IN the face of huge and angry local opposition, plans to redevelop a former school site have been approved.

Bexley Council's planning committee split along political party lines to vote through the scheme for the former North Cray Primary School in Bedens Road, North Cray.

The 5.6 acre site will be split into two, with a new neighbourhood centre on one part and 103 affordable homes on the remainder.

The proposals have fuelled huge opposition from local people who would like to see the school fields remain undeveloped and the existing school buildings adapted for the neighbourhood centre.

They also opposed the whole of the housing estate being given over to affordable homes.

Matt Tracy from Mount Culver Avenue complained to the committee about the destruction of the visual amenity of the school fields. "This development would mean the destruction of the reasonable environment we enjoy and value," he said.

David Farey said the homes in Bedens Road near the entrance to the new development were more than six feet below the site level and would be hugely dominated by the planned three-storey buildings.

"In reality these will be like four-storey buildings. They will cut out our light and affect our privacy," he claimed, and asked councillors to visit the site and see the effect for themselves.

Both Bedens and North Cray residents' associations also objected.

Nell Berwick from Bedens Residents' Association said the proposals were an over-development of the site. She said the amount of three-storey blocks being proposed was inappropriate and the amount of extra traffic generated would make the situation "intolerable."

"We know there is pressure for increased amount of housing, but not at the expense of the quality of life in already established areas," she added.

John Harrington, chairman of North Cray Residents' Association, stressed the opposition to the plans from local people. "We consider the playing fields should be retained and the existing school buildings adapted."

He accused councillors of ignoring the residents' objections. He protested at the density of the development and said three-storey blocks on the borders of the site would be overbearing. And he said a paved recreation area was no compensation for the loss of the playing fields.

Although councillors praised the design of the scheme, they were also concerned about the three-storey blocks especially where they overlooked people's homes.

They were also unhappy about extra traffic in Bedens Road which is already struggling to cope.

A traffic engineer said moves to control parking in the most congested sections of the road were already being considered.

A proposal by Tories to defer a decision for a site meeting was rejected by Labour councillors who accused the opposition of playing politics with the issue. Tories claimed the plans were being "steamrollered" through.

After a debate lasting more than three hours, the plans were agreed by six votes to five.

  • The decision by Bexley Council to sell the school site to housing association London and Quadrant, without putting it out to public tender, provoked a huge political row.

The ruling Labour group claimed the site would be difficult to market because L&Q owned a "ransom strip" at the only entrance to the site in Bedens Road.

When the matter went to the planning committee last week, none of the ward councillors was there to speak because they are currently under investigation by the Standards Board. A member of the public complained that two of the councillors, Joel Briant and Richard Justham voted on the sale while also being Bexley's representatives on the L&Q board.

There is also bitter disagreement about the decision to build 100 per cent affordable housing on the site, with most homes being for rent and a small amount for shared ownership. Opponents say the scheme breaks Government planning guidelines that estates should be a mix of affordable and privately owned homes.