NEWS of a deal with a major housing developer to redevelop a large council-owned site has been dampened by fears over community facilities.

After negotiating for nearly a year to find someone to take on the Howbury site in Slade Green, Bexley Council has announced it has chosen Redrow Homes Ltd.

The company plans to build around 380 homes on the site of the former Howbury Grange School in Slade Green Road, whose buildings now house a variety of community facilities.

Most of the homes will be two, three and four-bedroom houses and Redrow also plans to create a play area, public open space and a neighbourhood shop.

But there are no details of the community facilities which residents have been promised will replace the Howbury Centre, and which will be needed to accommodate the expanding population of the area.

There is also concern about school places.

Roy Hillman, chairman of Slade Green Community Forum which has followed the proposals closely, says local people have no problems with Redrow Homes’ housing proposals.

But he said there was still real concern about the promised community facilities.

Bexley has reserved a plot of land on the site, but residents fear it will not be large enough to accommodate all the activities currently provided at the Howbury Centre.

Mr Hillman said: “We don’t know how fairly we are going to be treated until we see the finances.

“Then we will know how much Bexley was paid for the site, how much it plans to invest in our facilities and how much will go to its Bexley First project in Bexleyheath.”

He said the forum would welcome talks with Redrow about how it plans to protect the open space from unwanted activities and the location of the proposed shop.

Redrow has said it plans to set up a construction apprentice scheme for the site to train local people in building skills.

The Howbury redevelopment is likely to create demand for up to 150 new primary school places.

It had been hoped, as part of the redevelopment plans, to provide the current infant and junior schools next to the Howbury site, with some new buildings which could also be available for community use.

But this may not now be financially viable.

It is hoped the schools will be come part of the junior departmentment for the new Haberdashers Aske’s Academy in Crayford.

As such, all the children from Slade Green Junior School would be guaranteed an academy place.But now there are plans to expand nearby Peareswood Primary School to two forms of entry, to help meet the demand for new places.

Slade Green councillors are concerned those children would not have a guaranteed academy place and would have to fight for places elsewhere.

Deborah Abasalom, Bexley’s director of children’s and young people’s services has said it would be worth exploring a link-up for Peareswood with Haberdashers Aske’s.