Councillors on the local authority’s planning committee approved proposals to move the library from Churchill Theatre to the empty unit at 145 High Street at a meeting last night (March 6).
The existing 1960s building, which was originally built as a Littlewoods department store, will be refurbished before the library is moved.
Expected to cost more than £15 million to deliver, the new development will be too small for the borough’s archive historical collections, which will need to be housed elsewhere.
Bromley Council has said that it has plans to also refurbish Churchill Theatre, where the library is currently found.
The local authority has claimed that the 1970s building was at the end of its natural life and “beyond economic repair”.
Ahead of yesterday’s meeting, the plans for the former Topshop site had received backing from local groups, including Shortlands Resident’s Association.
“We believe that what is proposed will be an excellent use of a large retail site for which there appears to be no demand,” the group said.
“We understand from the application how popular the library is at present and the move to an even busier site should increase its popularity.
“It seems to us entirely appropriate to mix this service with existing retail operations as part of a new look for the High Street.”
Now that planning approval has been secured, it is expected that the library could be relocated within the next 12 months.
Documents submitted alongside the planning application state that the move needs to be completed by March 2026, “to align with the sale” of the Churchill Theatre.
Bromley Council confirmed last year that it had accepted an offer for the site, claiming that this would secure the future of the town’s “much-loved theatre”.
The successful bidder has not yet been named, as the deal is subject to the completion of a legal agreement.
