Category Archives: Local Environment

The consultation on this local plan ended on 24 March. WBRA has made representations on the following aspects

•  Beckenham needs a strong policy on Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs). There have been several applications for HMOs over the last year or so, several in the High Street and one in Thayers Farm Road. The draft plan makes no mention of housing standards for HMOs and the plans we have seen submitted would subject the      tenants to severe overcrowding, insufficient sanitary facilities and  no communal amenity space. This is not good for the tenants or for any neighbours. In contrast Croydon has very strong planning and licensing policies for HMOs.
• We need stronger policies on the conversion of offices to flats in the town centre. There are several applications for conversions including Duncan House in Burnhill Road and those above Prezzos on the corner of that road and the High Street. The local plan’s section on employment says there will be significant increase in demand for offices but at present we are losing office space hand over fist as they are converted to flats.
• The sections on tall buildings and skyline need substantial strengthening. There should be additional points about not adding to height of existing buildings where they are already, or would become, out of keeping with their surroundings. This is of course of special interest to WBRA because of the Maunsell’s building on Elmers End Green which stuck out for miles around even before another two floors were added. It is a clear obstruction on the Skyline from the two so called protected views from Crystal Palace to Beckenham and from Village Way to Croydon.
• WBRAwould like to see a general condition on all planning  applications in High Streets and parades of shops that the “party wall” must be dealt with in any refurbishment and not left as a “no man’s land” that is dirty, falling to bits and strewn with hanging cables. Also where shops are converted into flats with open   “vestibules” for utility meters they should be designed not to be an   eyesore. Many areas around our local parades look like a back street in Marrakesh because of this.

On 13 November, the Executive and  Resources Policy Development and Scrutiny Committee voted to proceed with the sale of the toilets at Elmers End Green. WBRA Chair, Marie Pender, spoke at the meeting, but the main discussion of the financial parts was held in private, so we do not know what was said there or what the vote was, and we were not allowed to know what the bids were for or how much was being bid.

West Beckenham Residents’ Association (WBRA) is totally opposed to the sale of land in the centre of Elmers End Green. The toilets in the building were closed last year, and now the council has put them up for sale by informal tender. Not only for sale – but the land is offered FREEHOLD.  This would allow a commercial enterprise to wholly own part of an historic village green. WBRA have found this triangle of land on maps going back to circa 1775 – 240 years!

 This is the Green in 1928.

Photo courtesy of http://www.beckenhamhistory.co.uk/index.html

This toilet building is not on a High Street mixed with other buildings, but is in the centre of our village green.

 Any purchaser would have to be given rights of access over the rest of the green. Elmers End Residents’ Association (now part of WBRA) funded, with LBB, the Elmers End village sign 1998, and also funded tree planting.

We know that future uses will be subject to planning permission, but it is totally unacceptable for this small piece land (only 32 sq m) to be wholly owned by anyone other than the council, whatever the use will be. In practical terms, improved pedestrian access to the green would surely have to be provided for any commercial uses. Why would the council pay for that, when they would not pay to keep the toilets open?

WBRA have asked all our local councillors from Clock House and Kelsey and Eden Park Wards to have this sale stopped and to have the council discuss with us the possible future uses for this building – is this too much to ask? Cllr Sarah Phillips has been very supportive and helpful in obtaining information about the proposed sale.

WBRA objected to the closure of the toilets which were well used as the Green is where several bus routes cross. We recognise that council budgets are currently under great pressure, but as we are apparently coming out of recession, it is possible that finances will allow the re-instatement of the toilets at some point in the future.

Valerie Sheldon cutting the ribbon at Thornton’s Corner

Valerie Sheldon, granddaughter of Thomas Thornton, cut the ribbon to “unveil” one of two new town signs for Beckenham on 6 July. This sign is on the corner, known as Thornton’s Corner, where the High Street turns towards the cinema. The second new sign is on the roundabout at the War Memorial.

The Town Crier points to the new sign at the War Memorial

Thomas Thornton was a local business man who published the Beckenham Journal, ran a stationers shop on the corner opposite the sign, and was a leading citizen of Beckenham. Thomas secured the use of the land around Kelsey Manor as a public park – now Kelsey Park, which celebrated its 100th birthday in May (see below).

The new signs are part of a programme to re-invigorate Beckenham High Street. There are now three signs guiding us through the High Street from the well established one at Beckenham Green, past Thornton’s corner and round to the War Memorial roundabout. The works will include new street furniture, better signage, de-cluttering and general cleaning and tidying, as well as a heritage trail which will be published shortly. The works are funded by Bromley Council, and were developed by a working group which included representatives of West Beckenham Residents’ Association.

Some members of the working group which drew up the plans for High Street improvements.

An exhibition stand was stationed outside Sainsbury’s explaining the work that will be undertaken in the next few months.

Exhibition stand explaining the improvement work