‘Unimaginative’ and ‘extremely ugly’ tower block plans rejected after 445 complaints
By Kiro Evans, Local Democracy Reporter
A “monster” tower block plan has been rejected after residents and the council joined forces to stop it, complaining it would make the town look like Croydon.
The 16-storey building proposal in Bromley High Street, put forward by Matterhorn Capital, united councillors and residents in opposition.
One resident’s group said it would result in the “Croydonisation” of Bromley if approved.
The development control committee voted down the tower block after the plans were called in to the council.
Bromley Friends of the Earth also opposed the move, saying: “The proposal is far too high and would be very oppressive, setting a precedent for future new buildings in this part of the High Street, especially as the site is adjacent to a conservation area.
“The design of the proposal remains unimaginative, aesthetically unpleasing, and an extremely ugly design, detrimental to the heritage of central Bromley.”
The Ravensbourne Valley Residents’ Association were among the 449 objectors, fearing the block could make their borough look similar to south London neighbours Croydon.
They said: “The site is situated on a hill and the height of the proposed building would be over-dominant, resulting in “Croydonisation” of Bromley.
“The proposal would be harmful to the setting and is a detraction of the views into or out of the conservation area.”
“Croydonisation” refers to an area that has many tall tower blocks.
The full plans would have seen 68 flats in the new building, and the existing buildings on the High Street demolished.
Along with the size of the building, councillors were also concerned by the lack of affordable housing it would have provided.
After the motion was rejected, Bromley town councillor Will Harmer said: “I am delighted that this application was rejected. This monster tower block would have been over-dominant in scale and massing [the three dimensional form of a building] and would have had a negative impact on the modest market town character of our town.
“As Bromley town councillors, myself, Cllr Nicky Dykes and Cllr Michael Rutherford have been pushing for further protections for the heritage and character of our town centre.
“We recently successfully extended the Bromley town conservation area both in the town centre and the surrounding areas by creating a new conservation zone in Shortlands.
“In addition to this we are also working on a design guide with Bromley council officers to further prevent inappropriate overdevelopments and unattractive designs in our town centre and surrounding neighbourhoods.”
Matterhorn Capital has been approached for comment.
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