Bromley bids to reanimate botched housing project that has already proved costly

By Joe Coughlan, Local Democracy Reporter

Plans for an affordable housing scheme have been revived by Bromley council after the previous contractor for the project went bust.

A scheme to deliver 35 new flats in Orpington for the local authority’s housing waiting list has been brought back for councillors to reconsider.

The project was previously being carried out by Module-AR after being approved by the authority in November 2022. Work began in April 2022 but was delayed after several air raid shelters were found under the site on York Rise.

Work reportedly slowed further in January 2023 and was suspended in October of that year, with the council terminating its partnership with Module-AR as a result. The contractor later went into administration.

Council officers claimed in their report that several issues had since been identified on the site including a lack of adequate drainage systems, roofing and support materials.

They added that subcontractors for the works who claimed to have not been paid by Module-AR removed already installed equipment on the site after the contract was cut, resulting in ‘substantial’ additional costs for the authority.

The report said: “It has become clear that the electrical subcontractor caused significant damage to the site and the ongoing works by illegally removing materials when they believed they were not paid monies owed by the main contractor. The contractor not only took expensive equipment that the council had already paid for, but also damaged existing infrastructure in the process.”

Council documents said the revised scheme would see a £4.1 million increase in cost, bringing the total bill for the project up to £15.8m. Funding would be sourced through the Greater London Authority grant as well as external borrowing.

The authority has reportedly sourced three prospective contractors for the project. Seven other organisations rejected offers to take on the scheme, claiming it was too ‘complicated and distressed’.

The housing scheme planned for York Rise will be discussed at a Bromley Council meeting on August 12 before being brought to the authority’s executive committee the following evening for consideration. The works, if approved, are expected to be completed by spring 2025.

Pictured top: A CGI for the previously approved scheme (Picture:: Rivington Street Studio / Module-AR)