Category Archives: College Green

Developers face £20m bill to under-pin East Croydon towers

After four very tall towers have recently been erected opposite East Croydon Station, residents are questioning whether three more will be too many, reports BARRATT HOLMES, housing correspondent The developers of the latest 775-flat residential scheme proposed for Croydon town … Continue reading

Posted in Business, College Green, Croydon College, Croydon Council, Delta Properties, Housing, Planning, Property | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Fairfield: £300k council fraud investigation and still no answers

EXCLUSIVE: Council says its specialist investigators have yet to find anything around the £67m botched refurbishment of the arts centre which needs to be reported to the police. By STEVEN DOWNES An investigation to discover if there was any fraud … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Business, College Green, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jason Cummings, Jo Negrini, Property, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Robert Ward, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Halls of shame: Butler and Scott referred to council legal chief

CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: Leading figures in the council’s financial crash failed to declare any interests before taking part in vote against calling in the police to investigate possible fraud at the Fairfield Halls. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Labour councillors … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, College Green, Crime, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, John Jones, Paul Scott, Planning, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

£67m fraud at Fairfield: Town Hall row over calling in police

CRISIS SPECIAL: The council’s most senior legal official wants to check the £70m Fairfield fiasco for fraud, but the borough’s Labour councillors don’t want to call in the police, yet their leader says she has already reported it to the … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Chris Clark, College Green, Crime, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Felicity Flynn, Hamida Ali, Jo Negrini, John Jones, Lisa Taylor, Lynne Hale, Mott MacDonald, Oliver Lewis, Paul Scott, Planning, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Robert Ward, Sean Fitzsimons, Simon Hall, Stuart Collins, Stuart King, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Tories miss chance to call for police action over Fairfield fiasco

Political editor WALTER CRONXITE on the latest fall-out from the £37m overspend on the arts venue as the borough’s councillors – Tory as well as Labour – appear reluctant to turn their old mates over to the police The council … Continue reading

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, College Green, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jason Perry, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Paul Scott, Planning, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Shifa Mustafa, Simon Hall, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Negrini and execs ‘failed to ensure council was acting lawfully’

CROYDON IN CRISIS: An auditors’ report into the ‘shoddy’ deal that handed the Fairfield Halls refurbishment to loss-making builders Brick by Brick hints at potential fraud and accuses senior officials of large-scale negligence. EXCLUSIVE by WALTER CRONXITE, Political Editor Some … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, College Green, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Hamida Ali, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Paul Scott, Planning, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Shifa Mustafa, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Council flogs off hotel for less than £29.8m it cost to buy

CROYDON IN CRISIS: While one Labour MP dines out with a notorious property lobbyist whose employees include the council’s deputy leader, one of the firm’s clients has snapped up the Croydon Park Hotel at a bargain basement price. EXCLUSIVE By … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Callton Young, College Green, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Housing, Improvement Board, London-wide issues, Planning, Property, Steve Reed MP, Stuart King | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Reprieved! Buss recommends scrapping dozens of build plans

Among the recommendations contained in the report on the future of Brick by Brick going before next Tuesday’s scrutiny committee is a list of sites which are no longer to be developed by the loss-making council-owned builder. The biggest site … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, College Green, Croydon Council, Paul Scott, Planning, Section 114 notice, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Council set to take £100m hit as it winds down Brick by Brick

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The borough is looking for a buyer for its failed development company, as a secret report to next week’s scrutiny committee balances the costs of selling off sites currently under development against the price of persisting with … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, College Green, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Fairfield Homes, Hamida Ali, Housing, Katherine Kerswell, Planning, Property, Section 114 notice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

FAT chance of there being any inspired designs for Fair Field

CROYDON COMMENTARY: The council might be broke, but that hasn’t stopped them spaffing another million pounds, maybe more, on a set of architects’ designs which are certain to turn the borough into a laughing stock once more, says SEBASTIAN TILLINGER … Continue reading

Posted in Art, College Green, College Tower, Croydon Council, Croydon parks, Environment, Fairfield Halls, Fairfield Homes, Jo Negrini, Paul Scott, Place Review Panel, Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Where’s the step-free access to East Croydon? Or aesthetics?

