January 30, 2001 9:32: A NEW housing estate to be built on playing fields in Beckenham has been given the thumbs up by councillors.

The application for the 42 house development and sports pavilion on the Lloyds Sports Ground, Copers Cope Road, was put before the development control committee twice before it was approved on January 18. Now the developers Leander Sports and Leisure Ltd have to present their plans to the Governments Office for London and then the Mayor of London before they can go ahead.

Bromley Councils development control committee approved the application when developers agreed to make sure eight of the flats were available for key workers like police, social workers and teachers.

The three-storey block of flats will incorporate the facade of the existing cricket pavilion at the north end of the fields and a car park will be built on to the tennis courts.

The rest of the playing fields will still be used for cricket pitches and Kent County Cricket Club has plans to use the site as an all-year cricket development centre.

The new pavilion will have an entrance from Worsley Bridge Road and residents will get to the new flats from Copers Cope Road.