The Orpington 1st Magazine Spring 2022

The

Magazine

Spring edition 2022 IN THIS ISSUE • • • • •

Orpington’s Jubilee Celebrations A buzz about Bromley Children’s Business Fair Orpington Literary Festival Santa Dash in pictures

www.orpington1st.co.uk • 01689 829 527

Orpington 1st invites you to celebrate The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee 2022 #HM70 #PlatinumJubilee #Orpington

In 2022, Her Majesty The Queen marks her Platinum Jubilee after 70 years of service.

Orpingtonians will be joining citizens across the UK, Commonwealth and beyond in celebrating Her Majesty’s historic reign.

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HIS will be the first time a British monarch has marked a Platinum Jubilee, 70 years as Sovereign. In September 2015, The Queen overtook Queen Victoria as the longest reigning monarch.

The high street will be decorated in red, white, and blue ahead of the extended bank holiday weekend which runs from Thursday 2nd June to Monday 6th June.

On Thursday 2nd June join us in a transformed Market Square for a full programme of entertainment reflecting the last 70 years. Beginning with a live screening of the trooping of the colour at 10:00 am, the day will conclude with the lighting of Orpington town centre’s official Jubilee Beacon at 9:45pm and a firework display as we join the rest of the country in this momentous occasion.

Visit orpington1st.co.uk for more information

Photographs from our last royal celebration in Market Square in 2018.

The Orpington 1st Magazine • Spring 2022

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Welcome...

by Orpington 1st BID Executive Director, Sharon Baldwin

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ELCOME to the latest edition of The Orpington 1st Magazine, as we take a step into spring. With Covid restrictions now lifted the town can look forward with renewed confidence to a brighter future.

Since our last edition we hosted many of you at the Orpington Ice Rink (page 9) and saw several hundred Santas paint the town red at the Orpington Santa Dash (page 19 - you can register for this year’s event now!)

As the days get longer and warmer the business community, under the umbrella of Orpington 1st, is delighted to invite you to join our Spring and Summer events programme. Easter will bring a new town trail, alongside children’s craft activities and the Walnuts everpopular Easter Farm.

Following a successful inaugural event last year with the support of Orpington Rotary, May will see our celebration of the written and spoken word with Orpington Literary Festival. A variety of events - from storytelling to history talks, book signings to singer song writing - will be taking place in schools, businesses, Market Square and our new pop-up reading room.

In June, alongside the rest of the UK we will be celebrating the platinum jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.

15,250 copies are printed of each edition of The Orpington 1st Magazine. 14,000 are delivered to homes across Orpington with a further 1,250 available to pick up at locations across the town centre.

The magazine is also available to read online, sent to a subscriber base of 6,000, and promoted to a combined social media following of over 12,000.

Orpington 1st Business Improvement District 01689 829 527 www.orpington1st.co.uk info@orpington1st.co.uk

Orpington1st If you would like to advertise in the next edition please contact us.

What’s the buzz?

Find out on page 28.

The high street will be decked with red, white, and blue, and the square will host a community street party on the first day of the extended holiday weekend.

As well as a screen showing live coverage of formal celebrations, we will also have a full programme of performances that reflect the last 70 years. The evening will conclude with the lighting of Orpington town centre’s own official Jubilee Beacon as we join the rest of the country in this momentous occasion.

Contents 3 6 9 10 13 14 15 19 28 30 32 36 38

Orpington’s Jubilee Celebrations Introducing Orpington Market Place Future Entrepreneurs Orpington Ice Rink Support for Bromley Homeless Breakfast offer at the Mini Greek Meze Your GP Orpington Santa Dash A Buzz about Bromley Policing Matters Orpington 1st on future High Streets Gareth Bacon Orpington Literary Festival The Orpington 1st Magazine • Spring 2022

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Introducing Orpington Market Place: Redevelopment of dated building signals new opportunity for ex-army entrepreneurs

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AVING been purchased by Aklam Group, the much-needed redevelopment of the outmoded eyesore at 208 – 212 High Street is expected to begin within months. Along with forty new, quality homes, the new building will provide a modern retail unit appealing to a significantly improved commercial offering.

Indeed, a forward thinking and creative commercial tenant for the ground floor has already been attracted.

From the team that delivered Orpington GPO, an exciting new concept is on its way to the high street. Orpington Market Place (OMP) will be home to a collective of business owners with a shared passion for sustainable, quality, British produce.

First and foremost, OMP is an indoor market - but one at which you can meet, sit, eat and drink. A Café/ delicatessen headed up GPO Head Chef, Rob Theron, will complement a selection of independent retailers, each running their own business from the marketplace, with a mixture of seating creating a community culture centred around food and drink.

