Bexley Council's big decisions to be made in 2019

Here we look at some of the big issues facing the council during 2019.

Arthur Street

 

Plans to bulldoze and rebuild the Arthur Street Estate in Erith have long been in the works.

Detailed proposals on how the scheme would work and look have now been published, and councillors will be tasked with ruling on them in the coming months.

Orbit, which will be carrying out the work,  is planning to bulldoze three 13-storey tower blocks and low-rise flats, claiming they are “no longer meeting modern standards.”

MORE - Arthur Street Estate: Plans now in for major redevelopment

The development would lead to a loss of 133 socially rented homes, being replaced with a “mixed tenure community” made up of 80 per cent affordable housing.

A decision will be made on the major scheme – which would lead to the council using its powers to compulsory purchase homes.

Wilde Road

 

The Wilde Road saga emerged last year as the council planned to use two parcels of land in Erith for a dozen flats.

The controversial planning application put forward was, at first, deferred before being rejected altogether by the council’s planning committee.

A residents’ group, Save Wilde Road, cheered from the public gallery as councillors binned the scheme – claiming it was too big and dense for the crowded estate.

However, another vision for the two pockets of green space is expected in the spring, meaning a decision on the future of Wilde Road will likely be made before the year is out.

Budgets 

Bexley Civic Centre

Dozens of proposals to save the council cash were put forward at the back end of last year, and final decisions will be made in March.

The council needs to find nearly £9m in savings as central government continues to reduce the amount it hands out to local authorities.

On the money-making list in Bexley is a £5 increase in garden waste collection, savings from community library budgets and from the friends of parks pot.

Also in line for a cut are outreach workers hired following the infamous Northumberland Heath brawl, a move that concerned some members of the opposition.

The final budget will be set in March, when the council will also set its level of tax.

Hall Place 

 

Plans for a major revamp at Hall Place are set to be signed off this year, including hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of investment at the attraction.

The council has plans to introduce a new market to the historic house and gardens, as well new park and visitors’ hub.

In total it’s expected that £600k will be spent revitalising the listed attraction, which will in some part be offset by a new £2 charge for punters wanting to visit the gardens – which have traditionally been free.

Entrance into the house currently costs £10, and the council is considering introducing a fee of £1, £1,50 or £2 for a standard entry into the gardens, along with discounted tickets for under-16s.

Also planned for the Grade I listed mansion is a revamp of the visitors’ area, including a new cafe, along with a new playground similar to the scale of Belvedere Beach, which opened last year.

Expect rubbish headlines 

 

Councillors at the Civic Centre have been considering the best way for rubbish to be collected in the borough as the current contract with Serco is close to finishing.

Serco could keep the contract, but councillors are also considering bringing the service in-house or re-tendering with a new company.

The frequency of collections could also change, with one option being moving to a 1-2-3 collection cycle.

This could mean a weekly collections of food waste, two-weekly collections of garden waste, fortnightly or three-weekly collections of recycling and fortnightly or three-weekly collections of residual waste for incineration.

The number and size of bins will also be being reviewed, with councillors considering alternatives to find the most cost-effective way to collect rubbish.