Policy information sourced from Bexley Core Strategy

Policy CS02 Bexleyheath geographic region

The vision for the Bexleyheath geographic region will be achieved by:

  • making contributions to housing and employment growth in the borough, primarily focussing on development opportunities in and around Bexleyheath town centre;
  • encouraging mixed use development in the town centre, allowing for an expansion of the retail offer;
  • maximising opportunities to promote sustainable development in the town centre through the design of individual schemes, including supporting investigations into the potential creation of an area heat and power network, and seeking to ensure that development in areas susceptible to localised flooding incorporates measures to manage surface water drainage;
  • ensuring high quality design in the town centre and seeking opportunities to form an even more imposing skyline viewed from the south and east;
  • seeking opportunities for renewal and enhancement associated with the area’s location within the Thames Gateway national growth area and its sub-regional importance;
  • ensuring that the heritage assets and areas that are characterised by mainly semi-detached and detached family housing are retained and, where possible, improved, including the surrounding environment, and that new development is in keeping with the local and historic character of these areas;
  • implementing a range of accessibility and travel awareness improvements through projects such as the Bexleyheath Area Based Scheme and the use of work based and area based travel plans;
  • investigating opportunities to better connect the area to the wider public transport network, thus improving traffic movement through major transport infrastructure improvements in the longer term;
  • improving existing and developing new public realm in the area of Broadway and Watling Street as part of major development, and taking opportunities to address the deficit of public open space and lack of access to nature within neighbourhoods in the west of the geographic region;
  • promoting enhancement projects to encourage higher quality and greater use of public spaces, particularly with regard to the creation of a safe and family friendly leisure and entertainment culture within the town centre;
  • creating new and enhanced community facilities that support the needs of residents and leisure facilities that appeal to all residents during the day and evening, located mainly in and around Bexleyheath town centre, but also, if appropriate, within the neighbourhood centres of the geographic region; and
  • reviewing and, as appropriate, implementing in further development plan documents, the Bexleyheath Development and Improvement Framework and NightVision strategy.

For more information please see the Bexley Core Strategy