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The Orpington 1st Magazine • Spring 2022

OMP will include a mix of seating and a selection of independent retailers selling quality, fresh, local produce

community based casual dining Following a great first eighteen months for the restaurant and bar, Orpington GPO owners Tom Walker and Sam Westlake seized the opportunity to invest further in the high street and bring an innovative new retail experience to a key location in the town centre - a central position, sandwiched between two successful hospitality businesses. OMP will have an emphasis on fresh produce, with a range of street food options.

Sam Westlake, said, “The concept is geared towards a continental market experience, where you can enjoy everything from patisserie to an artisan sandwich, over a nice cup of coffee, surrounded by buzzing market stalls.”

It’s a concept that embraces the trend towards experience-based shopping, mindful of the idea that a mix of different uses, opportunities for homegrown independents, along with quality new homes, will retain the vitality of high streets as they evolve.

Tom Walker explained that the core principles of buying local, and buying well, are integral from inception to delivery.

“We’re looking to work with likeminded people who share our core values - quality produce, community first, experience driven, and we’d welcome a conversation with people who would like to be a part of this.”

A 2024 launch is anticipated.

Top left: A CGI of the OMP shop front Bottom left: A CGI showing the new building sitting between Pato Lounge and Orpington GPO

The Orpington 1st Magazine • Spring 2022

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At ODEON Orpington now 8

The Orpington 1st Magazine • Spring 2022

Look to the future: Orpington Children’s Business Fair On Saturday 26 March 2022, young entrepreneurs aged 7–17 will be launching businesses and making their own money at the Orpington Children’s Business Fair (CBF), supported by Orpington 1st.

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ELLING everything from brownies to bookmarks, soaps to scented candles, and Easter gifts to keyrings and coasters – the youngsters will have planned their business, created their brand, built a marketing strategy and manufactured their products, ready to sell to customers at this one-day marketplace.

Founded in 2018 by former media executive, Sam Rogerson, the CBF is on a mission to help the next generation discover a calling and change the world through entrepreneurship. Throughout the day, the children are responsible for setup, sales and customer interaction - and making their own money.

Parents and adults are actively discouraged from getting involved!

The first Orpington CBF event builds on the incredible success of the Guildford Children’s Business Fair

which, since 2018, has seen more than 500 local young entrepreneurs launch more than 280 businesses.

The great majority of these young entrepreneurs made hundreds in revenue with many converting their takings into jaw-dropping profit margins.

Sam Rogerson, CBF Founder, said, “We know that through authentic hands-on learning and real-world problem solving, the next generation will quickly acquire a set of skills critical for life both in school and beyond.”

Lee Lam, founder of the UK Start Up Partner who is leading on the Orpington CBF, added, “Having judged Surrey, I know what great potential there is among the next generation of entrepreneurs, and it’s already clear that that’s the case in Orpington. I’m really excited to bring CBF to Orpington in a first for Greater London.”

The Orpington 1st Magazine • Spring 2022

Meet Orpington’s vibrant community of young entrepreneurs at the Orpington Children’s Business Fair: 10am–3pm Saturday 26 March 2022 Hope Community Hub The Walnuts

childrensbusinessfair.co.uk @childrenbusinessfairuk @childrenbusinessfairuk 9

Family fun at the Throughout December, hundreds of local families enjoyed free skating at the Orpington Ice Rink in another first for Orpington.

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AVING grown ‘Light Up Orpington’ to be the biggest Christmas event in the borough, preparation begins months in advance, meaning that Orpington 1st took the decision not to go ahead with the 2021 event early in the year when the situation with covid was uncertain.

Instead, Orpington’s business community offered almost 6,000 free places on the Orpington Ice Rink to residents, launching on the weekend of the Orpington Santa Dash and running to the 2nd January.

In partnership with the Walnuts Leisure Centre, and supported by the Walnuts Shopping Centre, an open-air rink with 125 square metres of Super-Glide skating surface provided an environmentally friendly alternative to real ice.

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The Orpington 1st Magazine • Spring 2022

Orpington Ice Rink Special slots were given to local community groups, schools, theatre clubs, and church youth groups, with youngsters’ skate aids and a skate chair for less able skaters available on request.

Located on the terrace of The Walnuts Leisure, the rink also provided the venue for an evening of Christmas Carols led

by Churches Together Orpington, and a fourteen strong rink team meant part-time jobs for young adults over the festive period.

Orpington 1st Executive Director, Sharon Baldwin, said, “It’s been great to welcome so many smiling faces to the town centre through the festive period. The Orpington Ice Rink is one in a long line of events organised

by Orpington businesses, and we would like to thank residents for their continued support.”

The Orpington 1st Magazine • Spring 2022

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Orpington 1st BID Manager Chris Travers presenting Bromley Homeless Vice Chair Angela Short with a £1,000 donation.

Orpington support for Bromley Homeless Throughout autumn and winter, Orpington Library collected residents’ donations in exchange for copies of the Orpington 1st Calendar, raising £1,000 for Bromley Homeless.

