Derelict home a magnet for trouble, say fed-up Beckenham neighbours

By Joe Coughlan, Local Democracy Reporter

Residents living beside a derelict house plagued by graffiti and broken windows say they are ‘miserable’ because the building is a magnet for antisocial behaviour.

Neighbours said Conifer House, in Southend Road, Beckenham, has been empty for the past three years, with a major fire having since destroyed the upper half of the building.

Marko Spinks, 64, has lived beside the building for 20 years and said the site has fallen into disrepair in recent times. He said: “People have been in there trying to nick all the plumbing. There’s been people going there dumping all their rubbish then another van comes to take it all away. It’s just getting worse. It’s a shame because it could be a beautiful block of flats if someone were to put money in it.”

London Fire Brigade had to put out a blaze at the building in May 2022. They said the fire likely originated from a firework and completely destroyed the roof and second floor of the building.

A planning application for Conifer House was submitted by the building’s owner, Enfield High Street Limited, in 2022 and indicated that there are nine flats in the building. The proposal sought to add two further storeys to the building to convert the structure into six renovated flats.

However, Bromley council’s planning department refused the revised application, calling it an inappropriate overdevelopment of the site that would detract from the character and appearance of the area.

Another resident said the final tenants of Conifer House moved out in December 2021 and the state of the building had declined since then.

They said: “I had spoken to some of those living there and they had always complained. [They said] the communal stairway, which is in the middle of the building, was covered in black mould even then.”

A warning was issued by Bromley council to the owner of the property on July 5 this year, requiring for damaged wooden fencing panels at the front of the property to be replaced and all graffiti at the front of the building to be removed within two months.

One neighbour said: “It’s been a nightmare. Effectively the building’s been empty and it’s become a magnet for youths doing various things. All the windows have been smashed. They got into the top floor. They couldn’t smash the windows from outside so in the summer they got in and managed to break into the flat above and throw bricks out from the inside. Every time there’s a noise outside now, it sets my nerves on end.”

Local Lib Dem councillor Chloe-Jane Ross said that she would like to see the council doing more to address long-term empty homes in the borough.

Cllr Ross said at a recent council meeting: “It’s causing real misery to neighbours. The residents are at the end of their tether. There’s been a fire. There’s people in there. There’s all kinds of problems.”

Conservative councillor for housing, Yvonne Bear, said she was not aware of the problems at Conifer House and added that the council would look into bringing long-term empty homes back into use.

The Met police say that the owner of Conifer House was with issued a community protection notice warning in the summer to make the site more secure.

They added that no arrests had been made in connection to any alleged criminal activity in the building but officers remained committed to tackling inappropriate behaviour in the area.

A spokesman said: “Officers are continuing to work closely alongside the local council to combat antisocial behaviour and suspected drug use at a disused building on Southend Road in Beckenham.”

Bromley council and Enfield High Street Limited have been approached for comment.

Pictured top: Conifer House (Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga/LDRS)