Proposed housing on Poverest Road

The proposed housing is a mix of 2-, 3- and 4-bed affordable homes each with a private garden, including 5 accessible homes. Plans also include resident parking spaces, cycle parking, EV charging points, the creation of public green spaces, and tree retention and biodiversity enhancements. The wider plans will also see enhancements to nearby green spaces such as Tillingbourne Green Playground and Poverest Park playground. Vehicular and pedestrian access to Poverest Primary School is also set to be improved.

Initial engagement sessions are taking place at Poverest Primary School . These will be held at the hall at the front of the school and accessed via the main entrance on Tillingbourne Green.

• Monday 27 October – 11am to 4pm
• Wednesday 29 October – 5pm to 7pm
• Saturday 1 November – 9am to 12pm

Residents can also find out more and provide feedback about the proposals online .

The housing would be delivered on the site of the Poverest Adult Education Centre once this centre is no longer used to deliver Adult Education courses.

Yes! From September 2027 courses will be delivered from the Kentwood Adult Education Centre and from new locations in the borough using existing council buildings like libraries and the Children and Family Centres. The Kentwood Adult Education Centre will undergo a major refurbishment, ensuring a welcoming environment for all Learners, including those with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities).

This new hub-and-spoke model will bring services together in appropriate locations to make more efficient use of Council sites, as well as making courses available across a larger number of sites. This follows the success of the Community Resource Centre co-locating with St Paul’s Cray Library following its refurbishment, with the service then shortlisted for Library of the Year .

The details about the specific courses being offered and their location will be determined after consultation with Learners in 2026/27 ahead of the centre closing. This will ensure courses best meet Learners’ needs within the available resources and that each course is delivered at the most appropriate location, taking account of tutor and specialist equipment availability.

There is no planned reduction in the Adult Education service due to the closure of the Poverest Centre. As happens already, the courses that can be offered are reviewed each year and depend on a number of factors such as the level of grant funding received, some of which is only announced annually for a single year, so it is not possible to confirm related courses any further in advance. For instance, funding from the Greater London Authority is announced each June for the academic year starting in September.

There are no plans to change the current travel assistance arrangement for Learners who receive this.

Bromley, like all local authorities, is continuing to face significant costs related to its statutory duty to house homeless families, driven by the lack of available affordable housing, particularly in London. The Council is delivering developments like these across the borough through the ‘Bromley homes for Bromley people’ programme to help to reduce reliance on more expensive, nightly paid accommodation when housing Bromley residents. Therefore, these developments provide homes for Bromley families who need them who are on the housing register, help to save Council taxpayers, and also provide additional much-needed affordable housing locally.

Progress is continuing to be made on the Council’s wider ‘Bromley homes for Bromley people’ programme where 8 sites for almost 300 new homes have already been agreed, with the most recent development completed in West Wickham , with ongoing developments in Orpington, Bromley and Beckenham.

Subject to Planning, the proposal would see some preparation works happen in Summer 2026, including demolition of the out buildings that are not in use. The main works would then begin shortly after the Centre’s courses move to alternative locations from summer 2027 and are expected to complete in 2029. A planning application is expected to be submitted ahead of this in the coming months, with feedback received during upcoming engagement sessions helping to shape the emerging plans. If approval is granted, initial preparations on site may take place from later next year.

The main entry to the homes will be a new vehicular access road from Church Hill Wood. The existing vehicle access on Poverest Road would be retained for school access and pedestrians only. No access is proposed on Tillingbourne Green, however a pedestrian crossing will connect the development to the playground.

No, the proposals are not expected to impact the location of the Church Hill Wood bus stop. The current stop operates as a Hail & Ride service, meaning there is no fixed infrastructure such as signs, shelters, or poles. Passengers can board or alight anywhere along a designated stretch of road by signaling the driver, who will stop at a safe location.

Yes. The proposals have been shared with staff at Poverest Primary School, and are engaging on the proposals.  Students are being included in design workshops for the playground and will also benefit from a food-growing garden including within the plans. The plans put the security and welfare of the school and importantly pupils at the heart of the design.

Although the nursery behind the church is currently closed, proposed plans position the housing with a setback from the church boundary. This allows for future flexibility should the church wish to develop their site.

The Council would work with the contractor, once they are appointed, to minimise disruption from the works wherever practical. Given the proximity of Poverest Primary School, the Council will look to avoid construction vehicle movements during school pick up and drop off times.

The Council will always make use of available grant funding to support developments, with grant funding of £4.8m already successfully secured from the Greater London Authority to support this £23.7m development, with further opportunities being sought to save council taxpayer funds.

The impact will be assessed as part of the Planning application. We have already established there is a sufficiency of spaces in local schools. We will also engage with the NHS around capacity in local surgeries.

There are 29 new parking spaces proposed within the site, which is assessed to be sufficient for the needs of new residents on site, considering the availability of parking nearby.

Household waste would be collected on-street within the new internal road network for the development, with limited activity required on Church Hill Wood and Tillingbourne Green.