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HE calendar features photos from town centre events alongside selected entries from the Orpington Photography Competition, which invited residents to submit photos taken anywhere in a BR5 or BR6 location.

Copies were available from Orpington library in exchange for a donation to the charity which works across the London Borough of Bromley.

Bromley Homeless formed from two charities which had for years worked very closely together.

Bromley Churches Housing Action (LATCH) and the Bromley Homeless

Some of those begging on the street can be victims of exploitation by criminal gangs who drop them in locations across London, meaning money given to them is not going to them.

Shelter merged operationally on 1st April 2021, to provide advice, advocacy and support to anyone who is homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

As well as providing a winter night shelter in Bromley town, and raising awareness of issues surrounding homelessness, Bromley Homeless runs a year-round advice service for rough sleepers and the vulnerably housed, collaborating with other agencies to offer medical, mental health and other support.

Julia Poulter, chair of the trustees of Bromley Homeless, said, “We’d like to thank Orpington 1st and all the residents who donated for their support and generosity.Donations are critical for us to continue our work at the heart of the community.

Your much needed donations allow us to provide a year round service to those in need. To be there when they feel no one else is and To provide the advice and support they need to move to safe secure accommodation and to make that a home.”

If you are concerned about someone sleeping rough, send an alert to StreetLink by visiting streetlink.org.uk, via the mobile app for Apple and Android devices, or by calling 0300 500 0914.

Orpington 1st BID Manager Chris Travers, said, “We’re pleased to get this money to Bromley Homeless who do such important work. Orpingtonians have great generosity of spirit and we want to encourage support for those most in need through the most effective route.”

An Orpington based Homeless Outreach Service running from Orpington Baptist Church will recommence at the end of March.

For more information • bromleyhomeless.org • info@bromleyhomeless.org • 020 8460 0042 The Orpington 1st Magazine • Spring 2022

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The Orpington 1st Magazine • Spring 2022

Your GP practice remains open

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VEN if you feel well, it is really important you are registered with a GP.

GP practices are open and will get you the right care close to home.

Consultations are being provided in a range of ways to help meet the needs of all patients including: online, such as eConsult, telephone, video, face to face.

If you are not using eConsult yet, speak to your practice to get started. You can then go online to

book or cancel appointments, order repeat prescriptions, and look at your records.

Your GP practice team includes a great team of professionals who are all there to look after you. The team varies from practice to practice, but can include doctors, nurses, reception staff, physician associates, social prescribers, physiotherapist, and pharmacists. Your doctor may also refer you to speak to a high street pharmacist when appropriate.

Remember, before contacting your GP Practice, please consider: • Could I treat my condition at home using self-care remedies?

• Could I speak to my local pharmacist to get advice?

• Have I checked my symptoms on NHS 111 online at www.111.nhs.uk

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OVID-19 has not gone away, so please do have your vaccination if you need it.

First, second and booster doses are all still available and the vaccines are safe and effective, with over 10billion doses given worldwide. They provide a very high degree of protection from serious disease.

There is now good evidence that being vaccinated provides additional protection to those who have had a prior infection from being infected again.

Find out more at www.nhsselvax.com

Don’t miss your COVID-19 vaccination The Orpington 1st Magazine • Spring 2022

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Your waste is Your responsibility Help us stop fly-tipping and keep your area clean

Illegal n g ca n i p m u d a result in

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£400pot

on-the-s fine!

To report fly-tipping visit bromley.gov.uk/envirocrime 16

The Orpington 1st Magazine • Spring 2022

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www.mytimeactive.co.uk The Orpington 1st Magazine • Spring 2022

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Family fun, fitness and festive spirit – the Orpington Santa Dash returns On Sunday 5th December a sea of Santas descended on Orpington town centre for the annual Orpington Santa Dash, organised by Orpington 1st Business Improvement District (BID).

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Family fun, fitness & festive spirit with the

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ollowing a break in 2020 due to covid, the festive fun run saw hundreds of residents, including a few four-legged friends, don their Santa suits and paint the town red, with dashers of all ages from across Orpington and beyond ranging from first time runners to fitness fanatics.

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The Orpington 1st Magazine • Spring 2022

Orpington Santa Dash Festivities began in Orpington’s Priory Gardens as Dashers gathered for a mass warm up led by The Fitness Link.

A 2-kilometre course led Santas around the gardens and on to the high street – cheered on by elves - before crossing the finishing line in Market Square to the sound of seasonal hits. All participants received a souvenir medal handed out by volunteers from Orpington Rotary.

Sign up for this year’s Dash!

The Orpington 1st Magazine • Spring 2022

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The Orpington 1st Magazine • Spring 2022

Orpington Santa Dash 2021 Orpington 1st BID Manager Chris Travers said, “On behalf of the town centre business community I’d like to say a big thank you to all our dashers. A drizzly start to the day did little to dampen festive spirit and there’s been a brilliant atmosphere.

It’s great to see so many Santas using local businesses throughout the day, too.”

