About Orpington - Take a closer look!

HISTORY & HERITAGE
Behind the modern appearance of Orpington can be found a long and interesting history dating back to the Stone Age.

The town has some historic sites and buildings, particularly around the historic parkland setting of the Priory Gardens. All the buildings in this northern part of the town are within a Conservation Area and the Priory, its outbuildings and walls are designated Listed Buildings. The park is also Grade II listed on the English Heritage's register of parks and gardens.

Orpington Priory, Museum and Gardens is an attraction unique in South London. It offers visitors free access, 365 days a year to listed Arts and Crafts style gardens within a setting steeped in medieval history. The Good Gardens Guide describes the gardens as "one of the most tastefully-gardened public space in outer London". The Priory, parts of which date back to the thirteenth century, is the Bromley borough's only Grade II list that is fully accessible to the public, free of charge. The museum is housed within The Priory and it plays an important role in the education of school children by providing a free service to support the national curriculum.

Orpington Priory, Museum and Gardens offer a range of leisure and educational facilities for the whole borough as well as an important focus to the town or Orpington.

The site is situated just off Orpington High Street and the gardens are an oasis from the busy town centre. Still considered part of the London stockbroker belt, Orpington and its surrounding neighborhoods are home to more than 75,000 people. Within easy reach of central London by train and with nearby links to the motorway network, the town is well placed for commuters and locals alike, and Orpington's busy town centre is ideal for shopping and a popular location for business. With rental values considerably less than neighbouring Bromley (4 miles) and bustling Bluewater (11 miles), Orpington town centre is worth a closer look. Here are some of the reasons why....

GOOD TRANSPORT LINKS

Within four miles of the M25 (J4), M20, M2, M26. Within easy reach of Gatwick, City, Heathrow, Stansted and Biggin Hill airports. 57 miles from the Channel Tunnel

By rail:

• London Bridge in 15 minutes
• Waterloo in 20 minutes
• Charing Cross in 23 minutes
• London Victoria in 35 minutes
• Cannon Street in 27 minutes
  

By bus:

23 bus routes through the town centre

FEATURES

• Traditional High Street: 250 retail businesses including M&S,Boots, WH Smith, Sainsbury's, Woolworth, Bonmarche
• Over 50 professional businesses
• Covered shopping mall: The Walnuts shopping centre
• Orpington College with 5000 full and part time students
• Walnuts Leisure Centre inc. Swimming Pool, Squash Courts, Gym
• Priory Gardens incorporating the Priory, Museum and Library
• Roman Villa and Bath House
• Landscaped business park 1 mile from the town centre
• Edge of town retailing including Magnet, Halfords, Comet, PC World, Homebase, Fired Earth
  
• 1400 Multi-Storey car parking spaces
• Open air and indoor markets
• Major CCTV and shop radio crime prevention systems

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Orpington College is situated in the heart of the town centre. It has over 5,000 students, 2000 of these are in the 16-19 age group. They are studying GCSE, A/S level, A Level and vocational qualifications. The College has grown by 25% in the last two years and is an increasingly popular choice for students with recruitment coming from over 100 postal districts.

The Success of the students continues to excel. The results of summer 2001 shows A level passes up by 2.5%. The new A/S level exam showed an increase of over 20% on the previous year. The GCSE students improved by 10% on last year's performance. Many subjects achieved 100% success with five A level students gaining A's in all their subjects taken. Two students were in the top five for their subject in the country.

The College also prides itself on its service to adults. It has just opened a Learning Shop/Cyberskills Centre within the town centre. This offers advice and guidance to adult learners in a variety of courses. The I.C.L. backed Cyberskills introductory workshop is available free of charge to local businesses and residents.

The College serves the community in which it is a part. It is concerned that local people are able to gain the skills they need for employment. Employers use the college to upgrade their employee's skills and ensure that education and training is seen as a benefit to their business and not simply a cost.

EDGE OF TOWN RETAILING

Less that a mile from the Town Centre is an impressive range of big name retailers including Magnet, Halfords, Comet, P.C.World, Homebase etc. These companies inevitably attract a large number of customers from around the area feeding into the edge of town and town centre shops and stores.

Further development in this sector of the local economy is also under discussion with a range of options for expansion currently under negotiation and a site earmarked for change.

CRAY VALLEY BUSINESS AREA

The Cray Valley Business Area, which has been identified as a Key Business location alongside the Lea Valley and Thames Gateway comprises a linear development running either side of Sevenoaks Road, a major transport corridor. The 'Crays' represents the backbone of the vibrant local economy serving Orpington, St.Paul's Cray, St.Mary's Cray, Bromley and adjoining boroughs.

Cray Valley is blend of new and old economies, mirroring the change in the nation's industrial and manufacturing base. The businesses themselves are also diverse in their nature and size with a number of well recongnised names such as Allied Bakeries, Coates Lorrilleux, Pearce Signs and up and coming companies such as Channell Communications, DPTS (data transference), DPS Direct Mail Services. Small niche specialist firms are present providing the sort of service that most consider are no longer available in this country e.g. Treval Engineering - steel fabrication and welding.

A number of mixed industrial and business services parks have been developed e.g. Crayfields, Nugent Estate, Lagoon Road, Murray Road and Bridge Road/Ravensquay. Many are ripe for further development and investment and there is a shortage of secure 'Nursery' or 'Incubator' units, which enable micro businesses to establish and develop into small/medium sized enterprises of the future.

REGENERATION OF THE CRAY VALLEY

The Cray Valley will also be receiving £1.8m of Government Regeneration money to improve the business connections and skill base of the local community in this part of the borough.

The S.R.B. funding runs until 2004 and is intended to offer a range of new opportunities to everyone involved in the region whether they work or live in the Crays.

Some of the funding is aimed at helping local people to have a real say in how services should be delivered and suggest what improvements they want to see made. Business and Community forums have already been formed and S.R.B. money is also being used to support and strengthen local businesses and help retain a wide range of jobs and career opportunities. This will attract other investment from both the public and private sectors with a total investment package of just under £7m over the 5 year program.

The Cray Valley Partnership have also employed a Business Co-ordinator to maximise opportunities for business support and training.

Although the business community is strung out along the Cray Valley there are many common themes emerging that affect local businesses including security and training requirements. The business co-ordinator is in the process of contacting businesses to find out if they have any concerns or barriers to growth so that he can assess their needs and then help can be provided.

The Cray Valley has also won a bid form the Home Office for over £500k towards its own flexible CCTV system, making the region secure and safe for residents and businesses alike.