The project was submitted to Bromley Council for approval in 2022. Practice director Simon Goldstein told the AJ he was ‘frustrated by the drawn-out nature of the process’, and that the experience revealed the flaws in the current planning system. Bromley Council originally suggested extending the existing building, but the practice considered this ‘unrealistic’ given the extent of repairs and upgrades that this would entail. Goldstein Heather’s planning journey started in October 2022 when it submitted its first plans. A year on from submission, planning officers indicated that a refusal was likely, but delayed issuing a decision notice.