Plan to build more than 250 homes on site of former Footzie Social Club in Sydenham to go before Bromley council for SIXTH time

By Lachlan Leeming, Local Democracy Reporter

Plans to build hundreds of homes on the site of a former Lower Sydenham social club are set to face Bromley’s planning board for a sixth time on Thursday.

The proposal, for 254 units at the site of the former Footzie Social Club, was lodged by developer West and Partners earlier this year.

The developer has had five previous applications to build there rejected by Bromley council on the basis it would occur on a site designated as Metropolitan Open Land – meaning it was protected from development in a bid to break up space between buildings.

However, an appeal over one of the schemes for the site – proposing 151 units in an apartment block ranging from four to eight storeys high – saw the planning inspector overturn council’s decision in June 2019.

In ruling in favour of the scheme, the appeal’s planning inspector found “very special circumstances” warranted the building on protected land, with a “carefully considered and exemplary design addressing the identified desperate need for extensive new housing”.

Buoyed by the win, the developer lodged its latest scheme – a tower ranging in height from 11 stories to four stories with 254 units and consisting of 130 one-bedroom, 107 two-bedroom and 17 three-bedroom apartments.

Planning documents for the proposal state 90 of the units would be deemed ‘affordable’ – although what exactly this will constitute is unconfirmed as of yet.

But officers have recommended the council contest the appeal result – sticking with their initial concerns the build would constitute inappropriate development within Metropolitan Open Land.

In addition, concerns have been raised over the lack of detail surrounding affordable housing proposed for the site.

Pictured top: The Footzie Social Club site in Lower Sydenham