r/Bromley

We're in the process of buying a house on the St Mary Cray / Petts Wood border in Orpington (ravensbury road to be specific), within walking distance of St mary cray station, and I'm trying to sense-check the location.

The appeal is that it seems like a more affordable way to get a family house with decent London access, while still being near the better amenities and atmosphere of Petts Wood. My hesitation is whether living just on the BR5 side ends up feeling like a smart value decision, or whether people later regret not stretching for a "better" postcode.

We're a young family, so the big things are safety, environment, schools, community feel, and whether it's realistic to orient daily life toward Petts Wood if you're right on that edge.

Interested in views from anyone who knows Orpington well, especially that border area in practice rather than on paper.

I was the opening today. Women in the steam room was opening beimg transhopic calling transwoman rapists and pedos. Everyone openly agreed. As somone in the LGBTQ community, i felt uncomfortable. She doesn't mind gaya or lesbains. But she got annoyed when i said there was pride month and asking where's a straight pride month. It seems she was fed misinformation, as she says Americans need to pay to breastfeed thier children cuz of transgenders.

I can't really do much but it made me very uncomfortable.

This is why we need a stronger LGBTQ presence in this area but it feels like talking to brick wall. Feels like 80s came back in the worst way possible.

Hello! We are looking for a service to clean, re-sand and seal our block paving driveway. Wonder if anyone has any recommendations?
We messaged 5 businesses on checkatrade and only one of them responded 😂

Not one but three key bus routes were affected 61, 358, 61. I had take 336 to get around. Pretty crazy the bus network went down because of one burst water main.

Hi all,

My husband has just started 3 months of shared parental leave for our 7 month old and he's looking to find some groups that are dad and baby friendly. Obviously he can attend the baby groups I've been going to but I've never seen any other dads attend these and so I'm wondering if there are any groups or baby sessions that are more dad focused in the borough?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated - husband is super sports mad and a member of a golf club so if there are clubs focused on these areas then that would be awesome.

Curious...Bromley has always struck me as a place with huge untapped potential.

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On paper, it already has many of the ingredients of a great town: an affluent population, excellent schools, fast trains into central London, easy access to the countryside, plenty of parks across the borough, and a self-contained town centre with strong amenities.

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Yet despite all of that, Bromley still feels more like a great commuter town than a genuine destination.

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When I compare it to some of my favourite small towns, the difference isn't necessarily the shops or transport links. It's that those places are designed around people. Their town centres are places where people want to spend time, not simply shop and leave.

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For me, Bromley's town centre feels too dominated by concrete and retail. There isn't enough greenery, shade (especially along the High Street), water, or public space. The stretch from Elmfield Road towards Bromley South feels tired, the market stalls feel dated, and the nightlife is fairly limited for a town of this size and affluence. When the weather is hot, parts of the High Street feel like an oven because of all the concrete.

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I'd love to see:

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• More trees, greenery and places to sit

• A new public square closer to Bromley South, perhaps with water features similar to Granary Square

• Better cycling and walking infrastructure

• More events, festivals and night markets

• A dedicated area for book stalls, food traders, artists and independent businesses

• More support for families and young people

• A landmark cultural attraction that gives Bromley a stronger identity, such as a beautifully designed museum, gallery or cultural space with a permanent David Bowie exhibition

• A new architecturally significant Churchill Theatre or arts venue that could become a symbol of modern Bromley

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Bromley already has the fundamentals.

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The question is:

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What does Bromley town centre need to make it even better?

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What would you change? What would you improve? What would you add?

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Hi neighbours,

I’m considering getting external wall insulation on my solid brick semi-detached house (1930s). I’ve had a quote for the work using EPS boards and silicone render, but I’m having second thoughts because the numbers (£20K) are making me hesitate.

I currently have quite high heating bills (£3-4K pa), so I was hoping this would make a decent dent, but the projected savings versus the cost means it would take a very long time to break even. And it won’t even increase the property value apparently.

For those who’ve actually had EWI done in the Bromley area:

• How much difference did it actually make to how warm the house feels?

• Were your heating bills noticeably lower afterwards?

• Roughly how much did you pay for the work?

• Looking back, was it worth doing?

I’m trying to decide between improving the insulation or going down the solar + battery route instead. Any real experiences would be massively appreciated.

Thanks!

Hi everyone
We are soon moving to Bickley behind the whitehall recreation grounds. Our little one is 14 months old
We need recommendations for a nursery.
I have seen online - kindred little learners, rainbow day nursery , little elms , the lotties are around our area

Any recommendations and first hand experiences from anyone would be really great.

We are very new to the area and we are moving from Wembley Park so we do not have a social circle to ask around