At Finefair Ltd we know that investments come in all shapes and sizes, especially when it comes to property. Sometimes it is a single home or apartment as a nest egg or to generate a regular stream of income. In other cases it is a huge redevelopment to create thousands of homes and new amenities. Whatever the goal, we can offer some help in the future. We provide a range of services all over the city, so trust us for property investment in Bromley or any other location.
Original plans
Orpington is in the spotlight at the moment because of a recent news story about plans for the Walnut Shopping Centre. Developer Areli was planning to redevelop the site to create a new vibrant town centre. The plans were for new retail space, a day care, a leisure centre, improvements to pedestrian routes, and as many as 990 new homes in six blocks.
The project would have been a major change for the area. Most notable would have been the increase in height. The new residential blocks would have been from 4 to 25 storeys. Later revisions reduced this though, with the tallest brought down to 19 storeys following consultation with the public.
Areli made the application for planning permission in December 2021. At the time it was one of the largest proposals for property investment in Bromley. The plans were still with the Council awaiting formal consideration. However, there has now been a decision to withdraw the proposal and reconsider.
Why has the plan been withdrawn?
While the public were broadly behind the need to redevelop the area, there was a big backlash against the specifics of these plans. In fact, there were over 3,300 objections. One objection said the designs were “out of character” and would not fit with the town centre location. Another was critical of the height of the blocks, expressing that they would be “unsightly”. Plus there were fears about overshadowing.
Areli has responded to the objections and chosen to withdraw the plans. They believe in the merits of regenerating the Walnut Shopping Centre and wider area, especially to create new housing. However, they appreciate the views of the local community and won’t proceed with the current submission. They will go back to the drawing board and plan further consultations with the public for future plans.
Bromley Council Executive Councillor for Renewal, Recreation and Housing Yvonne Bear said they welcome the decision. The Council appreciates that Areli is listening to the views of locals and will engage with the community to deliver a development that benefits them. They hope that any proposal in the future will respond to the local views, particularly in terms of creating improvements to public spaces in the area.
The Council will consider any application in the future on its own merit. As a result the objections to the current scheme will not have any bearing on that decision when it needs to be made.
Speak to us about property investment in Bromley
Finefair Ltd ensures we provide one of the broadest selections of services for our clients. We handle almost every aspect of investing in properties. For example, we can help with acquisition, managing assets, and even have solutions for guaranteed rent. You can get everything you need with us and the same quality across the board.
So, if you are thinking of what to do, we would love to help. You can get in touch to ask us about the options for property investment Bromley has to offer. We can give you tips on things like areas and how to get the best for your money. We can even help you to build a partnership with the council that can work for you.
