All affordable housing could be cut at Chislehurst’s Cray Wanderers development

A proposed development at Flamingo Park in Chislehurst which will see a new football ground and housing could see all affordable housing dropped after a new application.

Plans were approved back in 2019 at the site of Cray Wanderers for demolition of a nightclub building and construction of a 1,300-capacity football ground.

In addition 42 homes would be built on site comprising 26 3-bed two storey terraced dwellings, 12 2-bed flats and 4 1-bed flats set within 4 two storey blocks.

Now plans for affordable housing will go according to the application as “a Registered Provider who originally expressed interest in the affordable housing has withdrawn their request”.

Whilst there’s a severe shortage of affordable housing with many councils spending vast sums on expensive temporary accommodation, the Planning Statement says no Registered Provider “has shown interest despite an extensive marketing period.”

Bromley Council spent £27.4 million on temporary accommodation such as B&Bs in the year to March 2024 – an 18% increase from the prior year when £23.1 million was spent. That’s in addition to substantial costs paid by central government much of which is flowing to private interests benefitting from housing problems.

All affordable homes cut

If changes are approved zero affordable homes would be built on the Flamingo Park site.

A lack of funds for new council and Housing Association has seen many potential affordable homes unbuilt. High costs to maintain and renovate existing homes have further hampered new affordable house building.

The applicant continues: “The development is partially completed and is left in limbo with no mechanism through which to move it forward.”

A Financial Viability is submitted alongside “and subsequently demonstrates that the scheme cannot achieve a return level that would normally be considered acceptable.”

Work has been progressing on the football side of things in recent years with a new pitch and floodlights installed.

The housing component was originally supposed to follow the football ground side of the project, though the latest application also seeks to change that timeline.