The Bexley Council Cabinet Committee, consisting of Councillor Baroness O'Neill of Bexley OBE, Leader of the Council, Councillor David Leaf, Deputy Leader of the Council/Cabinet Member for Resources, and Councillor Cafer Munur, Cabinet Member for Place Shaping, was scheduled to meet on Thursday 30 October 2025. The main item for discussion was the BexleyCo Limited Business Plan 2025, which outlines the company's strategy for developing new homes across the borough. The committee was also scheduled to discuss declarations of interest and the minutes from a previous meeting.

BexleyCo Limited Business Plan 2025

The Cabinet Committee was scheduled to consider the BexleyCo Limited Business Plan 2025. The BexleyCo Ltd Business Plan 2025 document states that the plan focuses on the development of ten confirmed sites, delivering 472 new homes. The plan includes a foreword from Jeremy Stibbe, Chairman of BexleyCo, who says:

This Bexley Co Business Plan reflects the hard work undertaken by the BexleyCo team and London Borough of Bexley colleagues over the last 12 months. Our ambition remains: great homes, targeted for local people and our developer profit returned to the Council in addition to a receipt for the land and other benefits.

The business plan sets out BexleyCo's vision to deliver a range of new homes for affordable and market sale and rent in exemplar schemes across the borough. It states that the company aims to support the council's growth and regeneration strategies while generating financial returns, blending commercial disciplines with the values of the shareholder.

The company's objectives include:

• Proactively supporting the council in delivering its growth strategy.
• Developing new homes in exemplar schemes that drive up standards across the borough.
• Facilitating successful and sustainable new communities through design, construction, and estate management strategies.
• Providing a wide range of new homes for affordable rent, shared ownership, and market sale.
• Maximising the number of new homes sold or let to local people, putting Bexley residents first.
• Supporting the local supply chain, increasing the number and quality of new jobs in the borough.
• Delivering financial returns to the shareholder in an open, transparent, and ethical manner, reflecting and supporting the shareholder's values.

The plan details the company structure and board, confirmed development sites, future sites, financial returns, funding arrangements, company staffing and resources, governance, processes, roles and responsibilities and risk management.

The plan includes a schedule showing the development timetable for each site, based upon the assumed timing for the approval of each individual business case for funding.

The sites listed in the business plan are:

• Lesney Park, Erith (25 new homes)
• West Street, Erith (30 new homes)
• Bursted Woods, Barnehurst (121 new homes)
• Former Sidcup Library, Sidcup (32 new homes)
• Erith High Street, Erith (33 new homes)
• Crayford Manor House, Crayford (17 new homes)
• Manor House, Sidcup (9 new homes)
• Belvedere Family Centre, Belvedere (86 new homes)
• Burr Farm, Bexleyheath (70 new homes)
• Bursted Woods (Future Phase), Barnehurst (49 new homes)

The plan also recognises the challenges presented by current market conditions, including stabilising but high development costs due to past inflation, and affordability challenges faced by local buyers.

The Cabinet Committee was asked to either approve the Business Plan 2025, noting that each project in the plan is subject to a detailed scheme assessment, or request that further work be carried out and a revised Business Plan be brought back for consideration.

Declarations of Interests

The committee was also scheduled to consider a document providing general guidance for members on declaring interests at the meeting. It notes that any interests to be declared must also be listed in the member's Register of Interests.

The document distinguishes between two types of interests: Disclosable Pecuniary Interests and Other Significant Interests. It provides definitions for each, referencing The Relevant Authorities (Disclosable Pecuniary Interests) Regulations 2012 for the former.

If a member has a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in an item on the agenda, they must declare the existence and nature of the interest, leave the room during the discussion of the item, and not vote on the matter, unless they have obtained a dispensation from the Monitoring Officer¹.

If a member has an Other Significant Interest, they may attend the meeting to make representations, answer questions, or give evidence, provided the public is also allowed to attend for the same purpose. After making their representations, they must not participate in any discussion or vote on the matter and must withdraw from the meeting room.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting

The committee was scheduled to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 16 June 2025. During that meeting, the committee discussed an update on the BexleyCo Limited Business Plan 2023 to 2034. Ross Brown, Director of Finance and Corporate Services, reported that the business plan was expected to deliver 492 properties, a slight change from the previous plan due to design changes on four sites, including retaining the whole of Sidcup Manor House for commercial use.

Jeremy Stibbe, Chairman of BexleyCo, reported good progress against the business plan and teamwork with council officers. He noted that changes to the Sidcup Manor House site would provide a better outcome for the council.

Graham Ward, Managing Director of BexleyCo, provided details on progress at various sites:

• West Street had been completed in April, with a sales strategy targeting local people.
• The structure at Sidcup Library was complete, and the show flat was on schedule to be completed by the end of August.
• The planning application for the Bursted Woods site was expected to go to the Planning Committee in July, and the application for Erith High Street would be submitted shortly.
• An engagement event had been held with the local community on the Burr Farm proposals, and comments would be taken on board as the proposals were refined.
• The Belvedere Family Centre proposals would require engagement with the GLA² due to the proposed height of the building.

Councillor Munur asked about the processing of planning applications and how the planning performance agreement had changed the way they work. Graham Ward indicated that it had been going well and had reduced the timescale for submitting planning applications.

Councillor Leaf asked how often BexleyCo review risk. Graham Ward reported that they meet every week to discuss project risks and review the strategic risk register at least every three months.

Councillor Borella asked whether BexleyCo were confident that the NHS provision being proposed for the ground floor of the Belvedere Family Centre site would materialise. Graham Ward indicated that there had been good dialogue with the NHS, but they wanted flexibility in the scheme so it would go forward as a commercial premises. Councillor Borella also asked about the affordable housing provision at Bursted Woods. Graham Ward reported that there would be 18 affordable apartments, and with the s106³ funding, 8 affordable family homes would be added.

Councillor Borella indicated that he had attended the Burr Farm community engagement event and there had been a lot of disgruntled residents. Officers agreed to report back on which ward the Burr Farm site is in.