Businesses in Purley, backed by their business improvement district, are calling for immediate action from the owners of the Downlands Precinct, as the precinct’s ongoing closure is an “unsustainable situation” that they claim is causing “significant distress in the community”.
Closed off: businesses in Purley complain that the continuing closure of the Downlands Precinct is damaging trade
A collapsed ceiling in September last year has forced the closure of the Downlands Precinct, a walkthrough between Brighton Road and Purley High Street.
The failure of the management company, Parkfords Management Ltd, despite promises, to get repairs done to reopen the precinct is becoming the latest glaring example of Croydon Mayor Jason Perry’s impotency when it comes to getting the council to act effectively.
According to Purley BID this week, the “local economy [is] on the brink”, as a consequence of the precinct closure (which seems a little over-stated), although one or two retailers neighbouring the precinct have been badly affected.
Purley BID’s call for action is backed, apparently, by a Conservative councillor for the area, Samir Dwesar, who doesn’t appear to have twigged that his Tory Party colleague, Perry, is the executive Mayor who is supposed to get matters like this fixed.
“Since the ceiling collapse in September 2023, repeated promises for repairs have been unfulfilled, leading to significant distress in the community,” Purley BID said this week.
Concerned: Purley BID’s Simon Cripps
“The situation at Downlands Precinct is a clear example of bureaucratic inefficiency impacting real lives,” according to Simon Cripps, Purley BID’s CEO.
“Our businesses are the backbone of Purley’s economy, and the continued closure is unacceptable. We demand immediate action from the management company to uphold their responsibilities and restore access as a matter of urgency.”
Adrija Sikorskyte, the owner of Garden Scents, whose business adjoins the closed precinct, said, “As a local florist, the closure of the precinct has not just limited customer access but suffocated the vibrancy that once flourished here.
“Our regular customers find it difficult to navigate, and the foot traffic has drastically reduced. We were promised a swift resolution, but months have passed, and our pleas seem to fall on deaf ears.”
According to the ever-so-pompous Councillor Dwesar, the failure by the management company to make their property safe is “a denial of our community’s right to thrive”.
Dwesar said: “Blaming insurance issues and leaks is no longer acceptable. The businesses in Purley are suffering, and every day the precinct remains closed, we lose a part of our community’s economic vitality.”
Purley BID has asked for Parkfords Management Ltd to “provide a clear, fast timeline for the precinct’s reopening.
“The resilience of the community is strong, but it should not be tested by avoidable negligence.”
Jason Perry, Croydon’s £82,000 per year piss-poor Mayor, meanwhile, has been silent on the matter.
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At the same time how do we get the disgusting pigeion feces cleaned up at Boots, Asia Food, and the betting shop. Its utterly disgusting how anyone can run a business there and expect customers to walk through it.. it’s a disgraceful stain on the community.
The loss of the direct access to the bus stop on Brighton Road from the High Street is a concern and this might be reducing footfall.
Will you be calling on Mayor Perry to take “decisive” and “urgent” executive action?
Jason does have his solid and stable merits but I think it would be unreasonable for the epithets decisive or quick acting to be expected to apply here.
First task is to understand whether there are established rights of way.
If that is the case the authority could write to the owners to re-establish such access with legal action an option.
The terms “solid” and “stable”, when applied to our Mayor, suggest some “mucking out” is needed