Sugar rush: Taqi of Mr Simms Sweet Shop Orpington crossing the line in good time The Orpington 1st Magazine • Spring 2022

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BR6 RESTAURANT & BAKEHOUSE ORPINGTON’S BEST KEPT SECRET IS BACK! Join us once again for breakfast, light lunches, gourmet dinners, evening drinks and special events throughout the year.

BR6 Restaurant Tuesday - Friday | 11.30am - 2.30pm Thursday | 6pm - 9pm Search BR6 Restaurant on:

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BR6 Bakehouse Tuesday - Friday | 9am - 3pm Thursday | 5pm - 7pm Sign up to CLUB BR6 and be kept up to date with the latest.

Orpington 1st Magazine • Spring 2022 BR6.Restaurant.co.uk The | 020 3954 5007 | BR6.Bookings@LSEC.ac.uk

VIEW FROM THE HIGH STREET

(Indicative view)

Your questions answered In December 2021, we submitted our exciting plans for The Walnuts Quarter, which will provide a vibrant and sustainable new town centre for the whole of Orpington.

This is the biggest investment ever proposed in Orpington Town Centre and it’s vitally important that our neighbours get the facts regarding our submitted plans and that we answer fully any questions that you may have about our plans.

We have therefore prepared the following which we hope helps the community consider the application with the right and correct information.

‘Has Areli spoken to the community about these proposals?’

‘Will there be enough GP and school places to accommodate all the new residents?’

Areli has undertaken the largest public consultation exercise ever in the Borough.

This included:

• The project will contribute approx. £8.5 million in Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) payments to spend specifically on improving local infrastructure capacity including GP’s, hospitals, and schools.

• 8 days of public consultation events and over 120 hours spent in consultation (events, webinars, roadshows, and stakeholder meetings).

• 2,500 local people attending either a consultation event or a webinar.

• Over 1,300 pieces of feedback.

• Invitations to 41,000 households to take part in our consultation.

• That figure is calculated as part of Bromley Council’s CIL policy which requires the money to be spent on “the provision, investment, replacement, operation or maintenance of infrastructure to support the development of its area.”

• A further approx. £5.5 million is created by the project as part of the Mayoral CIL which is used to improve public transport, policing etc.

The Orpington 1st Magazine • Spring 2022

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The Orpington 1st Magazine • Spring 2022

2.

‘Isn’t the new leisure centre going to have fewer facilities and a smaller pool?’

• The new leisure centre will provide and improve all of the facilities that are offered in the current leisure centre and make those facilities more flexible and adaptable to changing trends.

• For example, the three squash courts will be capable of being combined into one space that can be used for a host of other activities.

• The new leisure centre pool is indeed smaller in length, but that is because the current pool is an imperial size and therefore cannot be used for competitions.

• The new pool is 25m as per the latest guidance by Sport England for all new competition pools.

• The new pool will provide 2 additional lanes increasing from the existing 6 to 8.

• The new state of the art leisure centre will be more economically and environmentally efficient and will generate an income for Bromley Council.

‘Are the homes you build going to be affordable?’

• There will be a minimum of 200 affordable homes in the proposals.

• These 200 affordable homes will be a mix of social rent and shared ownership.

• The balance will be homes specifically targeting younger local buyers and also homes for last time buyers.

• Young professionals during the consultation phase suggested there was a lack of housing available for them to stay in the area in which they grew up.

• The average prices for these new homes will be well below the average house prices in Orpington.

‘Aren’t the proposals going to reduce the number of car parking spaces?

What about all the new residents?’

• No, there is an increase in parking spaces from 525 currently to 647 in the proposals (300 for shoppers, 347 for residential).

• The existing multi-storey car park in the centre will remain.

• The number of car parking spaces balances the policies of Bromley Council and the Greater London Authority and seeks to encourage the use of sustainable modes of transport.

• The Walnuts Shopping Centre is very well served by local transport links and is an approximate 15-minute walk to Orpington Station.

‘Aren’t all the big retailers leaving The Walnuts?’

• Nationally, the high street is changing, and The Walnuts Shopping Centre can no longer attract the ‘big’ retailers i.e. Marks and Spencer, Waitrose etc.

• In response to these changes, we are proposing smaller shops to make retail units more varied, more local, and therefore more appealing and affordable, particularly to local and independent traders and businesses.

• At the moment, there are 28 shops, the new proposals have 47 shops.

• Regardless of the above, if any ‘big name’ retailers do wish to come to The Walnuts Quarter once completed, they are welcome to do so.

• •

‘Will these new homes go to local people first?’

•

• The Walnuts Quarter will give priority to local people, be that both commercial and residential space.

•

• We are happy to reiterate our previous commitment to a ‘locals first’ housing policy.

•

•

LYCH GATE ROAD

(Indicative view)

‘Are you closing the Saxon Day Centre?’

