We are a campaign group called NUTS TO THE WALNUTS. We were established in November 2021 following the last “exhibition” undertaken by Cascade Communication on behalf of Areli. The planning proposal centred on a very large housing development being placed in the middle of our town. A few of us, who did not know each other at the time, left the exhibition very dissatisfied with the way the consultation had been run. There were approximately seven staff present and most of these had been employed for the day from a marketing agency. The people present knew nothing about the area and acknowledged that they had never visited Orpington before. There was only one member of staff from the developer ARELI , in attendance. There were no three scale models available, just plans on paper. It was not clear as to the number of buildings proposed or their heights. This event was mid week during the working day so many people may have been unable to attend. Shortly after attending this event two of us contacted each other through Facebook and we decided we wanted to do something about the way the “consultation”had been carried out.
After discussion we decided to set up a Facebook Group to discuss our concerns and raise awareness about the proposed development with local residents. People began to become aware of the development and our Facebook Group and began requesting to join our Campaign.
Over the course of a year our Facebook Group has grown and currently we have over 2500 members and we continue to grow!
UPDATE October 2024
As a campaign group we have worked tirelessly to ensure that Orpington Town Centre remains a focus for our local councillors as well as the council as a whole and that the views of our members remain represented.
We do not however always take ourselves entirely seriously and recently we entered the ABBBAS ( The Above & Beyond Bromley Business Awards) 2024 for best social impact. The business community have often not looked favourably on our campaign as they broadly welcomed the Areli development and the additional footfall in the High Street this may have created even if the price to pay was high rise tower blocks and high density housing.
As a campaign group we do however believe we have had a positive social impact as the people of Orpington who feared they had no voice regarding the previous proposed development plan found a voice with the help of our campaign group and exercised their right to have their voice heard.
Needless to say we did not win this category at the Above and Beyond Bromley Business Awards but we were thanked for entering the competition and provided with a certificate. We were informed “ Unfortunately on this occasion, you didn’t make it as a finalist for the Best Social Impact award, but we would like to say a huge THANK YOU on behalf of the borough’s residents for helping contribute to the local economy and help making where we live and work a better place.”
