Croydon Park to reopen in 2027 as ‘The Canopy’ apart-hotel

All-change on Altyre Road: plans for the Croydon Park Hotel site have altered drastically, from 447 flats to a 246-room ‘apart-hotel’

A year later than promised, with little more than half the homes proposed in the planning application, and with no sign of the 39- and 36-storey towers that council planners had insisted upon, there are plans for the  Croydon Park Hotel to re-open next year, but not as private rental flats, as originally proposed by owners Amro Partners.

Instead, it will be called “The Canopy”, what the owners describe as a “premier” “apart hotel”, and representing a massive U-turn from the previous, multi-million-pound proposals.

Amro have binned their ambitious redevelopment plans to demolish the 1960s-built hotel and replace it with “The Botanical”, and 447 one-, two- and three-bedroom flats for private rent, and have instead opted for repurposing the building into 246 “studios and apartments”. Continue reading

Posted in Addiscombe West, Botanical House, Business, Croydon Council, Croydon Park Hotel, Housing, Nicola Townsend, Planning, Property, The Canopy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

It’s really time to go when they throw ‘Mix’ into gesture politics

CROYDON COMMENTARY: Are you a ‘Mr’, a ‘Ms’, or a ‘Mx’? You’re unlikely to be a ‘Mix’, unless you’re a member of the Labour Party in its troubled Croydon East CLP. KEN TOWL, pictured right, explains

A couple of days ago, I read Sherlock Holmes And The Mystery of the 24 Unaffordable Flats. It is not a long-lost but recently-discovered addition to the Conan Doyle canon, but rather a news story on Inside Croydon about claims by a councillor that they had managed to persuade the planning committee to protect an “important building…an important part of our local history and character”.

‘Saved’: Or is it? Conan-Doyle’s blue-plaqued former home in South Norwood has no planning protections from development

This apparent victory of the people over property developers is a phantom, however.

Inside Croydon explains: “The first planning application at the first meeting of the LabCon stitched-up planning committee at the start a new council administration is almost certain to be appealed to the government’s Planning Inspector, potentially at huge public cost, after the new committee managed to refuse permission for a scheme to build 24 flats in South Norwood in the middle of a housing crisis.”

Appealed, and Inside Croydon predicts, overturned. Continue reading

Posted in Croydon East, Inside Croydon, Ken Towl, Melanie Felten, Nicola Townsend, Planning, South Norwood | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Good Food Matters Open Day, New Addington, Fri June 19

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Free SWLLC benefits and housing advice sessions, Selhurst

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NOTE the revised timings and venue details

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Three accused in Croydon vote-rigging case to face trial in 2029

Three Croydon Labour Party activists – Joel Bodmer, his wife Shila Bodmer and former Fieldway councillor Carole Bonner – are to be tried on conspiracy and computer misuse charges, but will be forced to wait almost three years to make their case.

Long wait: Joel Bodmer has to wait until 2029 for trial

At Southwark Crown Court today, the three pleaded not guilty to a range of charges in connection with events surrounding the selection of a parliamentary candidate for Croydon East in 2023-2024.

A fourth Labour Party figure facing charges, Gabriel Leroy, 24, entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to commit an offence under the Criminal Law Act and the Computer Misuse Act .

Joel Bodmer, 40, Shila Bodmer, 41, and Carole Bonner, 69, all pleaded not guilty to the same charges.

Joel Bodmer also pleaded not guilty to the additional charge of perverting the course of justice in relation to allegedly altering phone records. Continue reading

Posted in Addiscombe East, Carole Bonner, Crime, Croydon East, David Evans, Maddie Henson, Natasha Irons, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

FT reports: Palace’s US billionaire owners look to sell shares

Financing deal: reports in the business press today link the funding for Crystal Palace’s new main stand to a possible £1billion sale of shares in the club by three American co-owners

Bankers on Wall Street and in The City have been tasked with finding potential buyers for Crystal Palace Football Club in a possible £1billion-plus sale.

Palace’s American billionaire owners, Josh Harris, David Blitzer and Woody Johnson, are making moves to off-load their combined 79% ownership share in the club, according to reports in the Financial Times.

The news comes on the same day that Palace confirmed that Pierre Sage would be joining the club next month as its new head coach, replacing Oliver Glasner. Continue reading

Posted in Crystal Palace FC, Football, Oliver Glasner, Pierre Sage, Sport, Steve Parish | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

New Palace boss Sage imparts his wisdom as he starts job

Crystal Palace yesterday confirmed the appointment of Pierre Sage as the club’s new head coach, on a three-year contract, subject to work visas being confirmed.

Knows his onions: Pierre Sage, in his first interview since becoming Crystal Palace manager

The 47-year-old Frenchman replaces Oliver Glasner, the triple trophy-winning Eagles boss who left Selhurst Park at the end of his contract last month.

Sage was named France’s manager of the season recently, after taking Lens to second place in Ligue 1 and winning the French cup for the first time in the club’s history.