• Absolutely not. The Saxon Day Centre is a key community facility and will remain open throughout.

• The operators of the current Saxon Day Centre and Bromley Council have collaboratively designed the new Saxon Day Centre.

The Orpington 1st Magazine • Spring 2022 VIEW FROM DRYDEN WAY

(Indicative view)

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The only way is Orpington – Zeenat and Darren from Bromley Buzz enjoying a trip to one of their favourite establishments.

“I wanted to share the Priory Live Festival, and thought, ‘We could all use a good time at a festival and a podcast can help people hear about it’. So that became our very first topic. Since then, we have been talking about our recent ‘buzzes’, the community, news, what’s on, and anything that comes to mind.”

Darren and Zeenat have notched up sixty interviews so far, ranging from a 7-year-old girl from Orpington Football Club to Strictly Come Dancing star Kevin Clifton.

They were recently joined by Gareth Bacon MP and are already looking forward to attending Priory Live 2022 this August.

“Orpington features a lot, of course! We have recorded an

There’s a new Buzz about Bromley

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NEW, weekly, Bromley Borough-focussed podcast is helping to share good tidings of positive people and fabulous things in Orpington.

Launched on 4th August 2021, Bromley Buzz is co-presented by long-term Orpington resident Darren Weale of In Tune PR, together with Bromley resident Zeenat Noorani, a mental health and wellbeing coach.

The popularity of podcasts continues to rise. Edison Research found that 59% of the UK population over 16 have listened to at least one

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podcast, with 4/10 now said to be listening to them regularly. Topics covered across the hundreds of thousands of shows include pretty much everything you can imagine - but the Buzz team noticed a gap for chat which centres on our London borough.

Darren explained, “I’d been involved with local projects with Bromley Rotary Clubs and some local events. I realised it can be very hard to get local good stories and events known about as there isn’t much borough-wide media currently.

The Orpington 1st Magazine • Spring 2022

episode in the private dining room at the Orpington Restaurant & Record Store and we even dressed up to join in the Orpington Santa Dash, interviewing organisers Orpington 1st and others involved, including the elves, for episode 18.

Anyone who is interested in hearing about what’s going on in our community should tune in.”

You can listen to Bromley Buzz at https://bromleybuzz.podbean. com as well as via Apple, Spotify, Audible, and Tune In. You can also find them on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

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‘Are you closing the Leisure Centre?’

• The construction of the new leisure centre will mean that the current leisure will need to close temporarily to facilitate the new development.

• We are already working with Bromley Council and the operator of the current leisure centre to ensure that the other leisure centres in the borough are available during this period.

• At nearly 50 years old the leisure centre will have to be refurbished soon, which is highly likely to need a period of closure for this refurbishment. It is the most efficient time and setting to do this with the redevelopment of The Walnuts Shopping Centre.

‘Will the proposals create more jobs and shops than the current shopping centre?’

‘Will the new residents spend money in the town centre?’

• The new residents will spend approx. £125 per week in the new town centre, as calculated in accordance with national industry standard methods.

• This includes spending money on leisure, household groceries and other expenditure.

• This creates a total, much-needed new spend in Orpington of approx. £13 million per year.

• In turn, this increase in spending will help attract and sustain new retailers and other operators to the town.

‘Won’t the development be environmentally harmful?’

• No, quite the opposite.

• Yes, the new proposals will create more shops and more jobs.

• The current Walnuts Shopping Centre was built in the 1970s and is no longer environmentally sustainable.

• 600 total jobs including approx. 290–340 new permanent jobs.

• It is an efficient use of land to build homes on this site as it helps the shortage of homes in the area and the new homes will be built to the highest environmental standards.

• Between 2,500 and 2,800 new construction jobs will be created, and we are committed to local training and employment programmes.

AL FRESCO DINING SPACE IN THE WALNUTS QUARTER

• The Walnuts Quarter will significantly exceed the latest stringent London Plan environmental design standards and will be Orpington’s most sustainable development.

(Indicative view)

THE WALNUTS QUARTER MARKET SQUARE

THE ENTRANCE TO THE NEW ORPINGTON MARKET

(Indicative view)

(Indicative view)

E: consultation@thewalnutsorpington.co.uk / 1st T: Magazine 020 3866 46962022 / W: www.thewalnutsorpington.co.uk The Orpington • Spring 29

PCs Goode, Wolfe, and Donovan visiting Mark at The Walnut Cobblers to discuss Cyber Crime

Policing Matters

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HOPE you are well. Here is an update on some of the work your local Orpington Safer Neighbourhoods Team have been involved in over the winter.

In November, your Orpington Safer Neighbourhood Team conducted a joint operation with the Met’s Roads and Transport Policing Command. These operations utilise Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology and are designed to target specifically criminals that make use of the road network to facilitate their crimes.

