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Category Archives: Planning
£1,000 per day ‘Interim Adam’ lands Croydon planning job
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The council has made no announcement about who has taken over the borough’s top planning job, but this website has discovered that Heather Cheesbrough’s stand-in replacement is an ‘interim specialist’ who has pocketed more than £500,000 in … Continue reading
Posted in "Hammersfield", Adam Wilkinson, Brick by Brick, Business, CPO, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre
Tagged Adam Wilkinson, Brick by Brick, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Derby City Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Kent County Council, London, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Tory, Westfield, Whitgift Centre
23 Comments
Complaints against Perry’s council on rise, Ombudsman says
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Our Town Hall reporter, KEN LEE, on another year where our council is close to the top of a league table – for most upheld complaints Katherine Kerswell, Croydon’s £204,000 per year chief executive, if she bothered … Continue reading
Posted in Adult Social Care, Bromley Council, Children's Services, Croydon Council, Housing, Katherine Kerswell, Lambeth Council, Planning, Southwark Council, Surrey, Sutton Council
Tagged Amerdeep Somal, Bromley, Children's Care, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Housing, Katherine Kerswell, Lambeth, LGO, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, Local Government Ombudsman, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Ombudsman, Planning, social care, Southwark, Surrey County Council, Sutton, Tory
4 Comments
Building on precious green spaces won’t fix the housing crisis
CROYDON COMMENTARY: With mounting pressure on local authorities to allow the building on Green Belt land, PETER UNDERWOOD raises concerns that private profit is being put before people The combination of unreliable politicians and profit-hungry developers is putting our green … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Croydon parks, Environment, Housing, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Peter Underwood, Planning, Sadiq Khan, Selsdon Residents' Association, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale, Wildlife
Tagged Ashen Grove, Conservative, Croydon Council, Green Belt, Green Party, Housing, Labour, London, Mayor, Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, Peter Underwood, Planning, Sadiq Khan, Selsdon, Sir Sadiq Khan, Tory
6 Comments
‘Hypocrite’ Tory voted for proposal to destroy heritage home
Town Hall reporter KEN LEE on a planning committee meeting where Conservative councillors backed a private developer’s bid to drastically alter a listed family home in a conservation area So much for Tory Mayor Jason Perry protecting family homes in … Continue reading
Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Chris Clark, Chris Philp MP, Coulsdon, Coulsdon Town, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon South, Esther Sutton, Fairfield, Ian Parker, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Ria Patel
Tagged Chris Clark, Chris Philp MP, Cllr Esther Sutton, Cllr Ria Patel, Conservative, Coulsdon, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon South, Ian Parker, Labour, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Morgan, Planning, Ross Gentry, Tory
12 Comments
Ashen Grove is up for auction again – as site for 27 houses
Alarm bells are sounding among concerned residents in Selsdon, after a patch of public open space that sold at auction last month for more than five times its guide price has now been put straight back on the market – … Continue reading
Posted in Andrew Stranack, Community associations, Croydon parks, Environment, Housing, Planning, Property, Selsdon Residents' Association, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale, Wildlife
Tagged Andy Stranack, Ashen Grove, Cllr Andy Stranack, Croydon parks, Forestdale, Parks and open spaces, Peacock Gardens, Selsdon Residents' Association, Selsdon Vale, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale, Taylor Wimpey, Wimpey
5 Comments
569 more flats coming after £210m East Croydon property deal
Praise from Mayor Perry for a 28-storey tower in the town centre that his own council’s planners tried to block for being too tall Property speculators Cheyne Capital say they are going ahead with a scheme that will build hundreds … Continue reading
Posted in Addiscombe West, Business, Croydon Council, Housing, Mayor Jason Perry, No1 Croydon, Planning, Property
Tagged Addiscombe, Cheyne Capital, City Link House, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, East Croydon station, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Tory, Wittington Investments
12 Comments
Network Rail pulls its planning request for Bridge to Nowhere
EXCLUSIVE: Network Rail has made a U-turn over the Bridge to Nowhere, as people power – and commonsense – appear to have won the day. By JEREMY CLACKSON, transport correspondent Network Rail appears to have made a significant U-turn over … Continue reading
