Bromley Council's Executive has agreed to develop proposals for the co-location of Children & Family Centre Services and Youth Services at the Spitfire Youth Centre in Biggin Hill. This move will lead to the disposal of the current Sunningvale Avenue Children & Family Centre site.
The decision, made at a meeting on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, follows an 'Extended Property Review' commissioned to explore options for rationalizing the property estate and investigate capital and revenue savings. A desktop exercise identified the Spitfire Youth Centre site as having higher value and requiring less extensive financial investment for repairs compared to the Sunningvale Avenue site.
Proposals to extend the Sunningvale Avenue site to accommodate both services were found to present significant planning challenges, including potential over-development, loss of amenity space, and negative impacts on neighbouring properties. Concerns were also raised about noise and late-hour vehicle activity from Youth Services impacting local residents. In contrast, the Spitfire Youth Centre site offers more space, including outdoor areas for young people and existing parking. The site measures 300m², compared to the Sunningvale site of 230m².
The co-location is expected to be an enhancement to the community, rather than detrimental. The Spitfire Youth Centre's proximity to key local facilities such as the NHS Child Health Clinic and the High Street makes it an ideal choice for families with children. The larger site with more outdoor space, including a skatepark, is also highlighted as a benefit for young people.
The co-location would involve internal adaptations and refurbishment of the Spitfire Youth Centre building. The existing building is in need of full refurbishment alongside any adaptations needed to reconfigure the existing layouts. Internal adaptations, refurbishment, and a small in-fill extension to create a new reception have been selected as the most suitable layout to deliver the Children & Family Centre and Youth Centre requirements.
The disposal of the Sunningvale Avenue site is being considered for affordable housing development or for sale to achieve a capital receipt. While this may not yield the largest capital receipt initially anticipated, it is expected to result in overall savings on the Operational Property Review budget and revenue savings from declaring a property surplus to requirements.
Officers are committed to supporting The Sheds
community group and Honey's Nursery, who may be displaced from the Spitfire Youth Centre site, in finding alternative accommodation. For The Sheds
, officers will, as far as possible, support the group in identifying another potential venue, with suggestions that they could occupy the old Nursery building on a formal lease or source their own alternative accommodation. Honey's Nursery has recently bought a new property on Main Road, Biggin Hill, and has been granted planning consent to convert it into a new nursery, with conversion works commencing in June 2026. A specific timeline for The Sheds
relocation is not provided.
More details can be found in the Public reports pack for the Executive meeting.
