The Big Lunch is coming to Bromley this summer to help people come together to celebrate their community, neighbourhood friendships and street friends.
A street party on Stembridge Road to celebrate the 2023 Coronation. Photo via Twitter @MayorofBromley0
The Big Lunch is an initiative which comes from Eden Project Communities, an organisation which fosters and values connection, community and neighbourly spirits.
Bromley Council is waiving all street closure fees for Big Lunches taking place on either Saturday 1st June or Sunday 2nd June 2024.
Closing date for applications is Monday 4th March 2024.
Bromley Council is currently consulting on the council’s budget for 2024-2025.
The council has projected a net budget of £267 million for 2024/25.
Spending plans include:
£94 million on adult social care providing services from care assessment to home care, from support for those with physical disabilities, to support for those with learning disabilities and those with mental health issues
£69 million is for children and young people and includes safeguarding and social care, special educational needs services, behavioural support, early years, education and schools.
£13 million on providing housing services
£44 million is spent on the environment such as waste services, street cleaning, traffic, public protection, road safety and maintaining Bromley’s parks and green spaces
£10 million for renewal and recreation covering services like our libraries, regenerating and managing our town centres, and our planning services
£10 million is spent on concessionary fares (Freedom Passes)
A large part of the council’s services are funded by specific government grants which includes, for example, funding for schools and housing benefits. The council has very limited influence on how this money is spent.
The 2024/25 local government settlement is the sixth one-year settlement in a row and this continues to hamper strategic financial planning, making it especially challenging to set a medium-term financial strategy. Further uncertainty remains as the fair funding review has been delayed until at least 2026/27.
Thames Water will be closing High Street, Beckenham to Eastbound traffic (travelling towards Shortlands / Bromley) for two consecutive weekends from Saturday 20/01.
The traffic management is the same temporary one way system which was in place during the Beckenham Improvement works a few years ago: the road will be closed at the War Memorial, with traffic being diverted via Rectory Road into the opposite end of the High Street.
Traffic travelling Westbound on the High Street (towards Penge / Croydon Road) will be unaffected during the works. The High Street between Albemarle Road and Manor Road will remain open to two way traffic during the works.
The works are to install a new water connection into the Travelodge development at Kelsey House.
New express stop bus services will be introduced between Bromley and Thamesmead, and Bromley and Croydon.
Superloop bus. Image: Transport for London
These new services would be part of the Superloop, a network of express routes which would circle London and connect outer London town centres, hospitals, schools and transport hubs. The Superloop is a key part of the Mayor’s commitment to improving the bus network in outer London.
The network of Superloop bus services is shown below.
Superloop bus routes. Image: Transport for London.
Following public consultations on these routes, consultation reports were published on Tuesday 5th December:
Azelia Hall on Croydon Road was built in 1953 for the benefit of residents of the former borough of Beckenham.
Azelia Hall. Photo: Google Maps
In particular it provides a meeting and social centre for voluntary organisations catering for all age groups.
The hall is managed as a charitable trust with the object of making it available, at minimal cost, for use by ‘deserving groups’ located in the area. The trustees of the Azelia Hall Charity are considering amending the purpose of the charity to enable grants to be awarded to deserving groups. All of the current provision and facilities offered by Azelia Hall will continue.
They would be very interested to hear the opinions of local residents, existing users and potential users and beneficiaries regarding our proposal to enable the Azelia Hall charity to award grants from its surplus funds. Please complete this online survey.
Save the date: a drop in session to meet the trustees and share your opinions will take place on Wednesday 17th January between 10.00am and 12.00pm.
Community defibrillators can save lives by providing 24-hour access to a defibrillator to treat someone who is having a heart attack. Defibrillation is the only method of treating a heart attack, and for every minute that someone in cardiac arrest does not receive defibrillation, their chances of survival fall by 7-10%.
The fund aims to support 2000 new community defibrillators across England, and applicants will be required to raise ~£750 in match funding. CCARA will be registering and reaching out to local community groups and businesses to find a suitable location. Please contact us at hello@coperscope.org.uk if you are interested in hosting a defibrillator.
CCARA was recently awarded funding for an air quality monitor for Beckenham High Street through the Breathe London Community Programme.
