The plans include two 19-storey tower blocks containing 900 flats. These start at £300,000 for a 1-bed flat which makes them unaffordable to most young local people.
There is no guarantee that these flats won’t be bought up by overseas investors and profit-driven property companies and left empty or let out at exorbitant rents.
The Walnuts leisure centre will be knocked down. We will be without a leisure centre for at least 2 years. The new leisure centre will have a smaller swimming pool (25m instead of the current 33m) and there is no mention of a teaching pool in the plans.
The plans do not include additional GPs school places or social care for the new residents that will live in the town centre. The developers say they will pay Bromley Council to provide these, but on past evidence this payment is unlikely to be used to Orpington’s benefit.
There is no consideration for businesses and staff displaced by the development.
The whole project will take at least 5 years to complete – which means 5 years or more of the town centre as a building site.
The plans are just about the Walnuts, but a plan to bring new life to Orpington should include the future of the High Street.
Orpington needs improving, but not like this. We ask Bromley Council not to agree to Areli’s current plan, but to consult Orpington residents on the future of the whole town centre.
Further action :
Thank you for signing this petition, please share widely amongst the residents of Bromley.
Write a personal message to Orpington Town councillors and your MP regarding the scale of the development and demand answers to the many unanswered questions.
Questions like what percentage of housing seeking locals will be able to afford living in the new development? What percentage of the proposed landscaping will be accessible by the public? Where is the additional infrastructure to support the estimated 2000 new residents? How will this new development going to impact businesses on the High Street? What happens when the leisure centre is knocked down?
The skyline of Orpington will be invaded by this huge development, threatening the character of historic Orpington. Only our action can stop it.
Orpington Town Councillors:
Councillor Kim Botting Email:
[email protected] Mobile: 07947 714 394
Councillor Pauline Tunnicliffe Email:
[email protected] Mobile: 07825 887 188
Councillor William Huntington-Thresher Email:
[email protected]
Mobile: 07733 116 799
Orpington’s MP:
[email protected] tel: 01689 820 347
Bromley & Cray Valley West MP:
[email protected] tel: 020 8295 2639
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