Negrini enjoys her centre stage return pitching for Mayor Khan
Like Banquo’s ghost, Jo Negrini has returned to haunt Croydon after her latest jaunt to the south of France for the annual “booze and hooker fest” – or prestigious international property conference – that is MIPIM. When “Negreedy” was the … Continue reading
Posted in "Hammersfield", Brick by Brick, Business, CPO, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Housing, Jo Negrini, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Planning, Sadiq Khan, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre
Tagged Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Jo Negrini, London, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Planning, Richard Plant, Sir Sadiq Khan, Stiles Harold Williams, Tory, Westfield, Whitgift Centre
10 Comments
Ex-planning chief’s rose-tinted view of Croydon developments
It appears that Heather Cheesbrough, Croydon Council’s former “director of planning and sustainable regeneration”, has been busy trying to rewrite history since leaving her £130,000-plus job earlier this month. An internal council memo gave the reason for Cheesbrough’s departure as … Continue reading
Posted in "Hammersfield", Brick by Brick, Business, CPO, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Jo Negrini, Planning, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre
Tagged Brick by Brick, Croydon, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Jo Negrini, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Tory, Westfield, Whitgift Centre
11 Comments
Planning consent granted for 580 flats in ‘space-age’ Croydon
Croydon Council has approved the plans to convert two 1960s office blocks on Wellesley Road, Apollo House and Lunar House, from office to residential use. More than 580 flats will be created as part of a scheme on behalf of … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Fairfield, Housing, Lunar House/Apollo House, Planning, Property
Tagged Apollo House, Fairfield, Ho Bee Land, Lunar House, Wellesley Road
12 Comments
Landowner wants public cash to help delayed Westfield project
EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES The Whitgift Foundation is in talks with the Mayor of London and central government for another multi-million-pound bail-out for Croydon, this one likely to centre around building around 3,000 homes in the town centre. That’s according … Continue reading
Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Business, Centrale, Charity, Housing, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, North End Quarter, Old Palace, Planning, Property, Roisha Hughes, Schools, TfL, Tom Copley, Trinity School, Under The Flyover, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation, Whitgift School
Tagged Croydon, Hammersfield, London, Mayor, Old Palace of John Whitgift School, Old Palace School, Roisha Hughes, Sir Howard Dawber, Tom Copley, Trinity School, Westfield, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation, Whitgift School
7 Comments
Beddington survives its own Suez crisis at ‘explosive’ meeting
In another set-back for “Hapless Helen” Bailey, the £230,000 per year chief executive of Sutton Council, a planning application to build a “monster” waste plant on Beddington Lane was rejected by councillors last night. The planning committee voted 4-3 against … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Environment, Helen Bailey, Nick Mattey, Planning, Refuse collection, Suez waste treatment plant, Sutton Council, Tim Foster, Waste incinerator
Tagged Beddington, Beddington Lane, Beddington Lane incinerator, Ed Joyce, Hapless Helen Bailey, Helen Bailey, Jayne McCoy, Nick Mattey, Planning, Suez, Sutton, Sutton Central, Sutton Council, Tim Foster, Viridor
5 Comments
Selsdon woodland open space offered for sale at just £20,000
A small patch of woodland in Selsdon, used as a public open space for decades, has been put up for sale for just £20,000 – and the local Tory councillor says that there is nothing Mayor Jason Perry or his … Continue reading
Posted in Andrew Stranack, Community associations, Croydon parks, Environment, Planning, Property, Selsdon Residents' Association, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale, Wildlife
Tagged Andy Stranack, Ashen Grove, Cllr Andy Stranack, Croydon parks, Forestdale, Parks and open spaces, Selsdon Residents' Association, Selsdon Vale, Selsdon Vale and Forestdale, Taylor Wimpey, Wimpey
7 Comments
Fond sporting memories played out on Norbury’s fine pitches
NEIL BENNETT, the former BBC News reporter, hopes that plans for the redevelopment of a sports ground in Norbury will at least restore some of its past sporting glories It was just the Westminter Bank Sports Ground in the 1950s … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Housing, Lambeth Council, Merton, Neil Bennett, Norbury, Planning
Tagged Merton Council, NatWest Sports Ground, Neil Bennett, Norbury, Peter Loader, Surrey cricket, Turle Road
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Perry repeats lie as he calls meeting over No Access Croydon