Public awareness of air quality across London has increased a lot in the last few years, but we mostly rely on modelled data to estimate the extent of air pollution in the local area. Measuring air quality in Beckenham and making this information available to local residents, businesses and councillors will help to improve our understanding of how clean the air is, and how this varies over time.
More information will be provided in due course, once the location for the monitor has been selected.
Note: this is the third in a series of posts summarising the results of the local travel survey conducted by CCARA and Bromley Living Streets in late 2021. For more information about the survey, click here: CCARA Local Travel Survey.
Beckenham High Street is an important part of the community, with shops, parks, community facilities and access to bus and rail services. The travel survey asked residents how they travel to Beckenham High Street, and what they use the High Street for. As summarised in earlier posts, the survey received 1,012 responses which were distributed across the local area, shown below.
Distribution of survey responses. The markers represent postcodes, not the specific location of respondents’ properties.
Responses to the survey showed that walking is the most common mode of travel to access Beckenham High Street, followed by private car, bus and bicycle. It is notable that retired residents are much more likely to take the bus, compared to other groups, and families with school-age children are much more likely to cycle.
Responses to the question on how residents use Beckenham High Street showed that it is popular across a range of uses, making it possible for residents to stay local when doing their grocery shopping, going out for meals and going to public events. Families with school-age children are more likely to visit restaurants or cafes, or to visit parks, churches or local events, while retired residents are slightly more likely than average to access public transport.
Finally, the survey responses included a wide range of comments on the High Street, summarised below to reflect the range of views on parks, shopping, streets and traffic.
Parks and green spaces
“Loved the Beckenham Green Cinema last summer. Enjoyed the parks around Beckenham, especially Beckenham Place Park. Would love to attend public events there as well”
“St George’s Green Space is more accessible and user friendly, and looks attractive”
“Beckenham Place Park is a wonderful facility, despite many having discovered it during lockdown it still remains a lovely outdoor space”
Shopping and amenities
“Beckenham High Street is much better after being re-done a few years ago, although it was even nicer when the high-street parking was closed creating more walking space (and less traffic issues with parking)“
“Beckenham High Street has also had a lease of life BUT we need more normal shops not just cafes, eateries and beauty places – really welcome the new butcher shop”
“Good variety of restaurants and pubs, as well I love the fact that we have Waitrose, M&S, Lidl and Sainsburys shops nearby”
“Please reopen the public conveniences. The few cafes that had a community toilet sticker in the window have removed them. Sainsbury’s toilers are often shut or in use. The cinema is shut in the morning”
“I used to use the [public toilets] on the High Street next to Kelsey House when walking or running locally. The community toilet scheme is good but only works when those businesses are open”
Streets and traffic
“Efforts have been made to make the High Street COVID-safer, but allowing parking on the High Street makes it more hazardous for pedestrians”
“There isn’t enough public seating. I enjoy walking but given I am getting old I would sometimes like to take short breaks when walking to Bromley”
“Nice open spaces but pavements blocked by pavement tables from restaurants”
“Parking in Village Way car park is very convenient and there is rarely lack of space”
“Lack of dropped kerbs is a problem only when pushing the family member who uses a wheelchair. I had to push her down the middle of the road the other day because there was nowhere I could get her back onto the pavement easily”
“At the Southend Road crossing over towards Waitrose, the dropped kerb is too steep for a wheelchair user to use safely on their own”
“Cycling infrastructure is non existent. Painting a white line on the road does not create a safe cycle lane. It needs a strategy and some joined up thinking about creating useful safe routes”
“There is not enough disabled parking, but also, disabled bays now have a grey, rough and rugged surface – totally unsuited for those with mobility problems as it interferes with a person’s balance etc.”
“Air pollution due to queueing traffic is bad at particular pinch points, i.e. Beckenham Junction and the traffic lights by St George’s Church. I choose not to eat at the outside tables at cafes or restaurants for this reason.”
“Parking on the pavements and constant traffic jams with fumes spilling out are not conducive to make the high street a place that I want to stay”
Note: this is the second in a series of posts summarising the results of the local travel survey conducted by CCARA and Bromley Living Streets in late 2021. For more information about the survey, click here: CCARA Local Travel Survey.
