Clarion’s plans for 100% social rent homes at Penge’s Blenheim Centre given green light
The new development will create 228 social rent homes and new ground-floor commercial units, including a proposed food store, a new public square and a new pocket park, transforming the heart of Penge High Street.
Clarion Housing Group has received approval from the London Borough of Bromley for amended plans to deliver all 228 homes at the Blenheim Centre in Penge as social rent affordable housing.
The UK’s largest housing association acquired the site from the Latimer Hadley joint venture in February 2026, having submitted a Section 73 application to boost social rent provision at the site at a time when soaring housing costs continue to put genuinely affordable homes out of reach for many Londoners.
The approval marks a major step forward for the scheme with the proportion of affordable housing increasing from the original 35% to 100%, giving more households on Bromley’s social housing waiting list a better chance of accessing a safe and secure home.
The revised scheme also delivers more family-sized homes than the original permission, providing larger properties that better meet local housing need.
As well as 228 social rent homes, the development will provide new ground-floor commercial units, including a proposed food store, a new public square and a new pocket park, transforming the heart of Penge High Street.
The scheme is supported by grant funding from the Greater London Authority (GLA), which has been key in enabling the partnership to deliver all homes as social rent.
Richard Cook, Chief Development Officer at Clarion Housing Group, said:
“This is a landmark outcome for Penge and for the families on Bromley’s housing waiting list who desperately need a genuinely affordable home.
“By working closely with the London Borough of Bromley and the GLA, we have gone significantly further than the original permission, taking a scheme where only 35% of homes would have been affordable and making every single one social rent affordable housing.
“With more family-sized homes included, we are responding directly to local need, and we look forward to getting on site and delivering these much-needed homes for the community.”
Demolition of the existing building is expected to commence this year, with building works to begin in Summer 2027. The scheme is expected to be fully complete by Autumn 2029.