The John Lewis Partnership has received the green light to transform its Waitrose site in Bromley into a new Build To Rent scheme of 353 homes.

It is a milestone for the company, which has been trying to get permission to develop housing for years as it looks to diversify.

Bromley council has given consent for the scheme, which will prioritise local residents for occupation when the development is completed – it will be owned and managed by the JLP itself. 

The investment will see the local economy boosted by an estimated £70m in extra council tax and local spend over the first 10 years, once homes are occupied. 

Plans feature new public green spaces, a cafe and amenity spaces for local community groups and schools to use as well as cycle and pedestrian links through the site linking it to a local high street and surrounding area 

London’s planning policy directs new homes to be built on brownfield sites in well-connected and sustainable central locations like Waitrose Bromley which sits next to Bromley South Rail Station in the town centre and at the intersection of major roads.

The homes – which will also include areas for fitness, home-working and socialising – will involve a mix of one, two and three-bedroom homes to accommodate different sized households and “as much affordable housing as is commercially viable” according to a statement from the partnership. 

Options for long-term tenancies will be offered to provide residents with the opportunity to remain living there for as long as they wish. 

Katherine Russell, the JLP director of Build To Rent, says: “This now gives us the opportunity to enhance the local area, create vital new housing for the local people of Bromley and deliver a state-of-the-art Waitrose, which sits at the heart of the community.”

James Dunne, head of operational real estate at abrdn – which has a £500m joint venture with JLP to deliver around 1,000 new homes across three local communities including Bromley – adds: “Well designed and professionally managed rental homes are a vital component in helping to solve the UK’s housing needs. Build-to-rent on brownfield sites such as this can also act as an anchor for town centre regeneration and wider community investment. We look forward to continuing working closely with JLP to move forward with our strategy.”