Several silver posts leaning over
Sent to Bromley Council less than a minute later. FixMyStreet ref: 6257776.
There are a circle of metal / silver posts here around the paved area and clock, several are damaged and / or leaning over - please can they be repaired so area looks maintained.
Updates
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Thank you for your report, this is now being investigated. Information on our services and the timeframes we aim to respond in can be found: http://www.bromley.gov.uk/ fixservices
Posted by Bromley Council
at 22:08, Sun 21 July 2024
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Unfortunately these posts were a special edition and are unavailable now so we are unable to replace.
Posted by Bromley Council
at 10:48, Tue 23 July 2024
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We have investigated this report and believe no further action is required at this time. This may be as the issue was assessed to be below our investigatory levels or may not have been present when the area was attended. If this problem persists, please provide further comments to the report, any additional information about the issue or it's location can assist us in any future attendance.
Posted by Bromley Council
at 10:50, Tue 23 July 2024
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Hi. Please replace with something that isn’t a ‘special edition’ then. Let’s have some pride in the streetscape please. Thanks.
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Hi. Please replace with something that isn’t a ‘special edition’ then. Let’s have some pride in the streetscape please. Thanks.
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I will forward your request to our manager for a decision. Regards.
Posted by Bromley Council
at 10:47, Mon 29 July 2024
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3rd party comment, NG: If replacing, please re-site new bollards closer in towards the Clock tower to avoid damage and provide wider road space for turning and parking buses with also pub, car wash and Parade servicing. The blue bricks were meant to copy a blue neon strip on a 'new Crystal Palace' that was never built around the year 2000.
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Your comments have been passed to management for consideration.
Posted by Bromley Council
at 10:55, Mon 5 August 2024
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Updated by Bromley Council
at 11:07, Mon 5 August 2024
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Hi. What’s the update on repairing / replacing these posts please?
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3rd party commenter, NG: This is also in the High St, Penge Conservation Area (red hatched area in attached photo) and adjoining the Watermen's Alms Houses Listed Building. Photo of two eyesore crushed posts from Instant Streetview. Many more are damaged and bent now, but I do not have a photo.
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We are looking into the replacement of these posts. Thank you for your patience.
Posted by Bromley Council
at 12:11, Tue 15 October 2024
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3rd party commenter NG: Here is a photo taken today 16/10/24
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What’s the update with replacing the posts please?
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We are awaiting a quotation as these will be a special order and not stock. No further updates at this time.
Posted by Bromley Council
at 06:37, Tue 26 November 2024
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We have investigated the report issue and have made contact with the report originator and/or a subsequent commenter to outline further details. This report is now closed on FixMyStreet.
Posted by Bromley Council
at 06:40, Tue 26 November 2024
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Photo added of 28/11/24
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NG: 11/12/24 With ref to my photo of 28/11/24 two bollards are now bashed almost horizontal presenting a pedestrian, including blind persons, hazard. Please urgently angle-grind off the two bollards and leave the ground smooth, eg put cement in the holes. Please do not cordon off with yellow plastic fencing which would be an eyesore for this Christmas Tree location and activities.
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I have forwarded your suggestion to my manager for consideration.
Posted by Bromley Council
at 19:52, Tue 17 December 2024
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Good day. What’s the update on this please? I have re-reported as the inaction and lack of engagement to get this repaired is appalling. Please LBB, let’s show some care in the streetscape here.
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3rd party commenter NG: I am also interested in a progress report for this issue which I see was reported on 21/7/24. I also added that the damaged, bent, leaning posts are a public hazard.
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NG: Here is another photo from about a week ago. Please make safe (eg. angle grind off to ground level) or safety fence off the leaning, pointed metal bollards, which are a safety hazard to pedrsyriansincluding, especially for blind and sight-impaired persons.
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I think I will contact the local Councillors for Penge & Cator. NG, may I suggest you do the same. The malaise from LBB is unacceptable.
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NG: I have taken up the Original Reporter's suggestion to request the help of the three Penge and Cator Ward Councillors.
I have just sent such an email. I have copied in the Director of Place, colin.brand@bromley.gov.uk and also the Estates Dept estates@bromley.gov.uk
While writing, I have added the decades-long problem of the remaking visible clock being 11 minutes slow, the hour hand not correct at each hour, the canopy needing cleaning and the five blue/white uplighters being out.
This was part of a £12m Government grant to regenerate the Crystal Palace area circa the year 2000, but like so many one-off capital funded projects, they are left unmainained thereafter.
The Penge Clock is also in The Penge Town Centre Conservation Area and adjoins the Watermen's Alms Houses Listed Building and grounds.
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NG: Meant 'remaining' not 'remaking' as auto-incorrected.
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LBB - is there an update on this please??
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NG: The original reporter logged this on 21/7/24 with several repeats including my own reports on 11/12/24 and 26/1/25 that this is a health and safety hazard. Why is nothing being done to abate this hazard? This is wanton negligence and incompetence.
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My manager is aware that these posts require replacing. He is in discussions with our contractor to agree a satisfactory price for these replacements as they are not standard posts supplied on our contract.
Posted by Bromley Council
at 18:55, Tuesday 18 March 2025
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NG: What does the Council intend to do to abate the Health and Safety Hazard to pedestrians, sighted or otherwise, of the bent over pointed metal posts in the public realm?
I have suggested 20 minutes work with an angle grinder and a metal file.
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NG: What does the Council intend to do to abate the Health and Safety Hazard to pedestrians, sighted or otherwise, of the bent over pointed metal posts in the public realm?
