Category: News

YOUR VOTE – should Beckenham remain a town or become a village?

Bromley Council are in the process of identifying and seeking funding for a programme of improvements for our High Street. A working group of local community organisations and the Council has been created. Among many potential improvements to regenerate the High Street, one is to re-brand as ‘Beckenham Village’. The Working Group is divided on the issue, some prefer Beckenham to continue to be known as a town, others prefer it to be re-branded as a village.

We would like the opinions of our residents and local businesses to be taken into account. Which most represents Beckenham, town or village? Please vote (anonymously) below. This vote is open to all residents and businesses of Beckenham. Please pass on the web link of this poll to your neighbours, the more votes the better. The results will be passed on to the council. Before voting you may wish to read the comments at the bottom of the page. *** At our AGM (21 March 2012) we conducted a paper poll. The results were: Town (10), Village (6) and Either (1).***

VOTE HERE

Beckenham Parking Review – Controlled Parking Zone in Town Centre Approved

The council have approved a  Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ)  for Beckenham town centre including Bevington Close, Bevington Road, Manor Road, Kelsey Park Road, Stanmore Terrace, Burnhill Road, Lea Road and Fairfield Road. Downs Road and Manor Grove will not be included in the CPZ at this time. However, this will be reviewed in six months to assess any displacement to Downs Road and Manor Grove that might have occurred along with the consideration of any need for a Beckenham Business Parking Permit.

More information can be found on the council website at link below.

Beckenham Parking Review Decision Details

Phil Wragg the current Governor of Belmarsh Prison talks to Beckenham

Following last summers riots public interest in anti-social behavior, crime and justice is high.  So far over 24 people have been sentenced (some to imprisonment) for their part in the disorder within our borough during the riots.  How do we reduce such offending?

8pm Wednesday 21st March at Beckenham Public Hall, Bromley Road (doors open 7.45)

Phil Wragg the current Governor of Belmarsh Prison (our closest prison) is guest speaker at our meeting for residents and local businesses next week. Want to know what goes on behind prison doors? Want to know how to cut reoffending? Want to know how communities can help? Why not come along on Wednesday to hear Mr Wragg’s lively talk and interactive Q&A session.

Open Meeting Flyer

The open meeting is open to all residents and businesses of Beckenham. Those interested in or who are members of the Copers Cope Area Residents’ Association (CCARA)  may wish to stay on after Mr Wraggs talk for the CCARA AGM.

Card Fraud Telephone Scam – Bromley Police

The following information has been issued by Bromley Police.

In the news recently it was stated that card fraud has fallen to its lowest level in 11 years. This is positive news. However, we want to highlight the need to be ever vigilant to new and existing card fraud scams such as the one detailed below.

How does this scam work?

You receive a telephone call from someone claiming to be from your bank. He or she will say their systems have spotted a fraudulent payment on your card or that your card is due to expire and needs replacing. You may be asked to ring back using the telephone number on the back of your card – which further convinces you that the call is genuine. However, the caller keeps the line open at their end so, when you make the call, you are unknowingly connected straight back to the fraudster.

Then, by seeming to offer assistance, the fraudster tries to gain your trust. In most cases you are asked to ‘cancel’ your existing card or ‘activate’ or ‘authorise’ a  replacement card by keying your PIN into the handset of your phone.

The fraudster then poses as a bank representative who agrees to collect your card from your home, sometimes offering you a replacement card, which is a fake.

In some cases a genuine courier company is hired to pick up the card from your  home address. The victim will have been asked to place the card into an envelope ready for collection. Once they have your card and PIN the fraudster uses them to spend your money.

A variation of the scam involves the fraudster ringing a prospective victim and claiming to be from the police – again with the aim of going to the
victim’s home to collect the card and PIN.

What can I do to avoid being a victim of this scam?

  • Neither your bank nor the police would ever ring you and state that they are coming to your home to pick up your card, so never hand it over to anyone who comes to collect it.
  • Your bank will NEVER ask you to authorise anything by entering your PIN into the telephone handset.
  • NEVER share your PIN with anyone – the only times you should use your PIN is at a cash machine or when you use a chip and PIN machine in a shop / restaurant.

I think I might have been a victim of this scam – what should I do?

If the criminals are nearby ring the Police immediately on 999, otherwise report the crime to your local Police via 101. If you think you have been the victim of a fraud or scam of this nature you should also call your bank or card company immediately.

Street parking to increase to 70p per hour in Beckenham

Bromley Council are to introduce a “new pattern” of parking charges this spring. This will increase street parking in Beckenham to 70p per hour. We have been contacted by residents worried that increased parking costs will dissuade shoppers from visiting our high street and local shopping parades. Should the Council be raising parking charges at a time when small business need their support?  See News Shopper article and Bromley Council News Release.

The Councils Environment Policy Development and Scrutiny Committee is responsible for the new parking charges and our local councillor Stephen Wells is on this committee.

