large upper room for civic meetings. At various times it also housed the literary institute and meeting rooms. However, the Vestry (who ran the town) never met there, so it was not used as a Town Hall.
It seems that it was at least 3 different buildings kludged together. Most of its life it was rented by an estate agents. Whilst the style was fashionable at the time it was built, by the end of it’s life, the local paper described it as ‘monstrous’. This did not stop it being featured in many of the postcards of the town centre.
This talk will cover the story of local government in Bromley; the buildings, the architecture and what the future might hold.
In 1858 when the railway came to Bromley, the borough was run by the Parish Vestry, and election to that body was restricted to residents who paid more than the qualifying amount of tithes. The parish’s tithes were ‘commuted’ to their value in Pound, Shilling and Pence, and paid to the Bishop (who was also Lord of the Manor).
At the turn of the 20th century, the town progressed to having a local board to run the area (the building for this purpose is still on East Street) with a town constable and beadle.
In 1907 the town had grown again, and became a local authority, building itself the ornate building on tweedy road. This included a council chamber. In 1937 it had to be extended, and the town hall extension, including a new council chamber, was added on the Widmore Road side.
Then in 1982 Bromley became a London Borough, and the council offices moved to the old Bishops Palace, which had been Stockwell College, for training teachers.
Now the plan (see Site F) is to sell most of this site, so our palace is due to become a hotel and much of the remainder housing… so where next?
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from the vestry to the palace (and where next?) – Peter’s talk on Thursday
The talk will take place at the Parish rooms, Church Road, Bromley BR2 0EG
Thursday 21 March 2019 at 7.30pm
For more information, please see our flyer.
Table of Local Plan sites, adopted 2018, and their housing allocations.
Table of the 2010 Area Action Plan’s Opportunity Sites:
The AAP was drawn up and adopted by Bromley Council in 2010. The plan identifies the following sites in the Town Centre for development. It has been somewhat modified by the Local Plan adopted in 2018.
Site A (Site 2 in the Local Plan): Bromley North station.
Site B: Tweedy Road adjacent to Bromley & Sheppard’s College. Approved despite harm to the 17th Century widows and spinsters colleges.
Site C: Old Town Hall, Tweedy Road & Widmore Road and adjacent Car Park – Approved in 2015 for a hotel scheme and 50 flats in South Street car park. Approved, and variation for the town hall (not the flats) submitted August 2018.
Site E: The Pavilion. AAP proposals to move these leisure facilities onto the Civic Centre site and extend the Glades shopping centre have been abandoned. Bromley Mytime, a charitable trust, has completed a £5M refurbishment of this leisure centre in March 2012.
Site F: Civic Centre (Local Plan Site 1). AAP proposals were relocation of the Pavilion Leisure facilities, housing and retained Council use. Current Local Plan proposals are retained offices, retained car park , 70 housing units including conversion of the Palace building, retention of south east open space as a public park as now. BCS sought restoration of the Palace grounds in consideration of what has been lost to build Kentish Way, the multi-storey car park & the newer Council offices and continued public use of the Grade II listed Palace. This has been rejected by the Council.
Site G: Lower High Street (Local Plan Site 10 now extends to include BS Station and platforms). AAP proposals for a shopping Mall now scrapped in favour of the Local Plan modification for 1230 residential units plus offices. Vicinity of TK Maxx site is identified in the AAP as possibly suitable for a tall/taller building. This gave rise to a 2018 consultation by the owner for a 20 storey block of flats opposed by BCS. No planning application as yet.
This is the most controversial of all the development sites. The Council intend acquiring by CPO the 40 homes in Ethelbert Close for what is called Phase One – Churchill Quarter. This is a co-development with the Council of 410 flats still awaiting a decision. The AAP Inspector required the Council to produce a Masterplan for the whole site but this was only produced in 2018 well after the Churchill Quarter application was made and proposes a mass of tower blocks. The upper part is in the town centre conservation area and environmental groups including Historic England have objected both to Churchill Quarter and the Masterplan. A decision on both from the Council is still awaited. In 2014 Crest Homes implemented a large flatted development in Ringers Road on part of the site which had already gained permission from the Council before the AAP have been drafted.
Site J: Bromley South Station ( now included in Site G/10 in the Local Plan. Upgrade of the station facilities, funded through the government’s Access to All programme. Completed Spring 2012. Now part of Site G/10 earmarked for housing development
Site K: Westmoreland Road. In March 2012 Cathedral Group received planning permission to replace the
existing multi-storey car park with a nine-screen multiplex cinema, hotel and 200 homes in a very high tower.
(Planning ref: 11/03865/FULL1). The outline plans predate the drafting of the AAP and the development is now complete nicknamed variously as the ‘ski slope’ or ‘titanic’ because of its shape by locals.
Site L: DHSS Building and Christian Centre, Westmoreland Road & Mason’s Hill. A hotel development was approved in 2013 by the Council but the site was acquired by the Department of Education and subsequently subject of an application for a 10 storey School building (the SHAW). This was recommended for approval by Council officers but refused by Councillors. The subsequent planning Appeal was dismissed February 2019 mainly on grounds of the loss of the protected view of Keston Ridge which is something of a breakthrough decision for environmental matters in the Town Centre
“Wright Brothers’ attractive bow-windowed shop was taken over by a High Street chain store, who a few years ago took great trouble to reproduce in every detail
Continue readingBromley House Parade of shops was built about 1930 when this part of the High Street was developed. The rows of shops on this side of the High Street replaced a line of fine villas that overlooked the Ravensbourne valley. The parade is fronted in brick with stone ornamentation, the broken pediments and sash windows of Neo-Gothic style.
Have the most amazing time this half term! Do our new family Heritage Treasure Trail around our historic buildings in central Bromley.
No booking required, find us in the Local Studies Centre on the 2nd floor of Bromley Central Library (on the High Street) from 1-4pm.
Half Term fun! Our new family heritage trail!
The Author, HG Wells, grew up in the upstairs of a shop on Bromley High Street. He is most famous for his prescience books The War Of The Worlds and The Time Machine. His auto-biographical writings capture a time of rapid social change in the market town.
Browse our old photos, in
from being dominated by tower blocks: Look here and email our ward councillors about:
* High rises in the Local Plan
* housing and a hotel on the civic centre (old palace)
and
* 16+ high rises from the draft Master Plan down the Lower High Street
* and there's others...