I have suggested 20 minutes work with an angle grinder and a metal file.
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21st July 2024 this was reported - an utter joke.
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We apologise for the ongoing delay here. We are still in discussions over the supply and installation cost of the required bollards with our contractor, in an effort to obtain best value.
We appreciate its not an ideal situation, but the only alternative at this time to leaving what’s there in situ until this is resolved is to start replacing a mishmash of bollard types, e.g. the standard green Manchester bollards, which wouldn't be acceptable to the local residents or ourselves. We don’t think removing the damaged ones in the meantime is acceptable either as it leaves pedestrians more exposed to the turning busses which we believe is a higher safety risk than the bent bollards themselves. I hope this explains the lack of on-site action here at this time, please be assured it’s not being ignored. We are pursing the matter and will resolve as soon as possible.
Posted by Bromley Council
at 13:52, Sunday 6 April 2025
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NG: Thank you for your conciliatory, explanatory update and on a Sunday. .
However, not doing anything is unsafe and negligent.
In other cases, Bromley or other councils or bodies would have removed the worst hazards or put guard railing around them.
The worst hazards are the two or three posts most leaning over like pointed swords at ankle / shin level.
An adult or child approaching head on may not see the narrow cross section merely the size and shape of a jam jar lid.
Approaching from the side the worst two posts are a horizontal trip hazard.
Those potentially at risk include adults, children, partially-sighted and blind persons, people on their smart-phones, people running for any reason, etc.
Visibility may be worse in the evening or night time.
The 2 or 3 worst posts (as photographed) can easily and I expensively be cut off to ground level without opening up the pedestrian area to incursion. Bus drivers are obliged to look where they are going and at this location they travel at less than 5mph.
At the very least, though it would not look great, the worst leaning posts should have hazard barriers / hazard tape installed pending remedial action.
I would hope that would be soon given the 8 months of delay to date.
Getting the best value for money is one thing.
Leaving reported hazards unremoved or unguarded for 8 months is just plain negligent.
Kindly urgently remove the worst 3 posts or protect the public by alerting them to this hazard while also urgently getting on with a permanent solution.
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NG: Correction: 'I expensively' should read 'inexpensively'
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My manager who is dealing with this is on leave. I shall discuss on his return.
Posted by Bromley Council
at 12:17, Monday 7 April 2025
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Hi. Can we get the name and contact details of the 'Manager' please. Eight months in we really should be on first-name terms shouldn't we?
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Ng: :)
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Hello. Rather than ignoring the request and hiding behind the councils lack of transparency and accountability, please can you forward the name and contact details of the 'Manager' please. You have my email. Thank you.
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Hi. Again. Once again… please can you forward the name and contact details of the 'Manager' please. You have my email. Thank you.
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NG: 21/7/24 to today, 21/4/25, marks 9 months of Bromley Council negligence in abating a public health and safety hazard
This is also 9 months of inaction regarding an eyesore in the Penge Conservation Area.
This is one of the projects sought by, and awarded to, Bromley Council to be funded with £12m Govt Single Regeneration Budget SRB money
This was around the year 2000 to regenerate Penge and other areas.
Its state is that of degeneration.
Why should the Govt or any other body award Bromley Council anything again when it does not maintain what it has been funded to do?
The clock has also been misleadingly 11 minutes slow for as long as I can remember, the canopy is never cleaned and the uplighters are out, along with the contemporaries by the short shopping parade.
If this was in Bromley High Street it would have been fixed long ago.
Please fix or cordon off the posts pending replacement as a matter of urgency and kindly attend to the other faults in this publucy-funded regeneration project.
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Dear Bromley Council,
Ah, the majestic saga of the bent bollards continues. Ten months of riveting inaction, and still those metallic tripwires remain proudly poised to maim. Truly, an epic of local government theatre.
It’s heartening to know you’re still in deep discussions about the cost/procurement of new bollards. One can only assume they’re being hand-forged on Mount Olympus and gilded in taxpayer-funded gold.
Meanwhile, we remain blessed by the presence of these public-safety piñatas. No hazard tape, no warning signs — just the quiet thrill of navigating urban shin-snipers. Who needs amusement parks when we have Penge’s Bollard Gauntlet?
And of course, our elusive “Manager” remains off-stage, presumably on a well-earned sabbatical from all the tiring decision-making. Perhaps by the time he/she returns, the bollards will have evolved into sentient beings and applied for listed status.
Looking forward to another exciting month of updates about how nothing has happened.
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NG, 7/5/25: Here is a fourth photo today showing the additionally severely damaged former illuminated One Way sign column.
At least here the hazard is marked with hazard tape, perhaps by the electricity firm UKPN.
There continues to be no yellow hazard barriers for the damaged, sharp pointed metal bollards, as is the duty of care of Bromley Council.
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Hello. Rather than ignoring the request and hiding behind the councils lack of transparency and accountability, please can you forward the name and contact details of the 'Manager' please. You have my email. Thank you.
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Thank you for your patience on this matter, as outlined previously, the posts here are non-standard and are outside of our contracted specifications. Bromley have been able to source replacement bollards but these will be subject to a manufacturing lead-time and we cannot give timeframes at this moment. As noted above the area has been assessed that it is best for the bent bollards to remain in situ until such time as they can be replaced, that way they still present a barrier between the bus turning circle and paved area. The erection of yellow barriers around the location is likely to cause further issues given the regular bus use, if they were knocked or disrupted. Works to replace the damaged sign post have been raised separately.
Posted by Bromley Council
at 12:16, Wednesday 21 May 2025
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