Since conducting the survey, services to Beckenham Junction and Blackfriars have been reinstated following a long campaign by CCARA chair Cllr Chloe-Jane Ross, thanks to everyone that signed CCARA’s petition. However, direct services from Hayes to Cannon Street (stopping at Clock House and New Beckenham) were withdrawn from December 11th 2022. The survey responses show that frequent, reliable rail services are important to local residents’ ability to travel to work or school, access hospitals and public services.
This blog post draws on the results of our local travel survey, conducted in late 2021, which aimed to understand how Beckenham residents travel, what is currently working well, and the challenges faced for safe and sustainable travel.
Direct service Beckenham Junction to Blackfriars
The withdrawal of this direct Southeastern service between Beckenham Junction and Blackfriars affected 30% of employed residents and 11% of non-employed residents. Respondents noted that the alternative route, connecting to the Thameslink service at Herne Hill, is overcrowded and it is often difficult to make the connection when trains from Beckenham Junction are delayed.
Impacts on commuting to work
Impacts on non-work travel
“Now everyone uses the train to Victoria to change at Herne Hill and the trains are really busy. If the Victoria train is delayed, you miss the connection at Herne Hill and this leads to overcrowding and delays again.”
“I used to travel on this service to get to St Pancras, but now I cannot as changing at Herne Hill in peak time in a wheelchair is impossible”
“Massive impact on the journey to Blackfriars, the interchange at Herne Hill is now horrendous”
“I work all over central London and this has meant I now have circa 30 minutes extra on my commute each day” “Rather than travelling to Blackfriars I have to take the bus to Penge and catch the Overground. My commute has gone from ~60min to 80min. I am pressured from my work to go in more often but best-case is nearly 3hrs commuting each day, with services often cancelled or delayed. As a result I will potentially move away from Beckenham as it is no longer a viable location for city workers.”
“I used to use this service a lot to visit family in Farringdon. I can’t walk between stations or stand for too long now so it has hindered my ability to get the train”
“Reduced rail services are a nuisance and lead to longer journeys with additional changes. Use of public transport should be encouraged not discouraged”
Reduced frequencies between Beckenham Junction and London Bridge (via Crystal Palace)
This affected 19% of employed residents, and 12% of non-employed residents. Note – since this survey was conducted, the frequency of Beckenham Junction to London Bridge trains has improved from 90-minute frequencies to 30-minute frequencies (peak-hour) and 60-minute frequencies (off-peak).
Impacts on commuting to work
Impacts on non-work travel
“I used to be able to take on train to and from work. Now, I have to take a minimum of two trains, as well as a bus. Planning is much more difficult, as trains can be cancelled and the timing of buses is not reliable.” “The change from regular half hour service to every 90 minutes means the service is almost unusable and highly inconvenient for me to travel to and from London Bridge which I do regularly” “The reduction in the services Beckenham Junction to London Bridge via Crystal Palace is a problem; it means starting journeys extra early (in order to arrive at work on time) and returning home much later due to reduction in services”
“I would take the train everyday to pick up my grandson from school and at weekends. The service is extreme unreliable apart from being infrequent”
“I have to visit Guy’s Hospital frequently and used to take the train from Beckenham Junction directly to London Bridge. Now my husband has to drive me to Hayes Station. If I go to New Beckenham they are less frequent, and some trains from Hayes don’t always stop there. I used to return direct to Beckenham Junction where I could take taxi home if husband not available. Now I have to take Hayes train and phone home for a lift.”
“As a regular patient at Moorfields in City Road the London Bridge station is important to connect with bus. Have difficulty in using New Beckenham as visually impaired.”
“As I am retired I am able to spend extra time travelling but it causes me inconvenience as I have to travel to Victoria and then take the underground. Thankfully I am able bodied as it involves a lot of extra walking.“
“I have to drive to more distant train stations with my disabled son to get him to city centre hospital appointments. I have had to take longer to get to work and missed key business opportunities due to less frequent and reliable transport opportunities”
Reduced frequencies between Clock House/New Beckenham and Charing Cross
Lastly, the reduced service frequency between New Beckenham and Charing Cross affected 20% of workers and 15% or non-employed residents. Note – since this survey was conducted, the frequency of these trains has improved. See More trains back in Southeastern’s timetable.
