Works are well underway on 68 new affordable homes in St Paul’s Cray as initial foundation works complete on the council’s ‘Bromley homes for Bromley people’ development.
Once complete, the new housing on the Bellegrove site next to St Paul’s Cray Library will be let to Bromley residents on the borough’s housing register. The development will consist of one, two and three-bed homes and the majority will be social rent housing, where rent is set around 50 per cent of local market rent.
The recent progress on site follows the demolition works being completed in recent months, after initial site set up at the start of the year. The first section of ground floor slab has now been poured with reinforced concrete columns having been formed and pile foundations progressing. Residents will see the concrete frame rise out of the ground in the coming months, with the housing expected to be delivered by late 2027.
The £29m development will also enhance local children’s play provision, as well as provide car and cycle parking. Landscaping improvements will be delivered, including the creation of a corridor of green space running through the site leading to Hoblingwell Wood Recreation Ground. Wheelchair-accessible and supported living units are included within the new housing and the works are being carried out by the council’s partner contractor, The Hill Group.
Councillor Yvonne Bear, Bromley’s Executive Councillor for Renewal, Recreation and Housing recently visited the site to symbolically complete the first phase of the foundation works, being joined by representatives from parties involved in the project, including London Assembly Member for Bromley and Bexley Thomas Turrell.
Councillor Bear said: "This is welcome progress as we continue to move at pace to deliver a number of affordable housing developments on brownfield sites across the borough. This is important for supporting the local housing supply in Orpington and for securing the homes we need to house our residents who are facing homelessness, which also helps to reduce costs for council taxpayers.”
Harvey Dhami, Regional Director at award-winning housebuilder The Hill Group, said: “We’re proud to be partnering with Bromley Council to deliver these much-needed affordable homes in St Paul’s Cray. Bellegrove will provide high-quality, energy-efficient homes that are designed to meet a range of local needs, alongside green spaces that enhance the wider neighbourhood. We look forward to working closely with the council and local stakeholders to bring this development forward and create homes residents can be proud of for years to come.”
The Bellegrove development was the eighth to receive planning approval in the Bromley Homes for Bromley People programme and is being supported by a £14m from the Greater London Authority.
Further options of housing sites are constantly being sought across the borough to help meet the borough’s housing needs and reduce the council’s costs from expensive nightly paid accommodation, with over 1,300 households in expensive nightly-paid accommodation despite extensive efforts to secure alterative housing.
The Bromley Homes for Bromley People programme provides homes for Bromley residents on the housing register at a range of social rent and affordable rent levels, meaning rents are set at 80 per cent of local market rent or lower. By building homes intended for this range of rent levels, the council makes best use of its land and resources, including by accessing more grant funding opportunities, as these are often only available for building properties at specific rent levels.
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For media enquiries, please contact James George, Public Affairs, on 020 8313 4565 or email james.george@bromley.gov.uk