This is the least known public park in Bromley town centre. With the council sell off of most of the Civic Centre grounds for future building development the importance of this site, and especially the retained park area, is even more important. Also critical is continued access to this park, and details of questions to the council, and their answers on this are included later in this article.
Led by Kerry Hood (who took the above photos), Friends volunteers are working hard. Their aim is to improve the sites biodiversity, and the settings for its Grade 2 listed features. This involves them cutting back encroaching vegetation, etc. The team have also ‘rescued’ some memorial benches and decorative flower post, and re-sited them within the park.
As part of our ‘Love Bromley Palace Park’ project, we will improve the interpretive signage in this park, and link it into a wider ‘Bromley Town Centre Parks Heritage & Biodiversity Trail’. This will assist people to better navigate their parks, while learning more about them and what they should mean the community. This project is funded by a Bromley council grant from their Platinum Jubilee Fund.
We recently asked questions about our concerns on the retention of public access to this park, both during and after construction work on the rest of the site.
Here are our questions and the councillors’ replies- From Kerry Hood to the Portfolio Holder for Resources, Commissioning and Contracts Management The Friends are worried about future vehicular access to Bromley Palace Park. We are especially worried about being able to get heavy vehicles on the site for maintenance work. Access is required from both Rochester Avenue and Rafford Way. Please can you advise how access will be maintained going forward? Reply: As a part of the sale agreement, the purchaser has committed to construct and maintain an access route for large vehicles from Rochester Ave to the park, including an area for two tipper trucks to be parked, for the purpose of regular maintenance. In addition, they have committed to provide a route for specialist vehicles and equipment to access the lake for projects or maintenance on an infrequent basis, should this be required in the future. Following a previous disposal, there is no vehicular access to the park from Rafford Way; this is not required by the Council for maintenance vehicles. Pedestrian access is provided.
Supplementary Question: That is very reassuring that it is in the deeds of the sale, because just having it as a verbal assurance is not quite the same. The pedestrian access from Rafford Way can be locked, which is bad news if you happen to want to go there on a Saturday afternoon. There is a practical alternative to this as there is a gateway that is seized up that could be used instead. We are anxious about the pedestrian access from Rafford Way; we want the Park not to be a dead end, which would encourage antisocial behaviour. So, if you could look into that we would be very grateful. Reply: I have nothing further to add, but Cllr Rowlands may have something to add. Cllr Rowlands, as Portfolio Holder for Environment, confirmed that this was something that could be looked into.
Additional Supplementary Question from Cllr Sam Webber: Just to clarify, the Rafford Way entrance is closed due to building work now, but it sounds like it will be re-opened for pedestrians as part of the new set-up once construction is finished? Reply Yes, I confirm that.
L.B.Bromley Council Meeting 14th October 2024- Questions & Replies
In the recent sunny weather the plants have certainly grown! What was bare earth a couple of months ago has now been covered by green foliage, amongst which are a few attractive flowers including Purple Loosestrife (above) and Great Willowherb (below).
The remaining plants are much less showy, but still important.
With the recent lack of rain the river channel, while extremely low is still flowing.
We look forward to continue monitoring the site, and how it develops in the coming years.
Along with the longer days and warmer weather the Broom, after which Bromley is named, comes into flower. For a few weeks we can enjoy it, unlike the common gorse which while spiky remains in flower for much of the year, and which is also found in this area.
Broom likes the acidic grassland of this site. While it vanished from here for a long time it was apparently reintroduced in the 1960’s
Sadly the broom is being encroached upon by rampant bramble, despite limited attempts to cut the latter back. The slightly better news is that young Broom plants are seeding elsewhere on these slopes. It would be very sad if this iconic plant disappeared from Bromley.
READ HERE to find out more about Martins Hill, the first public park in old Bromley, and what you can find there.
As part of the refurbishment project, on 21st March the water level in the pond was drastically reduced. Beforehand however a specialist contractor was on site to collect all the fish in the pond, they were recorded then released safely downstream. Altogether some 140 three-spined sticklebacks, 2 small roach and 3 eels, the largest being 79cm long, were collected.
Large eel caught
The water flow was carefully measured. Then with the weir boards removed the water level reduced rapidly at first, exposing more of the silt deposited over many years.
Exposed silt, with river channel bottom
The newly exposed silt now will be allowed time to dry out, before contractors are able to move in to excavate and reuse the silt to recreate a working river channel and a separate pond, that fish, eels etc can thrive in.
The lake is normally replenished by winter rainfall, but this did not happen this time. Indeed the Met Office have advised that the annual rainfall in London and the south east has been the lowest since at least 1935!
With the continuing lack of rain, the lake in Church House Garden is very nearly empty. Any fish in there have long since died, and the birds have moved to desperately find some water elsewhere.
We have been seeking advice how this lake, and the wider park, can longer term be made more resilient to the ongoing climate change.
