Plans to turn around David Bowie‘Turning his childhood home into a tourist attraction could trigger an ‘invasion’ of thousands of fans onto a quiet residential street, fearful neighbors claim.
Heritage of London Trust (HOLT) announced in January that it had acquired the modest house at 4 Plaistow Grove in Bromley, in the south east Londonwith the intention of opening it to the public.
The Ziggy Stardust singer lived in the building from the age of eight to twenty. Here Bowie wrote his first hit, Space Oddity.
Coinciding with the moon landings in 1969, the song about the doomed astronaut Major Tom reached number five and launched Bowie to international fame.
Now HOLT has submitted a planning application to Bromley Council to return the two-storey terraced house to what it would have looked like in the 1960s, and replace the garage with a 12ft visitors center with a cinema room and shop.
The applicants expect more than 20,000 visitors a year to the small suburban home.
HOLT plans for Bowie House to be open six days a week from 10am to 6pm in the summer, and five days a week in the winter, closing at 5pm.
There are also plans to use the venue for up to 10 evening events per year, which can accommodate up to 45 visitors.
But dozens of objections have been submitted to the council, with residents concerned that parking, night-time events and noise pollution will cause more nuisance on their streets.
Plans to convert David Bowie’s childhood home into a tourist attraction could spark an ‘invasion’ of thousands of fans to a quiet residential street, fearful neighbors claim
Heritage of London Trust has acquired 4 Plaistow Grove in Bromley, South East London, with the intention of opening it to the public earlier this year
Bowie as a child in the Bromley house, which is now at the center of a planning battle
Julie Davies, chair of the Plaistow Grove Residents Association, said The standard that the plans amounted to an ‘invasion’ of their otherwise peaceful suburban street.
She said: ‘The protection of this forest is completely threatened by the number of people who are strangers to this place and who will come and invade it.’
Resident Ruth Dickie, who lives right next door at 6 Plaistow Grove, said plans to build the 10ft high visitor center along the length of her fence, coupled with the thought of thousands of people coming to the street, had made her ‘sick’.
She and her husband lived here together until he passed away two years ago from dementia and Parkinson’s – and her home holds fond memories.
“I had no intention of ever wanting to leave it,” she said. “Now I’m not sure anymore.”
Meanwhile, Katie Turner, who lives opposite the Bowie house, called the plans ‘far too extensive and extravagant for the location.’
Other issues raised by residents include the use of a rear alley as the proposed entrance for the new memorial home.
The alley is currently used by residents to access their back gardens, as well as a storage area for bins used by The Crown pub, just around the corner on Plaistow Lane.
HOLT defended the proposals, saying the visitor center would be no larger than other nearby garden structures, while visitors would only spend a ‘limited amount of time’ in the garden.
A blue plaque on the site of the house indicates that Bowie lived there from the age of eight to twenty
Visitors would also be asked to park in nearby car parks rather than on the road, or travel to the venue by public transport.
Daytime and evening visits would also be limited to a limited number.
Since the plans were submitted two months ago, 58 objections to the proposals and seven letters of support have been received.
One resident in favor said the plans will ‘strengthen Bromley’s cultural status as a creative district, bringing welcome commerce to the local area and artistic prestige.’
Another said the project could deliver an ‘overwhelming benefit’ to the area, while a third said it offered the opportunity to ‘safeguard’ Bowie’s legacy.
But opponents said the impact on residents would be ‘immensely negative, given the increased footfall, noise and general disruption.’
Another, who described himself as ‘a lifelong fan’ of Bowie, called the proposal ‘creepy’ and ‘macabre’ as the music icon once confessed he did not have a ‘particularly happy childhood’ growing up in Bromley.
Bowie had five UK number one singles and eleven UK number one albums, with an influential career that embraced glam rock, soul, electronic music and disco. He died in 2016 at the age of 69.
Bromley Council will make a decision on the scheme next month.