The details of the proposal can be found on the Councils website:

Parking charges

The following extract from proposal covers Beckenham.

“4.6 Charging Group 3: On-Street Parking outside Bromley town centre
4.6.1 As with other on-street charges, prices must be set for traffic management reasons, for example to ration available space and ensure that there is a rapid turnover of parking spaces.
4.6.2 Current charge rates vary from 30p to 60p per hour. Maximum stay periods of 2 to 10 hours assist in controlling differential levels of demand for particular parking locations, depending on their purpose; no changes to these are proposed. It is recommended that hourly charge rates move to:

• 70p per hour in Orpington and Beckenham town centres
• 60p per hour in most other ‘high street’ shopping locations
• 50p per hour elsewhere

4.6.3 Where specific parking schemes have been introduced more recently, for example in Clock House, Copers Cope, and Shortlands, it is proposed that charges be considered as part of the scheduled review of those schemes.

4.7 Charging Group 4: Off-Street Car Parks outside Bromley town centre
4.7.1 Existing hourly charge rates in these car parks vary from 20p to 40p per hour. It is proposed that all these car parks should move to a rate of 30p per hour where they support small shopping parades, 40p per hour where medium shopping parades are supported, and 50p per hour near larger parades. 30p would become the standard charge for commuter car parks.
4.7.2 It is proposed that the charge for parking over 4 hours should be capped at £1.50 (for smaller station car parks); £2.00 (for small shopping parades); £3.50 (for Chelsfield Station and medium shopping parades); and £4 (for larger shopping parades).”

Source: Bromley Council, http://cds.bromley.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=13248

Beckenham Parking Review

A Controlled Parking Zone has been proposed for Beckenham town centre including Downs Road, Manor Grove, Bevington Close, Bevington Road, Manor Road, Kelsey Park Road, Stanmore Terrace, Burnhill Road, Lea Road and Fairfield Road. The Councils Environment Policy Development and Scrutiny Committee is undertaking the review. Should you require further information, please see links to the Council website below, also we understand local Copers Cope Ward Councillor Stephen Wells to be on the committee.

Car Club to come to Beckenham

Bromley Council are proposing to expand Car Clubs in the borough. Car Clubs allow members to hire a locally parked car or van by the hour.

Currently there are only two dedicated car club spaces in the borough, Sherman Road, Bromley North (operated by City Car Club) and Orpington High Street (operated by Hertz on Demand). The council plan to create 15 new spaces of which the following will be in Beckenham.

  • Albemarle Road (southern side of Albemarle Road, nearest the junction with St Georges Road)
  • Brackley Road (north-eastern side of Brackley Road, nearest to the junction with Worsley Bridge Road)
  • Church Avenue (south-western side of Church Avenue, nearest to the junction with The Drive)
  • Park Road (north-eastern side of Park Road, nearest to the junction with Ingleside Close)
  • Cedars Road (north-eastern side of Cedars Road, nearest the junction with Clock House Road)
  • Ravenscroft Road (south-eastern side of Ravenscroft Road, nearest to the junction with Pelham Road)

Further information can be found on the Council’s website:

Car Club

epetition to get the provision of public toilets made compulsory

The ‘we need the loo!’ national campaign has launched an epetition to get the provision of public toilets made compulsory.

Currently Local Authorities do not have to provide public toilets and many Councils are closing the few facilities that
do exist to save money. ‘we need the loo! want Parliament to pass a law making the provision of public toilets compulsory.

As you may know the public toilets in Beckenham were earmarked for closure by Bromley Council. Thanks to much campainging by local groups (including the CCARA) and residents the closure plans have been shelved… for now.

We urge residents to support this campaign. The epetition can be found at the link below.

Why do we need public toilets?
  • Good public toilet provision enables everyone to participate fully in civic life.
  • Public toilets are needed if we want people to increase their use of public transport and walk and cycle more.
  • Better facilities will help to attract visitors and boost local economies.
  • Lack of public toilets causes many elderly and
  • Disabled people to stay at home because they cannot rely on access to a loo when out and about.
  • Lack of public toilets leads to street urination and fouling which spreads disease.
  • Delays in answering “nature’s call” can increase infections and other health problems.
  • Community toilets are not always suitable; some people find going into pubs etc unacceptable.
Find out more about the campaign

The Queen to visit Bromley on 15 May 2012

As part of London’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations Her Majesty and The Duke of Edinburgh will visit Bromley on 15 May 2012.

Bromley borough was selected to be part of a special tour to commemorate the Queen’s 60 years on the throne.

The Leader of Bromley Council Stephen Carr: “We are delighted and honoured that the Queen will be visiting Bromley and look forward to showcasing what our borough has to offer.”

“As one of only three south London boroughs to host a visit, we are keen to play our part and pay tribute to an extraordinary monarch.”

“This year is an exciting year for Bromley and such a special event will make it even more memorable.”

The Queen last visited our borough in 1986 during her Golden Jubilee celebrations.