These operations often feed our intelligence picture which supports future police activity. A total of 92 vehicles were stopped by police, resulting in 52 people reported for traffic offences, 6 vehicle seizures, an arrest of a person found driving while under the influence of drugs, a further 2 positive searches for drugs and 11 drivers reported for speeding offences.

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A column by Sergeant Alex Farmer

Early in the New Year, acting directly upon intelligence passed to us from the local community, the team worked alongside Cray Valley East and West Safer Neighbourhood Teams in executing a drugs warrant in Stowe Road. Illegal drugs were seized from the premises and two people find themselves currently under investigation for cultivation of cannabis and possession of an offensive weapon. As I have said previously, illegal drugs have a significant detrimental impact upon our community and often target those most vulnerable as end users. We rely on information passed to us to keep our community safe, so if you see or hear anything suspicious, please tell us!

You have my assurance that we will listen, and act.

The Orpington 1st Magazine • Spring 2022

In January, a proactive operation was put in place on Orpington High Street with officers patrolling in both uniform and plain clothes. This was in direct response to incidences of anti-social behaviour in the high street as well as Priory Gardens.

While on patrol, officers sought to speak with a male acting suspiciously; the suspect ran from police and was pursued on foot. The male was caught moments later and found in possession of a large Rambo knife.

The Male was arrested for possession of an offensive weapon and has since been charged. These operations will continue in the coming months, so that we maintain a regular presence

in the high street, and create a hostile environment for those who wish to engage in ASB and criminality.

Unfortunately we have seen a number of theft of catalytic converters committed across the ward. This concerning picture appears to be replicated not just across London, but nationally. In response to this crime trend, your local policing team carry out regular patrols in hotspot areas.

We also offer bespoke crime prevention advice to victims, and are regularly posting further advice on social media, to increase awareness of the issue and protect residents.

The team will be receiving training shortly in the marking of catalytic converters to deter criminals and make them easier to trace/identify.

We will be holding events locally and I would encourage you come along to have your vehicle marked/ registered. It’s worth mentioning that we see certain vehicle

manufactures being targeted more so than others, namely Honda and Toyota vehicles, specifically hybrid models of the Jazz, Auris and Prius.

In other news, in January the team were in Orpington High Street offering advice and support to local businesses around preventing online cyber-crime, in partnership with the Digital Security Centre.

We have also had complaints regarding the use of e-scooters in pedestrianised zones. I am working with the team to coordinate a policing response to tackle this.

I think that’s about it for now, I wish you well as we look forward to warmer weather.

Please do say hi and feel free to approach us for a chat as the team and I patrol the ward.

Thank you for your continued support and stay safe.

Alex

Orpington SNT

) 020 8721 2729 t @MPSOrpington * SNMailbox.OrpingtonSNT@ met.police.uk

Petts Wood & Knoll SNT

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For crime prevention advice visit www.met.police.uk/ crimeprevention To report a crime call 101 or visit www.met.police.uk.

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BEST PRICES PAID IN ORPINGTON 31

Future Town Centres

O

RPINGTON is a great place to live, work and visit. A town with a great history that deserves a great future.

Our business community, the community which makes it a major town centre, has shown that it’s flexible, inclusive, and socially responsible - notably seed funding the town’s Covid Mutual Aid Group through Orpington 1st, with many businesses showing tremendous support individually.

We understand the importance of the business and resident communities working together.

Orpington businesses demonstrated their commitment to the town in establishing the first Business

Improvement District (BID) in the borough back in 2013. The BID continues to invest in the delivery of a wide range of projects aiming to improve the physical, social, and economic wellbeing of the town. But doing so with outdated premises and infrastructure is increasingly challenging.

Orpington high street has a thriving hospitality sector, excellent professional services and gyms, a strong personal care sector, retailers delivering first class customer service, and the offices of some truly innovative and forward-thinking businesses. Our vacancy rate sits at around 9%, comparing favourably with the Greater London Average of 11% and the GB average of 14%.

Retail premises vacancy rates 15% 10% 5% 0% Orpington

Greater London

Great Britain

Source: Local Data Company

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The Orpington 1st Magazine • Spring 2022

It is not home to all of our favourite brands; the combination of a lack of suitable and modern premises and an acceleration in online shopping mean that this is the case in high streets across the country. More than 17,000 chain store outlets closed across Britain last year, an average of 47 stores shutting every day, with fashion stores seeing the most closures. It is widely acknowledged that we have an oversupply of retail floorspace, and some reimagining is required.

Orpington is a major town centre in the London Borough of Bromley, and we should celebrate being part of one of the greatest cities in the world, with one eye south to the Garden of England: the London/Kent Gateway.

London is diverse – demographically, geographically, economically. As part of it we can carve our own, unique identity, build on our strengths, focusing on visitor experience, and encouraging independents and entrepreneurs. Capitalising on our enviable location we can protect our green belt, building quality new homes in the heart of the town centre to sustain vitality, whilst retaining low rise suburbia in the areas which surround it.

