A planning row over a new secondary school cost Bromley Council at least £50k, it can be revealed.

Parents packed into Bromley Civic Centre last year to watch the council defend its decision to U-turn on Bullers Wood School for Boys being built in Chislehurst.

Proposals for the school at St Hughes’ playing field in Bickley Road were approved in 2017 before a controversial backtrack in January last year after traffic concerns were raised.

The council’s refusal was taken to the planning inspectorate and it was forced to defend its decision.

Parents campaigned under the umbrella ‘Say Yes To Bullers Wood’ to the praise of some councillors and local MP Bob Neill.

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Bromley Council had no objections to the use of the site, but suggested it was the safety issues – particularly in Chislehurst and Bickley Roads – that made the plans unacceptable.

The unsuccessful attempt to convince the inspector that the plans were not suitable cost taxpayers at least £49,825, which was spent on external transport consultants.

This isn’t the full cost of the saga, which the council said it won’t make public because of legal confidentiality reasons.

The cost was revealed at a council meeting on Monday night, where cabinet member for renewal recreation and housing Peter Morgan said it was regrettable that amount was spent on outside experts.

Cllr Morgan said: “I’m sure everyone in this room can think of a better way of spending money than on outside consultants but nevertheless these planning appeals take place and we have to use the best advice that we can get. We have no choice.”

Opposition leader Angela Wilkins said at the same meeting that it is “unpalatable” the full costs of the saga won’t be revealed.

She said: “The fiasco that is Bullers Wood for Boys-  I find it unpalatable that we aren’t going to know the legal costs for that.

“I don’t know what deals have been signed with lawyers, but I find it unpalatable that we won’t know how much that cost this council.”

The authority had expressed concerns about pupil and highway safety as it gave its closing arguments to the planning inspector at the inquiry over the school plans.