main content Public Meeting 2007 - Your borough: the facts

This meeting took place on 29 November 2007 and was attended by around 80 residents.

Following a presentation by the Leader of the Council, Councillor Stephen Carr, and the Chief Executive, Doug Patterson, which outlined the Council's achievements and challenges over the past year, and some of the issues to be faced going into the future, a large number of questions and issues were raised by members of the audience.

These were responded to by members of the Council’s Executive, and also by the police Borough Commander, Chief Supt Charles Griggs, and Sue Southon, representing the Bromley Primary Care Trust.

These included:

Development

• concerns about what steps the Council could take to combat the growing density of houses likely to be needed to cater for increasing numbers of people coming into the south-east, and its impact on the character of the area, particularly the growing danger of encroachment on the Green Belt;
• allied to this, questions about what the Council and PCT were doing to plan for infrastructure changes to cater for a potentially higher population (e.g. doctors, dentists, school places, etc);
• balancing this against concerns about a lack of affordable property for first time buyers in the Borough;
• the Council's reaction to the London Development Agency's proposals to build housing and commercial developments on the Crystal Palace Park site as opposed to the alternative plan being mooted to construct a smaller replica of the original Crystal Palace
• frustration with persistent problems with the operation of the Public Access planning system used through the Council website

Local economy and employment

• Council support for people with mental health issues, or suffering long-term unemployment, in returning to work, particularly the potential to look for skilled volunteers to assist in mock interviews/mentoring as a way to help people get back into work
• the Council's plans for regeneration of Bromley and Orpington Town Centre (including information on the areas for the investment of the £17m capital receipt for the Orpington Tesco development)
• whether the Council would put pressure on W.H.Smith and the Post Office to improve accessibility to the first floor Bromley Post Office in the High Street, especially given the additional pressures created by the shift to issue Freedom Passes through post offices rather than Council offices
• Council support for people with mental health issues, or suffering long-term unemployment, in returning to work, particularly the potential to look for skilled volunteers to assist in mock interviews/mentoring as a way to help people get back into work
• the Council's plans for regeneration of Bromley and Orpington Town Centre (including information on the areas for the investment of the £17m capital receipt for the Orpington Tesco development)
• whether the Council would put pressure on W.H.Smith and the Post Office to improve accessibility to the first floor Bromley Post Office in the High Street, especially given the additional pressures created by the shift to issue Freedom Passes through post offices rather than Council offices.  

Sustainability

• a desire to extend recycling (especially a wider range of plastics, plastic carrier bags, batteries, etc)
• positive comments on the pilot kitchen waste collection scheme
  alternatives to the mooted London-wide ban on shops supplying free carrier bags
• investing further in alternative technology for heating the new flagship BEECHE centre (at High Elms) to assist in combating climate change
• ways to combat traffic congestion in the area and encourage alternative methods of transport
• concerns around congestion and lack of parking controls around Hayes Lane/Hayes Street, and also parking issues around Hillcrest Road/Felstead Road and Park Avenue in Orpington
• need for traffic calming measures at Mead Way/Linkfield Road junction

Community Safety

• appreciation of the positive impact made by Safer Neighbourhood Teams in areas such as Petts Wood;
• clarification of the role of PCSOs in dealing with anti-social behaviour and with other criminal behaviour;
• the use of plain clothes officers to apprehend trouble-makers;
  the need to publicise prosecutions for graffiti and littering, to discourage others from this sort of behaviour
• the positive effect of Anti Social Behaviour Orders and Acceptable Behaviour Contracts in both combating criminal behaviour and providing opportunities to work with those receiving them to shape future behaviour more positively
• the need to increase facilities for young people that would divert them away from anti social behaviour

Social Care

• steps needed to develop closer partnership working with the voluntary sector moving forward, based on the Compact between them and the Local Strategic Partnership

Resources

• concern to see the Council receive a fair share of grant funding from the Government, and adequate service in return for the growing proportion of the Council Tax bill paid by residents passed on to the Greater London Authority.

The meeting ended just after 9pm. Undertakings were given to respond to any outstanding questions that there had not been time to take at the meeting, either in one to one discussion, or in writing afterwards. Comments and suggestions were noted and will help inform councillor decision making as we plan for the future.

Contact

Telephone: 020 8313 4778
e-mail: communications@bromley.gov.uk

Address: 
Communication Team, Civic Centre, Stockwell Close, Bromley BR1 3UH