Contractors’ tractors and other heavy vehicles moved in on Sanderstead Rec last week to start a council works project.
All dug up: the scene at Sanderstead Rec at the weekend – with the annual Community Day fast approaching
Trouble is, no one at Croydon Council bothered advising local residents, who have spent many months organising their annual local festival, the Sanderstead Community Day, which was supposed to be held in the recreation ground on September 27.
During the past week, fences have been erected by council contractors, who have bulldozed up large tracts of the public park.
“For some reason, the established procedures of installing informative signs prior to the works were not followed on this particular project,” volunteers from the Sanderstead Residents’ Association have noted, sounding most put-out.
Even Sanderstead’s Conservative councillors don’t appear to have been advised in advance. And if they were, they don’t appear to have shared the information with the Sanderstead Residents’ Association.
Having presided over the controversial closure of the public library in Sanderstead, the unannounced digging up of Sanderstead Rec, for whatever reason, will be another black mark for the local Tories.
The council’s management of contractors, such as with the dumping of hundreds of library books outside Broad Green Library last month, has been called into question once again.
“The council apologise,” the SRA say, knowing that such an apology amounts to very little.
“We were particularly concerned regarding the timescale [of the works] because of the upcoming Sanderstead Community Day on Saturday 27,” they added.
Belatedly – a week into the works – an interim parks manager has explained that the works are intended “to improve the path from the playground”, with pathways being widened and resurfaced, and gravel paths replaced with tarmac.
“There are no indications that the works will not be completed before the 27,” the council interim manager advised. Fingers crossed, eh?
Read more: Booked! Mayor Perry deceives over destruction of library stock
PAID ADS: To advertise your services or products to our 10,000 weekday visitors to the site, as featured on Google News Showcase, email us inside.croydon@btinternet.com for our unbeatable ad rates
- If you have a news story about life in or around Croydon, or want to publicise your residents’ association or business, or if you have a local event to promote, please email us with full details at inside.croydon@btinternet.com
As featured on Google News Showcase
- Our comments section on every report provides all readers with an immediate “right of reply” on all our content. Our comments policy can be read by clicking here
Inside Croydon is a member of the Independent Community News Network
I have every confidence that Mayor Perry will get this work completed by September the 27th to enable the annual Fair to take place or otherwise make a video at the Park bemoaning why it is everybody elses fault except his if they don’t.
So, Croydon Council has plenty of money to spend after all
I thought the council was skint, hence closing libraries and sacking school crossing patrol people, and the government sending in commissioners
What? I am fearful that the Sanderstead and Purley Oaks Labour Party gazebo will get squished between piles of do do! Can’t have that! The good people of Sanderstead deserve their democratic quota. Not to mention our £40. We look forward to engaging with them on all the local and national issues of the moment! Don’t panic! Jason has got this one.
Digging up Sanderstead Rec, in the heart of the Tory voting south of the borough? So Piss-Poor Perry is so stupid that he has never heard of the phrase “Never shit in your own patch of the woods”? Surely he cannot be serious about trying to be re-elected as Croydon Mayor in 2026, for another four years of idiocy ?
Mayor Perry may fancy his chances of re-election. Since the last Mayoral Election the Labour vote in London has halved, the Tory vote down by a quarter.
2nd of May 2024 – London Mayor and Assembly Election
4th of July 2024 – UK General Election
What is the source for your assertions?
When you say ‘the Tory vote’ and ‘the Labour vote’ are you referring to opinion polls, not votes?
As a further thought, how do percentage changes in London-wide voting intentions have a corresponding bearing on those for the single borough of Croydon?
The London Borough councils have been elected with different and various political majorities now, and over the years.
(incidentally, I much prefer ‘elected to serve [the public]’ to ‘winning power’ etc as what is meant to be going on at any level of democratically-elected government).