The borough is the largest in Greater London by area and occupies 59 square miles (153 km2). The majority of the borough is Metropolitan Green Belt, including nearly all of the land south of the A232-A21 route between West Wickham and Pratt's Bottom.[2] Consequently, it is also perhaps the most rural borough and contains more of the North Downs than any other, as that escarpment is broad between Bromley and Banstead. This is also reflected in its population density, which is the lowest of the 32 London boroughs.[3]
Most of the population lives in the north and west of the borough, with an outlier at Biggin Hill in the far south. The borough shares borders with the London Boroughs of Lewisham and Greenwich to the north, Bexley to the north-east, Southwark and Lambeth to the north-west, and Croydon to the west. It also borders the Sevenoaks District of Kent to the east and south, and the Tandridge District of Surrey to the south-west.
Bromley was incorporated to become a municipal borough in 1903,[11] as was Beckenham in 1935.[12] Chislehurst Urban District merged with the neighbouring Sidcup Urban District in 1934.[13]
In 1969, after a local campaign, the village of Knockholt was removed from the borough and transferred to the neighbouring Sevenoaks Rural District; before 1965, it had been part of the Orpington Urban District. Knockholt railway station however remains in Orpington[15]
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough had a total population of 8,944. This rose slowly throughout the nineteenth century, as the district became built up; reaching 17,192 in the middle of the century. When the railways arrived, the rate of population growth increased. The population peaked in the 1970s, when industry began to relocate from London.
The most recent 2021 United Kingdom census the borough showed a total population of 329,991, up from 309,392 in 2011.[16]
All major religions are represented, but of those stating a choice, 48.3% described themselves as Christian down from 60.7% in 2011.[17]
In 2001, of the population, 43.47% were in full-time employment and 11.06% in part-time employment – compared to a London average of 42.64% and 8.62%, respectively. Residents were predominantly owner-occupiers, with 32.53% owning their house outright, and a further 42.73% owning with a mortgage. Only 1.42% were in local authority housing, with a further 12.74% renting from a housing association, or other registered social landlord.[18]
A study in 2017 showed that Bromley had the second lowest poverty rate (15%) of any London borough.[19]
The following table shows the ethnic group of respondents in the 2001 and 2011 census in Bromley.
In March 2011, the main forms of transport that residents used to travel to work were: driving a car or van, 27.4% of all residents aged 16–74; train, 5.1%; bus, minibus or coach, 5.1%; on foot, 4.3%; work mainly at or from home, 4.0%; underground, metro, light rail, tram, 2.3%; passenger in a car or van, 1.5%.[30]
The borough is also home to an extensive libraries service, containing 14 branches,[31] currently operated by Greenwich Leisure Limited under their trademark Better on behalf of Bromley council.
The Beckenham Comedy Cabaret,[32] a monthly comedy cabaret event, hosted and run by Jody Kamali, has been running in the heart of Beckenham since 2015, usually on the last Friday evening of the month.
London Fire Brigade has four fire stations within the London Borough of Bromley. The borough is the largest in the city: about 150 km2. With just one pumping appliance, Orpington has one of the largest areas to cover in London, measuring 46.7 km2. In 2006/2007, Orpington attended 1,308 incidents. There is also a high volume pump at the station. Beckenham, Bromley and Biggin Hill cover the rest of the borough with four pumping appliances and a hose layer.[33]
In 2006/2007 just under 4000 incidents were attended in the borough. Noticeably, compared to 2005/2006 there was an 11% decrease in special service calls (road traffic collisions, chemical incidents, flooding etc.).[33]
^Youngs, Frederic (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England. Vol. I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN0901050679.
^"Bromley London Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
^"Religion - 2021 census". Office of National Statistics. 29 November 2022. Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
^As a borough, the alternative legal form of address, as shown, in most leases granted by it and in older Law Reports is The Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Bromley
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