In a video on the Palace club website, Sage said he wants to continue with the spirit built up among the players under Glasner.

“Oliver Glasner achieved some amazing things, and now I have to do the same. That’s why we come here with a lot of ambition. Continue reading

Posted in Crystal Palace FC, Football, Oliver Glasner, Pierre Sage, Sport, Steve Parish | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What south London’s live music revival means for performers

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Live tunes: The Oval Tavern is one of the leading venues for live music in south London

South London is loud again.

After years of shuttered venues and cancelled gigs, stages across the area are filling up, and Croydon has quietly become one of the busiest spots for it.

If you play live, this matters to you in a very practical way. Continue reading

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Queer lives behind net curtains, John Grindrod talk, Thu Jun 18

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Blind man enjoys wonders of cricket comradeship at The Oval

Oval world: Yusuf Osman enjoys his visits to Surrey County Cricket Club – and now has lots of ways to follow the game

HOOK’S SHOT: With a record 20,000 members, Surrey County Cricket Club needs to ensure they are all well looked after. MARCUS HOOK speaks to a visually impaired Norbury resident for whom the Pavilion has become almost a second home 

Radio and online commentaries have made sports like cricket significantly more accessible to blind people. But just imagine how daunting it must be going to matches if you are visually impaired, especially if you don’t know the venue.

You arrive, crowds of people are moving in all directions, conversations overlap, loudspeakers announce information and there’s music blaring.

For those who cannot rely on sight, simply finding the right seat, or navigating stairs and corridors, requires careful planning. Continue reading

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How to navigate the planning process without getting it wrong

Navigate the planning department: property owners planning alterations or extensions will need to negotiate with the bureaucrats working at Fisher’s Folly

ZAEEM CHAUDHARY, pictured left, offers some expert advice for any Croydon homeowners planning to undertake building works

When you are looking to make a home renovation project, one of the first things you need to check is whether you need to get planning permission. A lot of renovations don’t require planning permission from the local authority, as they are within your permitted rights.

However, a lot of homeowners do not know the full process of obtaining planning permission and what they are required to do when dealing with the council’s planning team. So here’s a few suggestions to help navigate the planning process in Croydon without getting it wrong. Continue reading

Posted in Croydon Council, Planning, Property | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Farm Fest annual fund-raiser, Deen City Farm, Merton, Jun 27

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We Run Croydon, meeting Addiscombe, every Wednesday

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Back to the LOOP to pass site of Tudor palace like none other

Summer afternoon: at just three and a half miles, the amble along the LOOP from Banstead to Ewell is ideal for a couple of hours

SUNDAY WALKS WITH KEN TOWL: Our resident rambler has set off on his travelsagain, this time picking up on the LOOP – the London Outer Orbital Path – to explore a short stretch of the Surrey Hills between Banstead and Bourne Hall Park

The section of the London Outer Orbital Path that runs from Banstead Downs to Bourne Hall Park is only three and a half miles long, so it allows you time to take in the beauty and majesty of Nonsuch Park, the site of the palace that Henry VIII built, at great expense to the Treasury to be the greatest royal residence in Europe.

Indeed, there was to be none such a place in the whole world! Continue reading

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Carriage driver yelled ‘Murder!’ in a Victorian road rage episode

Coach and horses: 200 years ago, unless you owned a horse and could ride, the stagecoach was the quickest way to travel from London to Brighton

CROYDON CHRONICLES: Almost 200 years ago, travelling even modest distances, between the capital and coast, could be a perilous business – especially if you had a short-tempered baronet driving your stagecoach at high speed.
DAVID MORGAN explains

Impatience on the roads today is reflected in the increased use of the horn if a driver pulls away too slowly from the traffic lights. Tooting can be heard from drivers stuck in a queue who can’t see the reason for the hold-up. Sometimes frustration boils over into road rage, with motorists shouting insults out of the window, or worse.

But road rage is nothing new. Back on a Friday afternoon in September 1838, long before the motor car was invented, there was an incident between two drivers in central Croydon that made headlines in the newspapers of the time, just a few weeks after Victoria had been crowned Queen at Westminster Abbey.

A phaeton, a sporty, two-wheeled carriage pulled by a pair of horses, was approaching Croydon at speed along the Brighton Road. The groom who was driving was forced to come to a halt because of a bit of a Victorian traffic jam, caused by various carts and people milling around. Continue reading

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Croydon Bach Choir sing Bernstein and Rutter, Sat June 27

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Chestnut Gardens Open Day, Foxley Lane, Sat June 20

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Take a step back to the 1970s with Jake Yapp’s game show

Inside Croydon subscribers can win a pair of tickets for Cornershop Showdown in a special 1970s quiz – click here to enter  our competition now!

Going back in time: Jake Yapp and the lovely Julie promise a ‘highly interactive’ visit to 1976

For one generation, shows like The Generation Game, 3-2-1 and The Price Is Right are synonymous with great entertainment. For another, they’re a somewhat baffling glimpse into another era.