Further details about the visit will be released in the coming weeks.

Beckenham Town Centre Working Group

Report from meeting held on 09 Feb 2012

The Copers Cope Area Residents’ Association attended the working group on Thursday evening. The meeting was also attended by our local councillors, Bromley Council portfolio holders from Traffic, Renewal & Recreation, Beckenham Town Centre Manager, the Beckenham Civic Society, Central Beckenham Residents’ Association and West Beckenham Residents’ Association.

Bromley Council decided to reconvene the Beckenham Town Centre Working Group after the Town Centre bid to secure funds from the Mayor of London’s Outer London Fund was unsuccessful.

A further bid for funds may be put up by the Council later this year. The group highlighted the following improvements to Beckenham Town Centre to included in a further bid.

  • Improvement of pedestrian experience at ‘natural’ crossing points (e.g. opposite Sainsbury’s, and at corner with Village Way).
  • Review the positioning and pavement width at bus stop points.
  • Could Town Centre have street markets, possibly in front of Public Toilets?
  • Prioritise Beckenham heritage. Repair our town clocks. Creation of a heritage trail.
  • Removal of unnecessary street furniture, minimising/upgrading signage, cleaning up of forecourts & car parks.
  • Reduction of HGV usage of High Street.
  • Review and propose solutions for traffic flow problems (e.g. Beckenham Junction/Albermarle Road).
  • Enhancement of War Memorial area and approach to High Street.
The Copers Cope Residents’ Association is interested in your views, please comment on this blog or email us at chairman@coperscope.org.uk


Bromley Council secure funding to assist elderly in keeping warm through the winter

Every year mortality rises by 19% in the winter months in England ; amounting to an average of 27,000 excess winter deaths. Low temperatures are associated with an increase of heart attacks, strokes, respiratory disease, hypothermia and falls and injuries; where the elderly and people with existing conditions are most at risk.

Bromley Council has been successful in securing funding with the aim of protecting people’s health through the cold winter months. Help is available in the form of:

  • Information and advice on how to keep warm and healthy
  • Assistance with benefit entitlement and claims
  • Grants and loans for housing efficiency improvements
  • Practical help for people leaving hospital
  • Assistance with shopping
  • Limited funding for warmth packs

Age UK is acting as the central referral team to help residents of Bromley stay warm and healthy this winter. If you know someone who is vulnerable and in need of assistance help and advice is available through Age UK Bromley and Greenwich’s cold weather advice line on 0208 315 1878.

Email Scam – ‘Population Census: a message to everyone – act now’

Police are aware that an email entitled ‘Population Census: a message to everyone – act now’ is being circulated, allegedly in the name of National Statistician, Jil Matheson. This email demands individuals provide further personal information, supposedly for the Census and threatens fines for non-compliance.

This email is a scam and a hoax. It has no connection whatsoever with the National Statistician, the 2011 Census or the Office for National Statistics.

It is believed the links in the email could download malware to any computer where the user clicks on the links. This could put your personal data, including financial information, at risk.

Anyone receiving this, or similar emails, should delete them, not open any links and certainly not provide any information.


Novel set in Beckenham – ‘Meeting Lydia’ by Linda MacDonald

Author, Linda MacDonald, is a part time teacher of Psychology at a Sixth Form College, living in Beckenham. Her first novel is partly set in Beckenham.

Novel Description:

‘Now 46, when Marianne finds her charming husband in the kitchen talking to the glamorous Charmaine, her childhood insecurities resurface and their once-happy marriage begins to slide. Teenage daughter Holly persuades her to join Friends Reunited, which results in both fearful and nostalgic memories of prep school as Marianne wonders what has become of the bullies and of Edward Harvey. Frantic to repair her marriage, yet rendered snappy and temperamental by her plummeting hormones, her attempts towards reconciliation fail. The answer to all her problems could lie in finding Edward again…But what would happen if she found what she seeks?

Meeting Lydia is a book about childhood bullying, midlife crises, obsession, jealousy and the ever-growing trend of internet relationships. It will appeal to fans of adult fiction and those interested in the dynamics and psychology of relationships.’

Bank card scam warning

Bromley Police are reissuing their warning about a scam in which fraudsters are obtaining people’s bank cards, after numerous attempts to perpetrate this scam across the borough in the last month.

The scam works by the victim initially receiving a phone call, or number of phone calls, from someone claiming to be from their bank or credit card supplier. The caller obtains personal details from the victim before advising them that they need a new card and telling them that a courier will visit them shortly to collect their old card. A person, dressed to look like a courier, then arrives at the door to take the card.

A spokesman for Bromley Police said: “Never-ever disclose your bank details to anyone cold calling, banks will never call you asking for personal or account information as they already have these details, and neither will the Police. If there is a problem with your card and it needs to be replaced the bank will write to you advising you to cut the card up. They will never arrange for it to be collected by a courier. You should never give out bank details or other personal information over the phone, whatever the reason behind the request”.