Businesses have had to be resilient and adaptable in responding to changes in customer behaviour, changes which have resulted in many people deciding to shop online but still expecting a variety of options locally. The current Walnuts Shopping Centre has long been a challenge to attracting a wider range of tenants and a broader demographic of residents. It is no longer fit for purpose with much of its footprint redundant as unusable back of house.

Businesses deserve better. A better environment in which to work, a better quality of affordable and flexible premises, better connectivity with the wider town centre.

We understand the need for significant inward investment at the heart of the town, and the

Chains are closing stores faster than they open new ones GB Chain store openings and closures, 2014-2021 20,000 15,000 10,000

Closures Openings

5,000 0 -5,000

Net change

-10,000 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Multiple retailers/chains with more than five outlets

Source: PwC data compiled by Local Data Company for 2021 across Great Britain

Orpington’s businesses have indicated strong support for proposals to regenerate The Walnuts, notwithstanding concerns surrounding disruption during construction. opportunity that it would provide.

Bromley’s Regeneration Strategy, which the Council adopted in 2020, sets out Orpington as a priority area, “enabling the development of the Walnuts site and ensuring inclusion of high-quality community facilities’ It states, “The large leisure centre complex, and the potential for the new owner of the shopping centre to develop the site, creates significant regeneration opportunities. There is strong potential to bring forward housing to support the development of new state of the art leisure provision and improve the public realm.”

And as clearly described, “A ‘cohesive plan for the redevelopment of the Walnuts’ site will act as a catalyst for the regeneration of the wider town centre and stimulate the wider local economy.”

These statements are welcomed, and the opportunity of significant investment is timely.

Any additional services required by an increase in population will need to be assessed by those bodies responsible for delivery.

The developer is required to make a significant contribution through the Community Infrastructure Levy and the ringfencing of this funding for Orpington should be a focus for discussion with our elected representatives.

The Walnuts car park, which is never at capacity, will remain open throughout building works.

Where practical, a step towards more active and sustainable travel is a positive one, and the scheme makes provision for that whilst also including some resident car parking.

Continued lobbying for appropriate investment in public transport remains a priority.

The commitment to continuity of service for the Saxon Day Centre with a new, purpose-built facility, is welcome. The Walnuts Leisure Centre is an important public service but at fifty years old it is increasingly difficult and costly to maintain, and it will be required to close for major works at some point in the near future. A full rebuild would extend the period of closure but provide an efficient, high-quality centre, fully integrated into the town.

The Orpington 1st Magazine • Spring 2022

Living in a town centre is an appealing prospect to an increasing number of people.

Attracting a broader demographic of residents to live within the town centre, all contributing to our local economy and patronising local businesses, is essential.

The Council’s decision-making time frame has recently been extended, with Areli’s agreement, to July 31st, allowing for more detailed consideration. This development is important to all communities and robust and meaningful dialogue must be conducted with respect for differing opinions, and an understanding of the commercial realities.

As towns and cities across the UK look to reposition, repurpose, and rebuild to ensure viability, we have the opportunity to create a more vibrant, relevant, and modern town centre. To be creative and forward thinking and to build not just for ourselves but for the next generation, and the next.

Orpington 1st 33

Liberty’s is a local independent boutique just off the high street next to Lloyds Bank.

With Italian fashion including silks in many colours and styles this boutique has a range of clothing to suit all.

You will also find bags, jewellery, gifts, and more alongside other products from small local businesses on the shelves, which make this boutique, unique!

Lisa Clark

Owner/Manager

LIBERTY’S Beautiful clothes for every woman

54 The Walnuts Orpington 34

LibertysFashion

The Orpington 1st Magazine • Spring 2022

libertysfashionx

The Orpington 1st Magazine • Spring 2022

35

Let’s make this jubilee year a hopeful one For all the darkness Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine has brought to Europe and political turbulence at home, I am hopeful that this Jubilee year will mark the end of the pandemic and the beginning of a happier time for our nation.

I

AM aware that this may seem like a bold prediction. I am also profoundly aware of the struggle in Ukraine right now.

The brutal and illegal actions of the Kremlin have brought suffering and destruction that we hoped to never see again in Europe. Through sanctions, humanitarian support, and arming Ukrainian forces, the UK is leading global efforts to stop Putin’s war machine and back the people of Ukraine.

But at home, I believe people deserve a little good news and cause for celebration after the turbulent pandemic years. My optimism is not unfounded – the UK is the fastestgrowing economy in the G7 and we have collectively defied the worst of predictive forecasts. Employment is growing from the last quarter and we are closing in on pre-pandemic levels. Early official estimates from

36

the Office for National Statistics this month show that our Gross Domestic Product is now in line with pre-pandemic levels.

Omicron was not as troublesome as the data first suggested. I know some people were critical of the government’s decision to err on the side of caution while assessments were made, but the outcome could have gone the other way entirely.