Jake Yapp has taken his love of 1970s gameshows and used it to create Cornershop Showdown – a new, live and “highly interactive” gameshow where members of the audience compete for appalling prizes.

Yapp’s bringing his latest show (suitable for 16+) to Croydon for the Croydonites Fringe Festival, where he will be performing Cornershop Showdown at Studio 55 (in Centrale) on Saturday, July 4.

Yapp has taken the lampooning skills he honed making Radio 4 in Four Minutes and his takedowns of Sunday Brunch and This Morning for Charlie Brooker’s Weekly Wipe and applied them to game shows “in an unflinching but affectionate send-up”. Continue reading

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Lloyds makes the move into Centrale with £1.6m new branch

Centralised banking: Lloyds moves its town centre branch to the Westfield-managed Centrale from Monday

Lloyds Bank moves into Centrale on Monday, and says it has invested £1.6million in its new town centre branch.

To mark the opening, the first customers through the doors on June 15 will be offered biscuits decorated with the Lloyds black horse trade mark, “alongside other surprise horsey giveaways”, the bank says. Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Centrale, North End Quarter, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Croydon Community Energy: Join our board of directors

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Good Food Matters Open Day, New Addington, Fri June 19

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Sherlock Holmes and the mystery of the 24 unaffordable flats

Planning permission was refused last night for a scheme that threatens a South Norwood heritage building which was once home to Arthur Conan Doyle. But this case is not closed yet…

Local heritage: the blue plaque at 12 Tennison Road

And so it came to pass…

The first planning application at the first meeting of the LabCon stitched-up planning committee at the start a new council administration is almost certain to be appealed to the government’s Planning Inspector, potentially at huge public cost, after the new committee managed to refuse permission for a scheme to build 24 flats in South Norwood in the middle of a housing crisis.

The profit-hungry developers Walker Properties Ltd claim that they could not include a single “affordable” home and still deliver a “viable” development at 12 and 14 Tennison Road – where their flats could sell for an estimated total of £7million-plus.

A distraction from the commercial purpose of the developers is the use of 12 Tennison Road, which for three years in the 1890s was the family home of Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, History, Housing, Nicola Townsend, Planning, Property, Sean Fitzsimons, South Norwood | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Delivery rider badly hurt after hit-and-run in South Croydon

Cordoned off: Brighton Road was closed for more than an hour last night as emergency services dealt with the consequences of a speeding driver. Photo: Rakesh Jaitly/iC

PHOTO EXCLUSIVE by RAKESH JAITLY

A delivery rider is being treated in hospital after being hit by a speeding car in what eyewitnesses described as a hit-and-run  crash on a busy South Croydon road during Thursday night’s rush hour.

The main Brighton Road through South Croydon was closed by police for more than an hour, as emergency services dealt with the consequences of a reckless speeding driver. Continue reading

Posted in Crime, South Croydon | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Croydon’s businesses are losing £21,000 a year to crime. It could be their CCTV cameras that are the problem

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The cost of crime: shop-lifting and other offences in Croydon town centre in 2025 cost businesses £2.5m

There is a figure in the latest Croydon BID business crime survey that should stop anyone running a shop in the town centre in their tracks. The combined cost of crime to local businesses last year came to an estimated £2.5million. Spread across those affected, that works out at around £21,000 each.

That is not an abstract number. It is stock walking out of the door, staff time spent dealing with the aftermath, higher insurance and, in too many cases, the cost of fear. Nearly half of the retailers surveyed said their staff had faced assaults or threats. Almost three-quarters said they were hit by shoplifting at least once a week. Continue reading

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Bullying concerns at St Helier Hospital raised in CQC report

INSIDE SUTTON: Issues around safety and leadership, plus accusations of bullying, see Sutton’s NHS hospital downgraded to ‘Requires improvement’ after latest CQC inspection. CARL SHILTON reports

Under a cloud: the CQC inspectors found a number of troubling issues at St Helier

Staff reported bullying and discrimination from leaders in the surgery services at St Helier, “which could undermine staff morale and safe care”, according to a Care Quality Commission inspection report on Sutton’s large NHS hospital.

Assessed together with Queen Mary’s Hospital for Children, which is located on the same Wrythe Lane site, St Helier has been rated “Good” under categories effective, caring and responsive. However, it has again been rated “Requires improvement” for safe and the CQC lowered its rating for well-led from “Good” to “Requires improvement” following the inspection, which was carried out in December.

“Bullying” at St Helier is mentioned nine times in the CQC report, which was published today.

The inspectors also visited Epsom Hospital, which is in the same NHS Trust as St Helier. Overall, the Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust remain rated “Good”.

Today, responding to the CQC report, one St Helier medic told Inside Sutton: “I’m not surprised that bullying gets a prominent mention, simply because of the immense pressure we’re constantly working under… We’re short of everything here. Staff, space… everything. And we’re also short of patience.” Continue reading

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