Prominent Victorian house doomed to be demolished, January 2022

Disappointly, despite almost 200 objections from local residents, Bromley Council has recommended for approval a planning application involving the demolition of a large Victorian house on Bromley Road, and redevelopment to private flats.

The final decision will be made by councillors at a planning committee meeting at 7pm on Thursday 20th January 2022.

Situated on the corner of Downsbridge Road, at a prominent location near the brow of the hill between Beckenham and Shortlands, Coleridge House at 79 and 79a Bromley Road is a distinctive building from the late-Victorian era and one of the last remaining grand villa houses that once lined Bromley Road.

The three-storey building is run by Riverside Housing Association (which also runs Calverley Close on Southend Road) and currently accommodates 12 self-contained social housing flats for the elderly and an adjoining, four-bedroom single family house (79a). The £12M development involves the demolition of the entire building, replacing it with a five-storey block of 27 flats much bigger than the existing building, and an underground car park. The proposed scheme comprises 5 No. one-bedroom, 17 No. two-bedroom and 5 No. 3-bedroom flats, providing space for up to 95 occupants.

The Victorian Society has said, “Victorian villas such as this may be considered fairly common nationally, but within the local context, it is a rare survival. The house has both architectural and historical interest as a building representative of the growth of the area in the late 19th century, and as such, should be considered a local landmark and a non-designated heritage asset and its loss would harm the significance of the building and the contribution it makes to the local area.” It goes on to say,“The two buildings in combination retain a vestige of the formerly leafy character of the area, and the loss of one would erode this character. If permitted, this could set a precedent for the piecemeal demolition of similar surviving larger 19th/20th century houses in the area.”

Bromley Council has committed to be carbon neutral by 2029 and, considering the UK’s national carbon reduction targets, we believe that retaining, refurbishing or converting existing buildings should always be preferable over demolition.

It is also very disappointing to see in their Affordable Housing Viability Statement that the developer, like many others involved in residential schemes in Beckenham in recent years, doesn’t include any affordable housing provision. According to planning application documents, the smallest one-bedroom flat in the £12M development is expected to market for £325,000. The developer’s claim that they can’t afford to provide affordable housing in the scheme, is unacceptable in our view.

The planning officer’s report can be found here

A list of the councillors who’ll be making the final decision at the meeting can be found here.

Benedict House, Copers Cope Road: Proposal for a Residential Support Centre, February 2017

Two applications are currently being considered by London Borough of Bromley’s planning officers proposing the change of use of Benedict house, a former nursing home, to a Residential Support Centre.

LBB’s Director of Housing has provided a briefing document, below, to answer some of the concerns that have been raised so far:

What is the Proposal?

Benedict House has recently been purchased by developers who are seeking to redevelop the site for high quality apartments. Time is required to prepare for redevelopment meaning that Benedict House is likely to be vacant for up to 2 years. In the interim the developers have offered the opportunity for the LondonBorough of Bromley to utilise the building for up to 2 years for use as temporary accommodation to help meet its statutory rehousing duties.

Why is the accommodation needed by Bromley for use as temporary accommodation?

The number of households presenting at risk of homelessness has increased steadily in recent years. For the majority, the reason for homelessness is that they are experiencing difficulties in affording the increasing costs of renting or buying a home. A reduction in new build accommodation, increase in private sector rents and changes within social housing has meant that move on housing options havedecreased and the numbers in temporary accommodation has risen to unprecedented levels. This has meant that to meet the level of housing need the Council has had to utilise costly forms of insecure nightly paid accommodation which frequently falls short of requirements in terms of location and quality. The use of Benedict House for up to 2 years would provide much needed local temporary accommodation whilst longer term housing solutions are identified.

Who decides which people would be placed into Benedict House?

The Council would retain full control over nominations throughout the periodof use. This means that the Council would decide who is placed into the accommodation and for how long.

Would people be placed from outside of the borough?

No, as the Council controls who is nominated only those households with a local connection with Bromley would be eligible. These would be residents who live and/or have permanent employment within the borough. Prioirty would be given to those households who currently live, work or have children in schooling near to, or on direct transport links to Copers Cope Road.

What type of People will be placed?

Local people, mainly families or couples, who have become homeless throughno fault of their own and to whom the Council owes a statutory duty to assist in rehousing. A full assessment would be undertaken before any household isnominated and only those households who have been assessed as able to fully maintain a tenancy independently where the need is solely for housing rather than support would be eligible to be placed into Benedict House. The scheme would not be open to those people who are deemed vulnerable requiring intensive support to be able to manage a tenancy because of their vulnerability, such as those with enduring mental health needs. The council has alternative specialist support schemes which provide more intensive support for these people.

Who will manage the schemes?

The scheme would be managed by Omega Mears. They already work with the Council sourcing and managing a number of temporary accommodationunits and have a long track record of successful temporary accommodationand tenancy management. It is proposed that 24 hour on site management is provided. Mears would also provide ongoing advice and support to residentsin partnership with the Council to assist households to secure settled accommodation and ensure that they do not become homeless again. For example helping to access employment for those who may not currently be in full time employment.

Would I be able to contact anyone if I had concerns or queries about the Scheme?

Yes, full contact details of the Mears staff and Council’s housing needs team would be made available to all local residents so that they would be able to make contact should they have any queries or concerns at any point.

What type of tenancies would residents have? Can you guarantee that they would have to leave at the end of the 2 years?

All residents would be signed up to a licence agreement. This is a non-secureagreement meaning that they would not hold any interest in the property or have any rights to remain in the long term. The agreement sets out residents’ responsibilities and the conditions they must meet to be eligible to stay in the accommodation. This includes their conduct and the conduct of any visitors to the scheme. As the agreement is not a ‘protected agreement’ it can be brought to an immediate end should any resident or their visitor breach these rules or the Council require vacant possession. In this way conditions can be actively enforced to ensure that the scheme operate successfully without disturbance or disruption for any other residents in the scheme or local community and can ensure vacant possession at the end of the period of use as temporary accommodation.

