THE first of an expected flurry of applications to reduce financial promises made on the back of planning permissions, has been agreed by Bexley Council.

Developers Cathedral Group, which is behind the controversial redevelopment of the Athena House site in Station Road, Sidcup, has told Bexley the development plans will collapse unless it can reduce the amount of “planning gain” it has promised the council.

The development varying in height up to nine storeys and clad in brass, was described by one member of Bexley’s planning committee as “like a pile of biscuit tins”.

The project eventually got planning permission after an appeal.

Bexley’s head of development control, Sue Clark said the application from Cathedral was the first such application to the council.

She added: “But I doubt it will be the last. We have already received another and it is happening all over London.”As part of its planning obligations, Cathedral had promised to pay £542,593 towards various items or projects which residents of the development would benefit from.

The money was broken down into £190,000 for transport and highways, £144,148 for health, £100,000 for education, £32,316 for community facilities, £31,066 monitoring fee, £22,000 for open space, £21,000 contribution towards the controlled parking zone, up to £20,000 in kind for public spaces, £1,698 for employment training.

In addition it promised 35 per cent of the development for social housing.

Cathedral says, having looked at all the costs of the project again, it cannot afford to pay what it offered, if the scheme is to be viable.

It has now made a revised offer of £353,394 with payments for items such as community facilities and education, dropped.

Sidcup councillor Mike Slaughter said:”It is a great pity. This is the most upopular scheme in Sidcup for some time.

“But we have got to go along with it.”

Mrs Clark said councillors could reject the offer and risk a fresh planning application with less on the table, which was likely to go to appeal if refused and cost the council even more.

Councillors reluctantly agreed the new offer, with a deferred payment system, so if the financial situation changes, Bexley could ask for more money.