Residents fuming over plans to build flats in neighbourhood with Tudor-style houses

By Joe Coughlan, Local Democracy Reporter

Residents in a neighbourhood full of pretty Tudor-style houses are outraged over plans to build six “tiny, cramped” flats that are “totally out of character” with the area.

Bromley council has received plans for a three-storey set of flats in the back garden of a house in Orpington, which neighbours have called an “eyesore”.

Haskins Designs sent the plans, which would see the garage in the back garden of the site being knocked down for six new homes.

The application has received several objections online, with residents calling the flat plans “outrageous” and “absurd”.

One neighbour said: “The proposed material finish to the walls and roof of the flats is totally out of character with the mock Tudor houses in Lancing Road which are brick with tiled roofs.

“The flats will be an eyesore, especially to those who live in numbers 19, 21 and 23 Lancing Road who will see them every day from their back windows and back gardens.”

They added that the plans didn’t include replacing a rotting fence that divided the garden with the one next door, showing a “blatant disregard for the security of the residents.”

Planning documents sent by Haskins Designs said that the impact of the flats on the character and appearance of the area had been carefully considered, as well as the effect on neighbours.

They said: “The proposals fully comply with the planning policies and positively contribute to the requirement for good quality apartments. We, therefore, conclude that the proposals should be considered for approval.”

One neighbour said the “outrageous” plans had caused a great deal of “uncertainty and anxiety” to residents.

Another said: “It is difficult to know where to start when discussing the absurd situation that might allow developers to build a two to three-storey building in a suburban back garden.”

Council officers recommended the plans for approval in their report to help increase housing in the area.

They said: “The development would have a high-quality design and would not have an unacceptable impact on the amenity of neighbouring occupiers, subject to suitable conditions or impact detrimentally on the character of the area. It is considered that the standard of the accommodation created will be good.”

The plans for the new flats will be discussed at a planning meeting for Bromley council on March 23.

Pictured top: The front of the house in Orpington, which would see a set of flats built in its back garden if the plans were approved (Picture: Google Street View)