Big changes coming to town centres across Bromley
By Lachlan Leeming, local democracy reporter
Almost 180 proposals including pop-up cycle lanes, extra crossings and traffic filters will be considered to encourage Bromley residents to cycle and walk in a post-Covid world.
Bromley Council will put forward a funding bid for more than £1 million to finance emergency infrastructure and safely reopen high streets, in a proposal to be voted on next Monday.
Plans laid out in a 34-page document include actions that will be taken to reopen the Charter Market, as well as specific projects to add cycling and pedestrian paths across the borough.
They’ll be voted on at a special meeting of the environment and community services scrutiny committee, which is chaired by Cllr Will Harmer.
Cllr Harmer confirmed measures for welcoming back the Charter Market would include cutting market charges next month, while shopping streets would receive increased signage.
“Our Charter Market is a crucial part of the heritage of Bromley and we need to support its safe return. We are proposing 100 per cent reductions in market charges in July so they can trial coming back despite anticipated lower footfall. These charges will scale back over time,” Will Harmer
Cllr Harmer said the plans would include new signage in the borough’s busiest shopping streets and individual stores to encourage people to “stay on the left” and reduce chances of accidental contact or breaches of social distancing rules.
The council also proposes trialling sharing of CCTV, parking and footfall data with town centre businesses so they can be better informed of customer movements.
If passed, it’ll see them approach bodies including Transport for London, Department for Transport and the housing, local government and communities (MHCLG) minister.
The council will have £295k available immediately from MHCLG to help town centres return to trading safely, to help fund measures supporting social distancing and hygiene to aid the swift re-opening of markets and shops.
The council will also lobby for a share of the Mayor of London’s Streetspace fund – which could be in the region of £1.1m to £1.3m for Bromley – to help implement more changes across the borough.
Detailed plans for town centres across the borough are mentioned in depth in the document, and range from installing barriers Beckenham High Street to create wider footways, to widening footpaths between Mirage and Barclays on Chislehurt’s main street.
Residents can read the full list of proposals from page 15 of the report at https://cds.bromley.gov.uk/
The meeting will be live streamed on Bromley’s website at 1pm Monday.
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