Bromley chiefs opt to make every home ‘affordable’ in Glebe housing project
By Joe Coughlan, Local Democracy Reporter
Bromley council has approved plans to nearly double the amount of affordable homes for a housing project in West Wickham, increasing the number of socially rented flats for the scheme to 100 per cent.
The development will see 26 new affordable homes being added to the site in Glebe Way.
The scheme was previously approved by the council in April 2022, but council documents said increased housing pressure had led officers to review the original scheme.
A council officer said at the meeting that the cost of temporary accommodation at the time of the authority purchasing the scheme meant it was originally more viable to split the homes into 14 socially rented units and 12 being offered for private sale.
The council officer said at the meeting on March 27: “Unfortunately temporary accommodation costs have continued to rise, which is obviously not good news generally. It it is now better financially for the council to move this scheme to be fully affordable.
“This will deliver 26 affordable homes, some quite large three-bedroom units as part of that, which is great news for our housing team who desperately need more homes.”
The report said the savings that would be obtained from retaining the remaining flats for affordable housing would be greater than the expected ÂŁ4million accrued from private sales.
Conservative councillor Nicholas Bennett, representing the West Wickham ward, said at the meeting: “Obviously we regret that we are going to lose some mixed development, but the figures as they are make it very clear that this is to the benefit of the council and also the fact that we’ve got some 1,600 people homeless at the moment.”
The project is projected to cost £13.6 million and will include an extension to the area’s existing library with a community space and café.
Pictured top: A CGI of the new library and café, as seen from Glebe Way (Picture: Brimelow McSweeney Architects/Bromley council)
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