CROYDON COMMENTARY: The buildings granted planning permission on Thursday night, between the Fairfield Halls and the railway line, are architecturally disappointing and the scheme fails to deliver on one of the requirements in the local plan, says SEBASTIAN TILLINGER Having … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Chris Clark, College Green, Croydon Council, Fairfield, Paul Scott, Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Putting Mr Blobby in charge is Newman’s latest blunder

TOWN HALL SKETCH: If a council’s planning deliberations have to be seen and heard to meet the requirements for democracy laid down by law, then Croydon could be in a spot of trouble, writes WALTER CRONXITE Well, that was a … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Chris Clark, College Green, Croydon Council, East Croydon, Fairfield, Fairfield Homes, Housing, Mayor of London, Paul Scott, Planning, Property, Toni Letts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Only 16% of council’s Fairfield flats project will be affordable

Our housing correspondent BARRATT HOLMES on the latest signs of desperation to fix Brick by Brick’s failing finances The planning application being considered by the charade that will pass for a planning committee meeting next Thursday is for a scheme … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, College Green, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Fairfield Homes, Housing, Jo Negrini, Planning, Property | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Council goes toe-to-toe with College over ‘university’

Croydon College and the University of Sussex have been providing degree courses in the town centre for a decade. Now the council, with its own multi-billion development plans in tatters, has decided to come up with a scheme of its … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Brick by Brick, Business, College Green, Colm Lacey, Croydon College, Croydon Council, Croydon School of Art, Education, Jo Negrini, Planning, South Bank Poly, Sussex Innovation Centre, Tony Newman, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Official: Croydon won’t build a single council home in 8 years

Council housing company won’t complete first new home until March Of homes to be completed this year, only 29% will be ‘affordable’ Two Tory councillors failed to show up for scrutiny of Brick by Brick Business plan is ‘just guesswork’, … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Business, College Green, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Housing, Jo Negrini, London-wide issues, Luke Clancy, Lynne Hale, Mayor of London, Planning, Property, Richard Chatterjee, Tony Newman, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

£400m+ scheme at risk after council’s failed property deal

BARRATT HOLMES, our housing reporter, on how bungling by ‘award-winning’ Brick by Brick has put in serious jeopardy half-a-billion-pounds’ worth of new homes, has damaged the Town Hall’s relationship with Croydon College, and leaves a gaping funding hole for Fairfield … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Arnhem Gallery, Brick by Brick, Business, Chris Philp MP, College Green, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Croydon South, Fairfield Halls, Housing, Jo Negrini, Paul Scott, Planning, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

How CEO Negrini used council money to promote herself

Here is the text of the ‘sponsored competition’ which appeared on the website of the Architect’s Journal on December 5, just after the publication was announcing that Croydon Council’s Brick by Brick house-builder (which has yet to build a single … Continue reading

Posted in Arnhem Gallery, Ashcroft Theatre, Brick by Brick, College Green, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Planning | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

College sells Annex building to thwart Cultural Quarter plan

Croydon Council has been accused of ‘incompetence’ after a building it needed as part of a multi-million-pound development has been sold to a private developer. BARRATT HOLMES, our housing correspondent, reports Croydon College has sold part of its site to … Continue reading

Posted in Alison Butler, Art, Ashcroft Theatre, Brick by Brick, College Green, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Jo Negrini, Paul Scott, Planning, Theatre, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Tories oppose 2,000 homes in housing minister’s constituency

WALTER CRONXITE reports on the planning permission granted to a Labour council scheme which could make Gavin Barwell’s constituency a safe Tory seat Barely a year before the next Town Hall elections, and Croydon Tories last night handed a gift-wrapped … Continue reading

Posted in 2018 council elections, Ashcroft Theatre, Brick by Brick, Chris Wright, College Green, Coulsdon East, Coulsdon West, Croydon Central, Croydon College, Croydon Council, Environment, Fairfield, Fairfield Halls, Gavin Barwell, Helen Pollard, Housing, Jason Perry, Jo Negrini, Luke Clancy, Planning, South Croydon, Sue Winborn, Theatre, Timothy Godfrey, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Council confirms Fairfield Halls will not open before Nov 2018

Jo Negrini, the council’s chief executive, may like to pretend to her property speculator mates that refurbishment work on the Fairfield Halls is “on track”, but even her own officials are now admitting that Croydon’s major performing arts centre will … Continue reading

Posted in 2018 council elections, Ashcroft Theatre, Brick by Brick, College Green, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Housing, Jo Negrini, Planning, Timothy Godfrey, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Newman’s £18m ‘cast-iron guarantee’ that bucks the market

WALTER CRONXITE on how a Labour-run council that says it is committed to housing the homeless meanwhile needs to maximise profits from a property development at College Green The people of Croydon should be worried. Tony Newman has offered what … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, College Green, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Housing, Jo Negrini, RIF, Tony Newman, URV | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment