Demolition marks new chapter

£11.2M  development breathes new life into St Mary Cray

Work is currently underway to demolish two 15-storey tower blocks and replace them with well-designed new homes in St Mary Cray.

Ninety six new homes for private sale, shared ownership and affordable rent will be built by national affordable housing provider Affinity Sutton on the site of Alkham and Horton Towers next to St Mary Cray High Street, in Bromley. 

Orpington MP Jo Johnson joined residents, representatives from Affinity Sutton, Bromley Council and contractors Hills Partnership to watch the final tower being pulled down at a special event on Thursday 19 July.

Kerry Kyriacou, Group Director of New Business and Development, for Affinity Sutton, said:  “This is an exciting and important development which will make a huge difference to the area and provide a mixture of well designed flats and family homes in a mixed and sustainable community.”

The new homes – which will be between three and seven storeys and are expected to be built by summer 2014 - support the London Borough of Bromley’s regeneration proposals for the area and will provide much needed new homes locally and will deliver:

Sixty nine homes for private sale

• 13 x one bedroom apartments
• 45 x two bedroom apartments
• 1 x three bedroom apartment
• 10 three storey, three bedroom town houses

Twenty one homes for shared ownership

• 6 x one bedroom apartments
• 12 x two bedroom apartments
• 3 x three bedroom apartments

Six homes for affordable rent

• 6 x two bedroom apartments

Councillor Robert Evans, Executive Councillor for Care Services said:  “I was delighted to attend this event and to be at the beginning of what is a very exciting new development.  It will increase the housing options for local people with well designed, attractive properties available for shared ownership and affordable rent.  This development also represents an important investment in the regeneration of this area of our borough.”

Affinity Sutton has over 15,000 homes in the London Borough of Bromley and around 3000 of these are in the Crays and Orpington.  It is committed to investing in the area and over the last five years it has:

• Built around 500 new homes at St Mary Cray police station, Whippendell Close, Bannister Gardens, Ramsden and Nugent shopping centre.
• Identified the Mountfield as a priority estate for action.
• Invested £330,000 in developing the new £1.8M Priory Link sports centre working with the Priory School, Bromley Council, Mytime Active and the Football Foundation.
• Provided training opportunities for local unemployed people through the Pathways 4 Cray and Personal Best projects.
• Increased access to affordable credit through our support for the Lewisham Plus Credit Union, which has expanded to cover the east of the borough including a new branch at Cotmandene.