Campaigners are furious after £500million plans to turn “leafy” Orpington into “Singapore or Hong Kong” were unveiled.

The public consulation over a controversial building project in Orpington is underway, as local residents look to stop it in its track.

The redevelopment will see 990 flats built across six blocks, including one that is 20 storeys high.

But campaigners believe it will actually be 15 blocks, with some of the towers linked by walkways being counted as a singular building in the planning documents.

This Is Local London: Walnuts Shopping Centre (Kiro Evans)Walnuts Shopping Centre (Kiro Evans)

The blocks range between four and 20 storeys in height and will contain flats, shops, restaurants and cafes.

The Walnuts Leisure Centre will be temporarily closed in the process before being rebuilt, while the shopping centre will be partly demolished.

There is also concern over the nearby Saxon Day Centre for the elderly, which will be closed and rebuilt under the plans.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service spoke to campaigners outside of the leisure centre who were passing leaflets to locals.

Tim Webb, one of the leaders of the “Nuts to the Walnuts” group, said: “I’m not against redevelopment, but it’s the scale and scope of what is being proposed, that is what concerns me.

“We’re not a resistance movement, we’re not going to be glueing ourselves to the bloody building and all that, we’re just ordinary citizens who feel concerned about what is being imposed on us.

“We’re only a little town in the leafy suburbs and we feel that putting in 990 flats across 15 tower blocks is an overdevelopment for this area. We’re not Hong Kong or Singapore.”

Steve Wehrle, who has lived in the area for 17 years, said: “There’s not enough space in schools, not enough space in doctors or dentists as it is now. If you add [more] people, where are they going to register?”

Fellow local and campaigner Karen Dungate added: “This housing is not suitable for families. You tell me what families will want to live in 20-storey, high density flats with no outdoor space.

“And if I’m a young professional and I was to be working in the city, I would probably want to be closer to the city. This is suburbia.”

Developers Areli Real Estate said it undertook “extensive consultation with the local community” and delivered 41,000 leaflets to residents.

It added the development would bring 2,500 jobs in construction, and estimated new residents would spend up to £13m per year in the area, boosting the local economy.

A spokesperson for Areli said: “The plans will address the challenges facing UK high streets and will ensure that Orpington has a vibrant and sustainable town centre for future generations.

“The proposals will provide smaller flexible retail units specifically designed for local and independent retailers and will see the creation of up to 990 new homes, providing a sustainable town-centre community which will support new and existing town centre businesses.

“There will also be significant new public facilities with a new state-of-the-art leisure centre and a purpose-built new Saxon Day Centre, with significant improvements to public realm including Orpington Square, which will become a hub for markets, events and performances.”

A Bromley council spokesperson said: “The council has received a planning application for the redevelopment of The Walnuts Shopping Centre, which includes proposals for a new modern, purpose-built leisure centre that would be used by local residents.

“The application has recently been uploaded to the planning portal, meaning formal consultation as part of the planning process has now begun and feedback and responses to this consultation is welcome.”