Vacant land at Belvedere Park could be transformed to help create up to 297 direct and indirect jobs and nearly £7 million of economic benefit for Belvedere, if plans submitted to London Borough of Bexley are approved.
Safestore has submitted plans to the London Borough of Bexley for a modern new self-storage facility with workspace on land at the western end of Belvedere Park, near Starbucks.
A recent survey carried out at Belvedere Park found significant public support for Safestore’s proposals, and the principle of developing the site. 70% of respondents said they supported Safestore’s plans for the site, while 77% agreed that the vacant parcel of land at Belvedere Park should be brought into active employment use.
Safestore’s facility would provide a viable development on land that has been vacant as a result of building constraints, including from two Thames Water sewer pipes under the site, and a Thames Water pumping station nearby. These constraints have posed a significant barrier to developing the site for previously approved planning applications, including for residential buildings, which have not materialised.
Belvedere Park is a ‘mixed-use’ retail park, with a combination of residential and commercial properties, plus industrial areas nearby.
Safestore’s facility would complement existing uses around Belvedere Park, and support the diverse needs of local residents who often use self-storage during big life events, such as moving home, as well as local businesses, including SMEs, start ups, and independent traders, who require extra storage space to operate.
Self-storage is a low intensity use, and the facility proposed has been carefully designed to work around the site’s constraints. The nature and scale of self-storage is much less impactful on the local area when compared to other ‘light industrial’ uses – such as retail distribution centres, haulage and warehouses.
The facility will include its own car park and generate a limited amount of traffic.
The next step in the planning process will be for the London Borough of Bexley to consider the application. If approved, the proposals would bring new jobs and support residents and businesses around Belvedere Park, finally finding an active use for land that has been vacant for decades.
Matt Guest, Acquisition Manager at Safestore, said:
“The findings of our new survey are clear – local businesses and residents want to see this vacant, overgrown, and neglected land at Belvedere Park put to good use.
“Our plans are deliverable, and have been carefully and delicately designed to both fit in with the look of Belvedere Park, and to work around the considerable constraints of this site.
“We hope the council agrees that these plans are a great opportunity for Belvedere Park and a chance to re-vitalise land that has been under-used for too long.”
