Bromley · Local news you can trust
Chesney Hawkes and The Hoosiers headline Bromley's free switch-on on Sunday 15 November. Fireworks at 6.30pm; the full running order from 2pm is here.
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Roads
Bromley Hill 20mph: TfL to Cut A21 Limit From Early 2027
TfL will cut the A21 from 30mph to 20mph from Catford to Avondale Road, at the Bromley boundary, with the work due to start in early 2027. Buses are unchanged.
Bins and recycling
Bromley Leaves: Where to Take Them While Waldo Road Is Shut
The council's leaf advice names Waldo Road, but the tip is still shut. Churchfields Road, Norman Park on Saturdays and £3.10 sacks are the options for now.
Roadworks
A21 Masons Hill Closed Northbound After Burst Main
The A21 at Homesdale Road is open again under temporary lights after the burst main, TfL says, with work listed to 2 November. Bus notices are still up.
Housing
Chipperfield Road: £2.2m design deal for 123 homes and gym
Bromley has picked Bond Bryan Architects to design 123 affordable homes and a new gymnastics centre in St Paul's Cray, six months later than its own timetable.
Health
Free Blood Pressure Checks in Bromley on Monday 7 December
Free blood pressure checks at St Mark's Church Hall, Bromley, on Monday 7 December, 2pm to 3pm, with results explained on the spot and a little singing.
Family
Days Out Near Bromley With Children, Checked October 2026
Crystal Palace dinosaurs and farm free, Eagle Heights £12.95 a child, Down House from £7.65: 13 days out near Bromley with winter hours and prices.
Police
New Cross Road Van Driver Jailed for Running Over Cyclist
Mark Okotie, 44, was jailed for 3 years 6 months for running over a cyclist on New Cross Road while carrying blood for hospital patients, the Met says.
Food & Drink
Afternoon Tea in Bromley: Where to Book
Lavender House from £27.95, Bromley Court Hotel from £30: six Bromley afternoon teas with prices, notice periods and hours, checked October 2026.
Business
Bromley Business Mentor Scheme: Free Six-Month Support
Bromley start-ups and small firms can get a free volunteer mentor for six months, at 2 to 3 hours a month. Mentors are wanted too. How to apply.
Education
Discover Garden Design with a New Course at Capel Manor College in Mottingham
Turn your passion for gardens into creative skills with Capel Manor College's new Introduction to Garden Design course, starting in Mottingham on Thursday 7 January 2027.
Family
Soft Play and Rainy-Day Places Near Bromley
Buzz Zone at the Pavilion from £8.80, Ollie Polly £6.50, Cozy Joy £4.95: seven Bromley soft play centres and three rainy-day trips, with hours and rules.
Bonfire Night
Firework Burns: Cool for 20 Minutes, St John Ambulance Says
Cool a firework burn under running water for at least 20 minutes, never rub an eye: St John Ambulance's first aid advice before Bonfire Night in Bromley.
Every week the London Borough of Bromley publishes more than anybody has time to read: planning applications, licensing notices, committee papers, inspection results, crime figures broken down by ward. We work through them and write up the parts that change something, in plain English, with a link to the source on every fact.
It matters here because Bromley is not one sort of place. The borough runs from the terraces of Penge and Anerley through Beckenham, Shortlands, Bromley town centre, Bickley and Chislehurst, out to Orpington and the Crays, and then keeps going into farmland at Downe, Cudham and Biggin Hill, which is how it ends up the largest borough in London by area. A scheme that barely registers in Sundridge Park can be the only subject of conversation in West Wickham or Petts Wood for a year. Alongside the news we look after the practical pages, the ones you look things up on rather than read.