To absolutely no one’s surprise – largely because they have paid top-dollar for the landmark site and need to make the £2 million investment work for them commercially – Lidl has submitted a renewed planning application for a supermarket where the Good Companions pub used to be at Hamsey Green.
Lidl’s new plan is little different from the original big grey steel shed
Even less surprisingly, the locals do not like it one bit.
“It’s still a steel shed,” local resident Paul Reddington told Inside Croydon.
Residents reckon that having forced Lidl to withdraw its previous planning application on the Limpsfield Road, the “gateway” from Surrey into Croydon, the latest supermarket scheme is little improved.
And locals’ fears that another supermarket in the area will kill off the local independent shops appear well-founded, as some shopkeepers are already shutting up and cutting their loses before the German giant moves into the area.
“The new design also misses the point about residents’ main objections,” Reddington said. “These centre on the traffic this store will generate on already congested roads – particularly at school drop-off and pick-up times,” our source said.
There are two schools, one primary, one secondary, just up the road from where Lidl expect their customers to drive into their supermarket car park. It is an issue which nothing Lidl can do will ever resolve, and with the area already well-served by nearby superstores and traffic levels never diminishing, the opposition to another massive convenience shop is unlikely to go away.
“The store would be right next door to almost 2,000 school children. Accidents are already common locally, and the access to the store is simply impractical,” said Reddington.
“Since the original application, four shops have closed in the neighbouring parade, and more will follow if the store gets the go ahead. Some of these shops have been there for decades and are already struggling in the recession. Lidl could mean the end to the nearby Co-op and in turn the Post Office within it.”
Residents have lobbied their local Sanderstead councillors, and while sympathetic, the likes of Councillor Yvette Hopley, soon to be the borough’s new mayor, have basically said that they cannot, or will not, do anything because the developers are able to exploit the planning regulations by using the former pub’s existing planning clearance to enable them to open a supermarket.
“Croydon Council needs to listen the overwhelming number of objections it is receiving,” Reddington said.
The deadline for objections in the planning consultation is next Tuesday, April 30, and the local residents’ group is calling for support from across the borough to prevent the over-development of their village-like area.
- The plans and other associated documents can be viewed at the planning portal of the Croydon Council website, where comments can be left. Alternatively comments can be sent to development.management@croydon.gov.uk quoting Planning Application Number 13/00957/P.
- Inside Croydon: For comment and analysis about Croydon, from inside Croydon
- Post your comments on this article below. If you have a news story about life in or around Croydon, a residents’ or business association or local event, please email us with full details at inside.croydon@btinternet.com
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Re LIDL at Hamsey Green – I’m all for it. It will reduce my petrol costs as it is nearer to Caterham than the current LIDL and ALDI.
As to the issue of accidents and school children – how about educating the children in road sense?
They are not at risk from traffic if they have a brain and know how to use it. If they get their heads out of their mobile devices and pay attention to where they’re going, they’ll be fine.
Maybe throw in some pavement sense and consideration for others too. The children seem to think that they own the pavement and that other pedestrians must take to the road to avoid the gaggles of self-centred brats.
Today’s parents are c**p, so we need the schools to instil some sense of humanity in the little darlings.
LIDL at Hamsey Green – yes please.
This week, Surrey Police did a survey of speeding cars along the road where there are two schools, and clocked at least one vehicle doing more than 50mph in a 30mph zone which is sign-posted as having school children about.
Not sure how much education of our kids about crossing roads safely can ever compensate for that kind of reckless and deadly dangerous law-breaking.
And placing a Lidl on that site will inevitably increase the amount of traffic there.