Proposed development of a new home for children in Bromley

We want to hear your views. The project team are available to talk you through our plans at further engagement sessions at Community House, South Street, Bromley BR1 1RH at the following times:

• Wednesday 21 January from 1:30pm to 5pm
• Saturday 24 January from 9:30am to 12:30pm

Thank you to those who have already provided their feedback at earlier sessions in December.

The Home for Children is proposed to be built on the site of the Wharton Road car park.

While the Wharton Road car park will close to make way for this much-needed Children’s home, the playground will be retained and remain open.

Children come into care when their families cannot provide a safe and stable environment. Right now, over 50 Children from the borough are in residential placements, many outside the borough. This means they're often far from their schools, friends, and familiar surroundings. By creating a local Home for Children, we can:

• Keep Bromley children close to their friends, schools and support networks.
• Reduce reliance on costly private placements, saving council taxpayer money.
• Provide better, more consistent care.
• Offer children a safe, nurturing environment locally.

Alongside the home, there will be a small self-contained flat for a young adult leaving care. This gives them a safe stepping stone into adulthood, with support nearby but greater independence.

This location is central, residential, and well connected to most parts of the borough, allowing children to remain close to their schools, friends, and familiar services. Its accessibility and quiet residential setting make it an ideal location for a home that blends into the neighbourhood while meeting Bromley’s commitment to provide local care for children and young people who need it most.

The home will provide a safe and caring environment for children and young people aged 11 to 18 who need care and stability. It will be staffed 24/7 by trained professionals, always ensuring safety and support. This home will help support the children’s wellbeing and future success, with the support of the neighbouring community also helping with this.

• Planning application: to be submitted early-mid 2026
• Construction: expected to begin by Autumn 2026
• Completion: expected by the end of 2027

We would work closely with the contractor to minimise noise, traffic and disruption. Updates will be shared with local residents throughout the process.

Yes. While we understand some neighbouring residents may be disappointed, the car park has not been needed for some time to support town centre parking. The car park currently costs the council more to operate than the income it generates, which supports a change of use for the land to better meet the borough's needs. This proposal would provide a much-needed dedicated home for children, which would significantly benefit the lives of children in the council's care.

An independent parking survey has been commissioned to assess how the closure of the car park would affect parking on surrounding streets during Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) hours. The results of the survey found that the parking demand currently accommodated within Wharton Road Car Park can be absorbed by available space on nearby streets during CPZ hours, and that no immediate mitigation measures are required to manage parking pressures.

However, the council is aware from the December engagement sessions that some residents feel that parking could be improved in the locality, so separately we are considering measures that could increase on-street parking capacity for local residents.

The parking survey was carried out by an independent organisation, commissioned by the council. Caneparo Associates conducted the survey from Wednesday 3 December 2025 to Sunday 7 December 2025. The study area included Wharton Road Car Park itself as well as surrounding streets, including St Timothy's Mews, Wharton Road, North Road, and Palace Road.

Currently there are no proposals to change the enforceable hours in zone B. However, if residents and businesses within a zone express a wish for there to be an increase to enforceable hours, this could be considered by the council.

It is worth noting that any increase in enforcement hours, would results in a higher cost residential or business permit.

It is important to note that the parking survey has identified that no mitigations are needed, as there is suitable space on the local roads to accommodate the loss of parking in Wharton Road car park. Nonetheless, as detailed, the council is working with the independent survey company (Caneparo Associates) to identify any strategies that may alleviate parking pressures in the area.

Potential mitigations that have been identified so far include:

• Offering permits for businesses at a central multi-storey car park.
• Identifying opportunities to convert redundant single yellow lines into permit-holder bays, where safe and appropriate to do so. For instance, Park Road and Park Grove have been identified as roads where more parking bays could potentially be added.

If the proposal obtains Planning Permission, mitigations such as these options will be carefully examined by Bromley’s Parking service as part of the council's usual processes. Further details would be shared with residents in due course.

No, as 2 parking spaces will instead be allocated for staff and visitors as part of the proposed development.

The £1.76m development of the new home for children would be funded and delivered by Bromley Council. The council has also successfully secured £200k funding from the Greater London Authority to support the self-contained flat.

Wherever possible, mature trees would be kept. It would be carefully assessed if any need to be removed and they will be replaced with new planting to enhance the green character of the site.

The home is being designed to be in keeping with the surrounding residential area. Its scale, appearance and landscaping will be carefully considered as part of the planning process to ensure it blends in and respects the character of Wharton Road.

No, views are currently being sought from residents about this proposal. A planning application will also be submitted, and residents will have an opportunity to comment as part of the formal planning process. The proposal will be considered in line with planning policy before any final decision is made.

Thank you to those who have already provided their feedback, including as part of recent engagement sessions.

Residents can still provide feedback by midday on Monday 9 February 2026.

Wharton Road Children's Home - Feedback Form

This feedback will be considered ahead of a Planning Application being submitted, after which residents will then also be able to share their views as part of this process in the usual way.