Clean Up Operation Welcomed by Tenants

Bromley Council along with other key members of the Safer Bromley Partnership removed eight tonnes of rubbish in one day from the Groves Estate in Penge. Fence panels, fridges, doors and rubble were just a few of the items removed during the clean-up campaign.

The council were joined by the safer neighbourhood team and housing association Affinity Sutton, who helped out by removing two and a half tons of rubbish and painting over six square metres of graffiti from the estate. The London Probation Service also got involved by running a community payback operation that saw offenders carry out work to help improve both the estate and the environment. The clean-up was just one of a series of action days that will be taking place throughout the borough in an effort to tackle low level crime such as graffiti, fly-tipping and abandoned vehicles.

Public protection and safety portfolio holder, Councillor Tim Stevens, said “Clean-ups such as these give a good kick start, making an area much more pleasant to live in while providing a firm foundation for local businesses and residents to carry on the good work to help keep the area clean in the future. Meanwhile, police have the chance to gather intelligence about those who might be held responsible for the crimes such as dumping builders’ rubble on the estate.”

One of the problems is that the estate is partly owned by the housing association Affinity Sutton and partly by Bromley Council who between them have thousands of properties protected with buy-to-let insurance. This means it has been very difficult to work out who is responsible for repairs and what land is owned by whom. The one thing that everyone agrees with is the smarter they make the estates look then the more residents will care about them.