Bromley moves to refuse 350-home Green Belt plan: what residents need to know

Bromley Council has moved to refuse planning permission for a 350-home development on Green Belt land south of Burrfield Drive in St Mary Cray, saying the proposal conflicts with local planning policy.

The council has issued a resolution to refuse the application as part of the planning process. The case has now been referred to the Mayor of London and the Secretary of State, who both have powers to intervene before Bromley can issue its final decision.

The site has drawn attention because of the scale of the proposed housing and its location on designated Green Belt land. For residents around Burrfield Drive and St Mary Cray, the next stage will determine whether the council’s refusal position stands or whether the application is called in or otherwise reviewed by higher authorities.

350 homes proposed south of Burrfield Drive

The application concerns land south of Burrfield Drive, with plans for 350 dwellings on a site protected as Green Belt. Bromley Council said the development was considered inappropriate under its planning policy because of the land’s protected status.

Green Belt policy is designed to limit urban sprawl, preserve the openness of land around built-up areas and prevent neighbouring settlements from merging. Housing on such land can still be proposed, but applicants normally have to show exceptional circumstances and address strict planning tests.

In this case, the council’s position is that the scheme is unsuitable for the site. Councillor Yvonne Bear, Bromley’s Executive Councillor for Renewal, Recreation and Housing, said the proposed development was “completely inappropriate” for what she described as the borough’s cherished Green Belt land.

The council said it would continue to oppose unsuitable Green Belt developments through the planning process.

Why the decision was made under delegated powers

The resolution to refuse was issued under delegated powers rather than through the usual Development Control Committee process.

According to the council, that happened after the applicant declined to agree to a further extension of time that would have allowed the application to be determined at the next available committee meeting.

Delegated decisions allow certain planning matters to be handled by officers or authorised council processes without waiting for a committee vote. In this case, the council has used that route to record its intention to refuse the scheme while keeping the application within the required timetable.

The move does not mean the wider planning process has finished. It confirms Bromley’s formal position at this stage and triggers the next layer of scrutiny because of the scale and nature of the proposed development.

Residents now wait for London and national scrutiny

The application has been referred to the Mayor of London and the Secretary of State. Both can intervene in certain planning cases, including major housing proposals or developments that raise wider policy issues.

That means Bromley cannot simply issue the final refusal immediately. The Mayor of London may consider whether the application has strategic planning implications for the capital, while the Secretary of State can decide whether the case should be called in for central government determination.

For local residents, the practical effect is that the council’s refusal position is clear, but the final outcome is not yet sealed. The coming weeks will show whether the decision remains with Bromley or moves into a wider planning process.

The case also sits within a broader debate about housing need, protected land and local plan-making across England. In Bromley, similar questions about housing growth and development have also appeared in other local planning decisions, including the Civic Centre housing approval.

The next formal step for the application

Bromley Council said that after the referral stage is complete, it expects to be able to issue a decision in the coming weeks.

Until then, the resolution to refuse is the council’s stated planning position rather than the final notice. The key question is whether the Mayor of London or the Secretary of State chooses to take further action before Bromley completes the decision.

If neither authority intervenes, the council would be able to proceed with issuing its refusal. If there is intervention, the application could face a different timetable and a more complex decision route beyond the borough.

Source: Bromley Council