Impacts on commuting to work
Impacts on non-work travel
“The trains are less frequent, I am less inclined to commute in to central London as I have to plan carefully around the few trains that run”
“Reduced service in evenings from Victoria and Waterloo East make it less relaxing when out I London. Need to watch the clock or leave earlier than ideal to get home.” “The change from regular half hour service to every 90 minutes means the service is almost unusable and highly inconvenient for me to travel to and from London Bridge which I do regularly” “The reduction in the services Beckenham Junction to London Bridge via Crystal Palace is a problem; it means starting journeys extra early (in order to arrive at work on time) and returning home much later due to reduction in services”
“We have curtailed travel into London for the theatre or museums or shopping and try to shop online when possible.”
“South Bank and Central London cinema, theatre and restaurants are harder to access”
“Reducing the service to 1 train per half-hour makes it harder to link rail journeys to appointments in the City especially on Sunday. Instead I will travel by bicycle or car. Increasingly by car as I grow older.“
In late 2021 Copers Cope Area Residents’ Association partnered with Bromley Living Streets to distribute a survey to better understand how Beckenham residents travel, what is currently working well, and the challenges faced for safe and sustainable travel. Flyers promoting the online survey were distributed to residents across Beckenham, and also shared via Twitter, Facebook and Nextdoor. The majority of responses were received via the flyers, for residents across three local wards: Beckenham Town and Copers Cope, Clock House, and Kelsey and Eden Park.
The survey results gave a detailed picture of the how people travel in and around Beckenham. By providing a more in-depth picture of the diverse travel needs of Beckenham residents, we aim to improve the quality of debate and deliberation over local transport issues.
The survey results will be shared across multiple blog posts due to the amount of data collected. This first blog posts presents the results on how residents travel, what currently works well, and what challenges residents face with respect to local travel, streets and public spaces.
About the survey
What did we ask? 1. How do local residents travel for work, shopping and recreation? 2. What currently works well for residents, with respect to local travel, streets and public spaces? 3. What are the main challenges faced by residents, with respect to local travel, streets and public spaces? 4. What barriers to residents face to walking or cycling more? 5. Do residents use the Albemarle Road cycle lane? 6. How do residents travel to Beckenham High Street, and what do they use it for? 7. How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted on residents’ work and travel patterns?
Who responded to the survey? 1,012 residents responded to the survey. As shown in the graph below, over-65s were strongly represented, with very few responses from residents aged under 25.
61% of respondents were in paid work and 25% of respondents worked on a fully- or partially-remote basis. 21% of responses came from families with school-age children, and 9% of respondents had health issues or disabilities which limited their mobility.
The map below shows the postcodes for which survey responses were submitted. These responses broadly spanned four wards: Penge & Cator, Clock House, Beckenham Town & Copers Cope, and Kelsey & Eden Park.
Locations of survey responses, by postcode. Each marker represents a postcode where one or more responses were completed.
How do residents travel to work, for shopping, and to visit friends and family?
There were big differences in travel habits: to commute to work, the most common ways to travel are by train or tram, working remotely, or walking. In contrast, shopping trips are mostly by walking, private car, ordering online and then by bus or tram. Trips to visit friends or family were the most likely to be taken by private car, followed by train, walking, or bus.
Retired residents are more likely to do the shopping on foot, by bus, or by private car, and less likely to go shopping by bicycle or using deliveries. Families with school-age children are more likely to use delivery services, or travel by bicycle. They are less likely to walk, drive, or travel by bus.
What currently works well for residents?
The results showed that a lot of residents were happy with the number and quality of parks and green spaces in and around Beckenham. The redevelopment of the High Street several years ago, and the temporary measures introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic were also appreciated. These included wider pavements, outdoor seating for restaurants and cafes, street trees and planters to close off on-street parking on the High Street. Parks and green spaces, as well as bus and rail services, were more important to retired residents. Families valued wider pavements and the quality of street cleaning and maintenance.
What are the main challenges faced by residents?
Overall, the main concerns were speeding, the amount of road traffic and the lack of community toilets. Retired residents are more likely to be concerned about the lack of community toilets, poorly maintained footpaths and roads, and the lack of public seating. Contrastingly, families with school-age children were more likely to be concerned about speeding, the amount of road traffic, air pollution and the lack of separated cycle lanes.
The next blog post will focus on the impacts of the reduced rail services to Beckenham since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Copers Cope Area Residents' Association (CCARA) & West Beckenham Residents' Association (WBRA) 