Plans have been revealed for a set of tower blocks up to 16 storeys-tall in Penge.

Bromley Council has received plans from Hadley Property Group and Clarion Housing Group to build a set of four tower blocks between three and 16 storeys-tall on Penge High Street.

The project features a revised design of a previous application to build a set of blocks up to 18 storeys-tall.

Building the blocks would involve knocking down the current structures on the site, which includes the Blenheim Shopping Centre.

Planning documents from Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, on behalf of the applicant, said the scheme aims to ‘create a new community-focused centre at the heart of Penge which will deliver a range of cultural and social uses for both existing and future residents’.

The plans said the project is planned to deliver 230 new homes, 35per cent of which will be ‘affordable’, as well as 2,700 square metres of space for shops.

The new design has reduced the height of the tallest block by two storeys, with two other blocks in the scheme being reduced by one storey.

The plans said existing shops in the Blenheim Shopping Centre include Peacocks and Iceland.

They added that Iceland had expressed interest in retaining its presence on the site if the project was approved.

The revised plans were developed following feedback from Bromley Council and local residents. Several residents had expressed their objections to the previous scheme, with a petition opposing the plans gaining over 2,500 signatures online.

The petition was started by Michael Payne, 62, who has lived in Penge for 18 years.

Mr Payne told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “Penge is the size of a village.

"You’ve got a Victorian high street, and the local businesses and residents are all concerned it’s going to completely destroy the high street because the development is going to go on for two years at least. The businesses are going to find it very hard to survive this.”

Planning documents said Hadley and Clarion acknowledged the concerns on the height of the development but added that there were strongly positive comments on the improved public realm that the scheme would offer.

A spokesperson for the applicant previously told the LDRS that the group had been working alongside the council, residents and neighbouring businesses for over two years to develop the plans for the site.

They added: “We have used valuable public feedback to amend the design of the project throughout the planning process, including to the height of the buildings. Any further compromise on height will reduce the number of affordable homes delivered, something we are firmly committed to maximising at this site – especially with close to 3,000 on the borough’s housing waiting list.”