News reaches Inside Croydon of more discontent among local residents, this time in Kenley ward in the south of the borough, where they are also complaining of poor consultation from their council over the building of a high dependency medical unit in Higher Drive.
Higher Drive residents have overwhelmingly opposed plans for a High Dependency Unit being built near a children's playground
Brian Watson, who is co-ordinating the campaign, has started an appeal for support, expressing concern that the HDU, with its unrestricted visiting times, will cause unwelcome disruption for local residents. With the HDU opposite a nature reserve and near a newly opened children’s playground, there are worries that the unit’s extra traffic will risk accidents.
“122 staff, with a shift change at 8am every day!” Watson writes. “Constant Deliveries! Ambulance set down and pick up throughout the day and night! Special ‘Medical’ refuse collections! Light Pollution throughout the hours of darkness! Noise pollution at all hours! Nocturnal Vehicular activity! Increased pollution from 24 hour vehicular activity! Oh and yes, the completed ‘Hospital,’ it is proposed, will only have 14 car parking spaces, and is not served at all by public transport!”
Watson complains that already gridlocked junctions at Foxley Hill Road, Dale Road and the A22 Godstone Road “will become totally impassable”
Traffic concerns in the area recently saw another campaign launched to have measures introduced to make the A22 less dangerous for pedestrians.
Watson calls on concerned locals to lodge objections to the plans for 94, Higher Drive by writing to or emailing Natalie Glover, Planning Officer, Planning Control & Transportation Department, Croydon Council, Tabener House, Park Lane, Croydon, CR9 1JT.
natalie.glover@croydon.gov.uk.
Complaints require the full name and address of the obejctor for it to be registered.
The council has consulted 131 people in the neighbourhood, and received 120 responses. Not a single response was in favour of the development.
Click here to view the plans on the council’s planning registry.
The council did NOT consult 131 residents! They consulted a total of about 12 households because, according to them, they are only obliged to consult properties within 50m of the site!! They stuck to this despite the major nature of the application. Residents have stumbled on the information and people making their neighbours aware. This is a situation where the Council should realise that local residents lifestyle should not be destroyed and lives put at risk for commercially driven developers. Imagine 50/60 cars parked on the road 24×7 365 days a year!!!
This sadly is not a new situation but one that is being experienced increasingly, borough-wide, Lolade. I wonder if this is the same development opposed in Kenley some time back, again residents spread the word and fought the proposal.
The lack of consultation and advertising of key issues to residents is truly shocking but has occurred in CPZ proposals around Mayday, Arts and Heritage consultation, planning issues and the libraries consultation. It is up to residents to give the council a clear message that this is unacceptable and must stop.