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News and Comment June 2022

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15 June (Part 1) - BexleyCo

There was a Council meeting yesterday, the first of note since the Council meeting on 25th May but I can no longer attend any on a Tuesday evening. Worse is that it was not webcast and the Agenda included only one subject, BexleyCo and what was expected of it between now and 2031 - which includes 1,200 new homes.

One thing they have done, or hope to do is give up on Sargasso House (Sidcup) and see if they can find someone willing to lease it for 20 years. On Felixstowe Road (Abbey Wood) and Sidcup Library the story is of delay, inflation and the challenges relating to the provision of affordable homes. They were trying to learn lessons from the experiences at Old Farm Park.

The company aims include priority housing for local residents, supporting local jobs and providing a return to Bexley Council; the shareholder.

Felixstowe Road 11th August 2013 Felixstowe Road 15th June 2022The Felixstowe Road car park which was closed nine years ago (Photos August 2013 and today) remains empty and there is no hint in the Agenda of when there might be some progress. Some idea of how things may look by 2026 may be seen in this year old blog. A massive tower block every bit as ugly as one might expect to be dumped in an area that Bexley Council has never really cared about.

As you would expect, there is no opposition to BexleyCo from the Council’s payroll vote but Labour Councillors Francis and Borella can be relied upon to keep a watchful eye.

Their efforts reveal that BexleyCo may make a profit of £1·75 million in the current financial year followed by four lean years and then approaching £10 million between 2026 and 2029 after which nothing although presumably they are hoping something will turn up in the meantime. Surely there must be another park to build over by then? The biggest sums will come from building on Old Farm Park, on Bursted Woods and turning Abbey Wood into a mini-Lewisham.

The above figures have been taken from the most recent BexleyCo report to Cabinet. (PDF.)

Labour Councillors are not particularly impressed by the fact that private developers who plan no affordable homes are subject to further reviews but BexleyCo is not. Wholly predictable. There will be no affordable housing when West Street’s only green space goes and the same seems likely on the old Sidcup Library site.

 

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