Update from the AGM

Thank you to everyone who came to our AGM. After another scorching day, we do understand that sitting in a hall for an hour or two in the evening was a big thing to ask! But as always, it was interesting, useful – and sociable. If you couldn’t make it, we’re sorry we missed you. These are some things we talked about.

Police and crime

Acting Sergeant Justin Hulf explained that some of the priorities for the neighbourhood police are retail crime, vehicle crime and antisocial behaviour. He listened to people’s concerns about electric bikes/scooters in the parks and on the commons and said the best thing to do is call it in: dial 101 if it’s not an emergency and 999 if it is. If there is a local officer nearby then they will be able to deal with it as soon as possible. If not, it’s still a useful data point to share with the City of London who maintain the commons.

Remember, if a crime is happening (and the electric bike issue is classed as antisocial behaviour) it can’t be tackled if there’s no record of it. Even if the police can’t get there immediately, the more data they have about a problem, the easier it is to work out where to place resources in the future.

Updates from the Councillors

Councillor Alexa Michael shared some updates.

Roads and transport

The council are still looking at updating the yellow lines in Layhams Road.
The borough now has a £16million budget to spend on Bromley’s roads and pavements over the next 4 years. This will go towards resurfacing and maintenance, including fixing potholes. They are also experimenting with new, more durable materials.
If there are bad potholes near you, it’s useful to report them on Fix My Street. Just like reporting antisocial behaviour, if there’s no record of an issue, it can’t be fixed. Add photos and the location. If you have a smartphone this is easy to do, if not, ask a friendly neighbour.
The councillors are aware that multiple driving instructors are holding lessons in the car park at the rec. While everyone understands the need for places to learn, too many cars at once causes problems. Alexa is going to raise this with DVLA (again!)

Housing

The council has a target of building 774 homes a year. The Mayor of London is working out a new figure for the borough. (If you are interested the council’s housing trajectory, it was last updated in October 2025, and the document is available to view online. It includes data on the shortfall in new homes built since 2019/20).
There was some discussion for and against the development of new properties on Hayes Farm. While everyone acknowledged the importance of preserving our green spaces and the greenbelt, there was also agreement that new homes do need to be built. At the moment, many people believe that the properties being proposed (including 3-5 bedroom houses) will not meet the needs of people in the borough who are struggling to get on the housing ladder.
The application for the new development is likely to be submitted by the end of the year. Once it’s been through the usual procedures it will be available on the Bromley Council website for comment. If you have comments either positive or negative it’s important that you respond to the application. (We’ll share more news when this happens)

Wildlife friendly verges

There was some discussion about the wildlife friendly verges in Coney Hall. While lots of people love them for the wildlife diversity, some people believe it encourages litter or looks untidy. The discussion is ongoing.

Discussion about the future of the newsletters and meetings

The printed newsletter

The feedback on the printed newsletters was overwhelmingly positive. As we still need help with managing the advertising, we will take a view on the next issue at the end of the summer. If we believe we have the resources to get the advertising booked in and the issue written, designed, printed and delivered, we will go ahead. If we don’t, we’ll take a view on what next. If you can help with the advertising admin, then please do let us know.

The website

Again, feedback on the website was positive. There was a general acknowledgment that the more people put into it, the more people will get out of it. So if you have news, you’re planning an event or you would like to write something for a local organisation you’re working with, please get in touch! We can help you, but if we don’t know about it, we can’t share it.

The meetings

The feedback on the meetings was also positive, however, there was an acknowledgment that attendance has been falling for quite some time, and we are failing to attract younger people. Dennis (our previous chairman) asked wether the RA itself had any relevance to the younger generation. Among the attendees there were many who felt we still have a valuable role to play.

It was suggested that we try online version of the meeting, and/or move to one meeting a year. The committee will discuss this together and decide what next. If you didn’t manage to attend and you have opinions on this, feel free to let us know.

We do understand there is no single solution that will work for everyone. We acknowledge that parents may find it hard to attend if they need a baby sitter, people with hearing difficulties who attend in person may find it hard due to the lack of a hearing loop or PA at the hall, and people who struggle with technology may find it hard to attend a meeting online. Whatever we decide, we will do what we can to accommodate as many people as we can – but please remember we are a small, unfunded volunteer group.

General discussion

There was a discussion about street WhatsApp groups. Some streets have them and some don’t. We’ll write a separate post about that in the coming days.

There was also a plea to water our street trees – the new ones that were planted last year. Please do pop out and water them if you can. The more they grow, the cooler they will keep our streets and the nicer it’ll be for you, your family and everyone else.

Tribute to John Stone

Dennis Moor led a tribute to John Stone who sadly died recently. He was CHVRA’s chairman for many years and will be missed in the community.

Thanks again to everyone who attended, and for the messages from the people who could not attend.