Security guards in Bexley

Which parts of Bexley do we cover?

We cover the whole borough: the riverside from Thamesmead and Belvedere to Erith, Slade Green and Crayford, and the town centres and suburbs to the south, including Bexleyheath, Welling, Sidcup and Old Bexley.

The riverside is the Bexley Riverside Opportunity Area, 1,210 hectares along the south bank of the Thames. The GLA’s 2025 review describes north Bexley as having one of the largest areas of industrial land in the capital, a river frontage with several safeguarded wharves and, at Erith, the longest publicly accessible pier in London (GLA). In 2023 the Opportunity Area held 20,351 jobs, 28% of the borough’s 74,000.

Four Strategic Industrial Locations lie in the borough (London Plan):

• Belvedere Industrial Area
• Erith Riverside
• Thames Road, including Crayford Industrial Area
• Foots Cray Business Area, which crosses into Bromley

The London Plan expects industrial and logistics uses to keep a significant role here, and the borough’s Local Plan takes a “no net loss” approach to industrial land.

Bexleyheath is the major town centre. Crayford, Erith, Sidcup and Welling are district centres, and Belvedere has been marked as a future one. Bexleyheath’s BID covers the Broadway from the Civic Offices to Lion Road, and in July 2026 its businesses voted to renew it for 2026 to 2031 (Bexley Council). Sidcup has a BID of its own, Sidcup Partners (Bexley Council).

On the Greenwich border, Thamesmead is part of the Thamesmead and Abbey Wood Opportunity Area, which spans both boroughs and has London Plan capacity for 8,000 homes (GLA).

What needs guarding in Bexley?

Warehouses, yards and wharves. The GLA’s map of Bexley Riverside’s industrial land shows general industry, warehouses, waste management and recycling, self storage, utilities and docks. Sites like these need their gates run while they trade and their perimeters checked when they shut. Our warehouse and industrial security puts an officer in the gatehouse to check drivers and vehicles, then patrols the yard, loading bays and fences out of hours.

Estates without a full-time officer. On industrial estates in Belvedere, Erith and Crayford, mobile patrols can check gates, shutters and empty units at set or random times. If your alarm is the main protection overnight, keyholding and alarm response means an SIA-licensed officer attends when it goes off.

Building sites on former industrial land. The Local Plan looks to an estimated 23,000 homes and 7,500 jobs by 2050 across Belvedere, Erith, Slade Green and Crayford, built up over the next 30 years. Some former industrial land, such as the old gasholder site on Yarnton Way in Belvedere, has already been cleared and allocated for development. Construction site security covers a site while it’s built; land still waiting for work can be patrolled.

Shops and evenings in Bexleyheath. Bexleyheath is the only centre in the borough with a London Plan night-time classification, rated as of regional or sub-regional significance. Retail security suits shops on the Broadway and in the district centres, and event security suits functions and venues in the evening.

What should you check first in Bexley?

Road access. The GLA lists the lack of Thames crossings among the area’s challenges, and reports no current plans to extend the Elizabeth line beyond Abbey Wood, so the riverside estates rely on their roads. Keep gate checks quick enough that HGVs don’t queue back onto a busy estate road.

What sits next door. With industrial land protected and new homes planned in the same riverside towns, a building site can border a working yard. Agree who checks a shared fence line, and what your officers should do about activity next door at night.

BID events. Bexleyheath’s renewed BID plans a programme of events and marketing for the Broadway. If you trade there, plan extra retail cover for the busiest event days.