Welling High Street housing proposal on car dealership approved
Bexley Council’s planning committee have given the green light to new housing on a car showroom.
47 new homes and two commercial units will be built on the site of Ray Morris Autos at 40-42 Welling High Street.
Councillors gave approval (click here to view the meeting) despite a low amount of “affordable” homes (just 20 per cent), of which zero are social housing.
This is pretty common in Bexley borough where affordable housing is generally very low at various applications. Our old friend the “viability assessment” stated it wasn’t possible.
Yet somehow in many other boroughs they have more success at providing affordable housing.
The lack ends up costing the taxpayer. Either Bexley have to pay expensive temporary housing costs or the buck is generally passed onto central government if/when people are housed in private lettings.
Each and every development which fails to provide genuinely affordable housing is adding the the billions it’s costing taxpayers each year.
New residents should help bring more footfall to local shops in a tough retail environment.
The development would bring Bexley Council £277,520 via the Community Infrastructure Levy.
I will be so sorry to see Ray Morris car sales close after all these years. Ray Morris was a real part of Welling High Street for many many years.
I do support mixed use developments on our High Streets consisting of new homes and commercial space at ground level. This would have also been a good site to have more social housing.