Bromley Council is getting in the way of plans to bring fibre optic broadband to the area, Lewisham West and Penge MP Jim Dowd has argued.

According to the Labour politician, the local authority has risked BT avoiding the borough in its super-fast broadband rollout programme by placing unnecessary levels of red tape on the project.

Speaking to the Bromley Times, Mr Dowd warned the telecoms giant "may have to leave Bromley behind after council officials categorised the rollout as 'major works', making the planning process lengthy and complicated".

The vast majority of councils across the UK have classified the series of infrastructure upgrades as 'standard works', he claimed, meaning they are subject to less complex regulation.

By refusing to go along with other authorities, Bromley Council has shown "how out of date and out of touch" it is, Mr Dowd added.

He is planning to take the matter up with the "appropriate secretary of state".

However, the council has hit back at the MP's protests by questioning his motives for siding with BT.

Councillor Colin Smith remarked: "Quite why he's fighting so hard for BT's interests locally at potential cost to the long-term visual amenities of Bromley's residents is something he may care to explain."

A spokesman for the internet service provider admitted it has encountered more red tape in the borough than other parts of the country, but said the company is hopeful of holding "constructive discussions" with the council to resolve the issue.

Earlier this month, BT announced its fibre optic broadband service had gone live in Bromley and 13 other parts of London, including Croydon, Ealing and Golders Green.

Once the work has been completed, over 250,000 more homes and businesses across the capital will be able to access the technology.

The rollout comes as part of BT's plans to invest up to £2.5 billion in super-fast broadband over the coming years. 

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