The temporary rules introduced immediately before Christmas, including mandatory face masks and restrictions on entering nightclubs and large crowded venues, have been scrapped.

England is once again the freest country in Europe, and the Prime Minister has made it clear that the final coronavirus restriction - the legal requirement to self-isolate will end soon.

This is all possible because of the success of the NHS vaccination The Orpington 1st Magazine • Spring 2022

programme whose army of vaccinators has vanquished the virus. While Coronavirus will stay with us, and we will need to learn to live with it, with two jabs and a booster, the vast majority of people are shielded against severe illness, and our hospitals are better equipped.

Orpington owes a massive debt to all those locally involved in the vaccination effort. Across the constituency, almost 200,000 vaccines have been administered.

Nearly 90 per cent of people are fully vaccinated, and three-quarters have received their booster.

Thanks to the NHS staff, volunteers, and pharmacists involved, our businesses are open again for good and rebuilding. This is the recovery that we need to tackle the cost of living crisis.

Special mention is merited to the superb team at the Orpington Health & Wellbeing Centre, who

Surgery Details Pending police advice, surgeries are cancelled until further notice.

Please get in touch with me by email or by calling my office until my regular surgeries resume.

If you need help urgently, please call Cllr. Judith Ellis on 01689 603652.

PHOTO: ERIC RUSH

not only hosted the Prime Minister when he visited to see first-hand their efforts, but their endeavours led to meeting a milestone target of 100,000 vaccinations in January.

No government can control global gas prices or worldwide supply problems. But it can help people learn new skills to gain employment and support businesses to create better-paid jobs across the country.

That’s what I want to see happen in Orpington.

Late last year, the Department for International Trade launched its new export support service and I want to work collaboratively to help businesses here in Orpington take up the renewed initiatives available and the opportunities to develop further.

I have also been holding roundtables with businesses in the area to hear their experiences of working through COVID. One of the most frequent issues raised has been business rates reform and, going forward, I want to

for Orpington look at policy suggestions for possible changes to assist our local economic recovery.

Our regained freedom following the pandemic coincides brilliantly with Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee and the Commonwealth Games returning to the UK, in Birmingham this time.

With any luck, this summer is set to be on par with 2012 with street parties and celebrations across Orpington. It’s a welcome opportunity to bring people together after so long apart during the pandemic and will be a big boost for businesses locally.

June’s four-day bank holiday weekend in honour of Queen Elizabeth II will be a spectacular moment. She is the first monarch in our long history to reign for 70 years.

It is not only a historic occasion worth celebrating, it’s an opportunity to say thank you.

The Queen’s dedication to public duty and unwavering service to people across the UK and the Commonwealth is awe-inspiring.

And the length of her reign is simply incredible. Her reign has seen 14

Please do keep in touch in the following ways: • www.garethbacon.com • gareth.bacon.mp@parliament.uk For updates on local issues, follow Gareth on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube, and sign up to his monthly newsletter at www.garethbacon.com/sign-up

GarethBaconMP

garethbaconmp

A column by Gareth Bacon MP Prime Ministers from Winston Churchill to Boris Johnson, the Commonwealth succeed the Empire, and countless technological and social changes in between.

This summer is an opportunity to pause, celebrate and say thank you

to the one constant in our nation, Her Majesty. That’s why for all the challenges that lie ahead at home in our effort to rebuild from the pandemic, I think we should see 2022 as a year to celebrate and push forward optimistically.

In February, I had the pleasure of meeting with Orpington Football Club’s Young Leaders, a fantastic programme that gives young people leadership, coaching and paid work experience. Collectively, through the club’s Acadamy, they’ve spent over 20,000 hours coaching more than 100 of the next generation of young football players.

The Orpington 1st Magazine • Spring 2022

37

Soul Food Poetry at Pato Lounge

Orpington Literary Festival Orpington 1st are delighted that following a great inaugural event last year the Orpington Literary Festival will return for 2022.

S

TARTING on the 14th May and running for two weeks this celebration of the written and spoken word will take place across the town centre, in businesses, schools and a new pop-up reading room.

Emergency Exit Arts Recovery Poem

Little Dot’s interactive reading of The Tiger Who Came To Tea on BR6 Terrace 38

In partnership with the Rotary and Orpington library, events planned throughout the festival will include something for all tastes, ages, and interests.

A range of events will include talks from authors, book signings, creative writing courses, history talks, singersongwriter performances, and poetry readings.

For the younger audience, a fantastical themed trail will guide families around the town alongside children’s activities, story-telling and even a book character fancy dress competition.

Look out for more details over the coming weeks. For more information, or to get involved visit orpington1st. co.uk

The Orpington 1st Magazine • Spring 2022

Mohini Singh under the book arch ouside Fab House... and reading one of her short stories inside.

Harlequins Theatre’s ‘Save The Arts” Flash Mob in Market Square

Show the future who’s boss...

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