To view the applications, and submit your own comments, click on the links below:

16/05442/PLUD

16/05849/FULL1

Remember to include your name and address in any correspondence otherwise your comments will not be registered.

Residential Support Centre / Hostel proposed on Copers Cope Road, January 2017

Applications have been submitted for proposed change of use of a former nursing home on Copers Cope Road to a Residential Support Centre.

Benedict House, on the corner of Park Road, was in use as a nursing home until last year, when it closed following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission which found it to be inadequate (click this link to read article in the Bromley Times last summer).

Omega Mears, a care service provider, proposes to lease the building from the current owner, Spring Capital Management, with the intention of using it as a ‘residential support centre’ to provide ‘accommodation, care and support services’ for ‘homeless families, vulnerable young adults and emergency housing requirements arising from healthcare needs and other issues’.

Two separate applications have been submitted: the first for a certificate of lawful proposed use (as a residential support centre) ; the second for a temporary change of use from a care home to a residential support centre. We believe the purpose of the second application is in case the first one is refused. Both applications are supported by letters from Bromley Council’s Education, Care & Health Services department.

The letters from LBB EC&HS point to the fact, amongst others, that numbers housed in temporary accommodation has more than doubled in the last five years, hence the increasing requirement for facilities such as this, particularly for parents and children who have become homeless through no fault of their own.

No external alterations are proposed to the building and there is no increase in the number of bedrooms from when it was in use as a nursing home. There are 41 bedrooms in total: 35 double, 5 single and 1 disabled. 30 bedrooms are ensuite. Omega Mears have submitted a comprehensive Management Plan and the facility will be supervised 24 hours a day.

You can view both applications in full, including the Council letter and Management Plan, and comment on the proposals by clicking the links below:

16/05442/PLUD

16/05849/FULL1

CCARA has written to the assigned planning officer and ward councillors requesting that an informal meeting, or drop-in session, is held by council officers and representatives from the service provider, for residents to gain a clearer understanding of the exact proposals and ask questions in order that an assessment can be made of any areas of concern before the application is considered by the Council’s Planning Committee.

Meet NHS Bromley CCG’s health leaders – Mon 26 Sept 2016, Bromley Central Library

NHS Bromley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) invites anyone who lives, works or studies in Bromley to meet the borough’s health leaders on Monday 26 September at an evening event at Bromley Central Library (High St, Bromley, Kent BR1 1EX).

Fully open to the public, the evening will get underway at 5.30pm with a ‘meet and greet’ marketplace event, followed by our annual general meeting (AGM) at 6.30pm and a question and answer session with our governing body. We expect to finish by 7.30pm.

The marketplace showcases health services on offer across Bromley, bringing together representatives from children and young people’s services, maternity services, mental health, cancer services, GP practices and many more. You can meet the people who buy, plan and monitor health services for you across Bromley, and:

Find out the age of your heart
Know your risk of developing diabetes
Assess your intake of alcohol and sugar
Check your heart rhythm
Enter our health raffle
Get involved in shaping our services

Find out more in the AGM about our achievements over the past 12 months, our financial performance, and our plans for the future.

Dr Andrew Parson, local GP and Clinical Chair of Bromley CCG, said: “Over the past year we have worked hard as a CCG to put patients first, improve health services in Bromley and deliver our vision of better health, better care and better value. Our AGM provides an excellent opportunity to show the public and our partners some of the work we have done together and our plans for the future.

“All our governing body members are local people, so they all have a real interest in making sure that healthcare services for the people of Bromley are the best that they can be.

“I encourage anyone who wants to find out what the CCG is about and how decisions are made to come along to our meeting. We look forward to hearing your questions about the services that matter to you.”

If you would like any more information about this event or please contact Rachael Lukowska on 01689 866643 or email rachael.lukowska@nhs.net.

The CCG Annual Report on our website at www.bromleyccg.nhs.uk/annual-general-meeting.htm

News from Bethlam Hospital Beckenham

As you may be aware, the trust was recently inspected by the Care Quality Commission and achieved an overall ‘good’ rating with some services rated as ‘outstanding’. More than 100 inspectors visited our services and judged them to be “safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led”. The full report can be found here: http://www.cqc.org.uk/provider/RV5 if you would like to read it.

Also, last year, we opened the Bethlem Gallery and Museum. A new space open to the public and free of charge where visitors can view centuries of significant historic artworks and objects together with inspiring contemporary works by current artists and service users. Since the space opened, we’ve welcomed many visitors and I hope that you will consider going along . More information here: http://www.slam.nhs.uk/about-us/art-and-history/bethlem-gallery-and-museum

You may remember that in May 2014 our documentary series Bedlam was awarded a BAFTA television award. Since then, we have been working with Channel 4 and Rare Day (a production company) on a project looking at forensic mental health. We recently started filming at River House, Bethlem Royal Hospital. This will not be a second series of Bedlam, we hope to achieve the same outcomes in terms of successfully breaking down widely-held prejudices surrounding mental illness. The aim is to give members of the public a better understanding of what forensic mental health really means, seen through the eyes of the patients and the staff who care for them. At the moment we don’t have a name or broadcast date for the series, but we will be in touch when we know more.

You can contact the Media Team at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust which runs Bethlam by email communications@slam.nhs.uk for further information.

Best wishes

Sarah

Sarah Crack

Head of communications and media

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

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Two applications are currently being considered by London Borough of Bromley’s planning officers proposing the change of use of Benedict house, a former nursing home, to a Residential Support Centre.