Plans are emerging to potentially build a much-needed dedicated home for children in Bromley, ensuring more of the borough’s children can remain local, closer to their support networks.
Residents can find out more at upcoming engagement sessions about the proposed £1.76m development on Wharton Road in Bromley, with the new home reducing the need for costly private and independent placements. The development would consist of a four-bedroom home for children, with ensuite bathrooms, welcoming living and outdoor space, and a room for onsite professionally trained staff. A self-contained flat is also included in the plans to support young residents that are moving into adulthood.
Initial engagements sessions are taking place at Community House on South Street in Bromley on:
- Wednesday 17 December at 9:30am to 12:30pm.
- Thursday 18 December at 4pm to 7pm.
The new home would help to ensure that children receive consistent care and support close to their friends, schools and family networks. This is also part of the council’s wider strategy to reduce reliance on expensive private and independent placements by giving the council more spaces to place children directly. Over 50 children from the borough are currently in such placements, with not enough of these available within the borough for all those who need them and the council seeking to ensure placements are as local as possible. As well as improving the lives of children in the council’s care, this approach also helps to reduce costs, as around 90 per cent of these placements cost the council over £5,000 per-week.
The proposed home would be built on the car park in Wharton Road, with the car park having 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.
A council spokesperson said: “By building homes like these for Bromley children, the council can better ensure young residents can live in safe and nurturing environments. By continuing to expand provision we will need fewer private and independent placements, which are also extremely costly to council taxpayers. I encourage those interested to come and find out more.”
Feedback is being sought at the engagement sessions prior to a Planning application being submitted and if permission is granted, works could be expected to start by Autumn next year and be completed by the end of 2027.
The nearby Wharton Road playground is not included in the development site and will be retained.
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 delivery of the self-contained flat.
Find out more about the proposed development of a new home for children in Bromley.
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For media enquiries, please contact James George, Senior Public Affairs Officer, on 020 8313 4565 or email james.george@bromley.gov.uk.