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Delayed replies, giving short-notice of an appointment and a divide-and-rule approach betray Mayor’s struggle to justify the closure of the authority’s public area, as librarians are now providing advice to the homeless. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Jason … Continue reading
Posted in Andrew Brown, Bernard Weatherill House, Charity, Community associations, Council Tax, Crisis Skylight Centre, Croydon BME Forum, Croydon Council, Croydon Nightwatch, Housing, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, South Norwood Community Kitchen, South West London Law Centres
Tagged Access Croydon, Bernard Weatherill House, BWH, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon BME Forum, Croydon Council, Croydon Nightwatch, Fisher's Folly, Homelessness, Katherine Kerswell, London Renters' Union, Mayor Jason Perry, South Norwood Community Kitchen, South West London Law Centre, Tory
9 Comments
Six doctors lead the objections against ‘monster’ waste plant
Six concerned doctors are among the hundreds of worried Sutton residents who have filed objections to a plan to build what one local councillor calls “a monster” food waste plant on Beddington Lane. The Suez food waste plant proposals are … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Dave Tchil, Environment, Helen Bailey, Nick Mattey, Planning, Refuse collection, Suez waste treatment plant, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator
Tagged Beddington, Beddington Lane, Beddington Lane incinerator, Hapless Helen Bailey, Helen Bailey, Nick Mattey, Pamela Marsh, Planning, Suez, Sutton, Sutton Central, Sutton Council, Viridor
2 Comments
Mayor Perry lied over access to services at other councils
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Claims made by the chief executive and executive Mayor over how other London boroughs manage their appointments systems have been found to be exaggerated and simply untrue EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Jason Perry has deliberately misled residents … Continue reading
Posted in 'Future Croydon', Bernard Weatherill House, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Housing, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry
Tagged Access Croydon, Bernard Weatherill House, BWH, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fisher's Folly, Homelessness, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, PSDH, Public Services Delivery Hub, Tory
4 Comments
No Access Croydon: council moves to Bernard Wetherill House
Your Council Tax goes up next week, to record levels, and chief exec Katherine Kerswell’s salary has now risen to £204,000 at the cash-strapped council. But as Kerswell wields the axe to more jobs in her drive for a “Digital … Continue reading
Posted in 'Future Croydon', Bernard Weatherill House, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry
Tagged Bernard Weatherill, Bernard Weatherill House, Bernard Wetherill House, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fisher's Folly, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Tory
1 Comment
No Access Croydon: 30 voluntary groups demand reopening
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Mayor Jason Perry and CEO Katherine Kerswell’s decision to make access to the council’s offices appointment-only may be in breach of the council’s legal responsibilities EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Letters have landed on the desks of Mayor … Continue reading
Posted in Bernard Weatherill House, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Housing, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry
Tagged Access Croydon, Bernard Weatherill House, BWH, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon BME Forum, Croydon Council, Croydon Nightwatch, Fisher's Folly, Homelessness, Katherine Kerswell, London Renters' Union, Mayor Jason Perry, PSDH, Public Services Delivery Hub, South Norwood Community Kitchen, South West London Law Centre, Tory
4 Comments
Network Rail’s compromise too far over #BridgeToNowhere
Angry residents are demanding that Network Rail delivers on its promises and drop a hare-brained scheme which would compromise the £22m piece of infrastructure at East Croydon Station permanently. By JEREMY CLACKSON, transport correspondent Network Rail has admitted that it … Continue reading
Posted in Addiscombe West, Business, Commuting, Croydon Council, East Croydon, Jerry Fitzpatrick, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Transport
Tagged #BridgeToNowhere, Addiscombe West, Bridge to Nowhere, Cherry Orchard Road, Croydon, Dingwall Road, East Croydon station, London, Mayor Jason Perry, Network Rail
5 Comments
Council bosses need to answer for Cheesbrough’s toxic legacy
CROYDON COMMENTARY: The announcement of the departure from the council of its long-standing planning director has been widely welcomed by many residents. But as WAYNE MULLEN explains, after his four-year battle with the council over planners’ misconduct, some of those … Continue reading
Posted in Chris Clark, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Nicola Townsend, Park Hill and Whitgift, Planning, Shifa Mustafa
Tagged Alison Butler, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Katherine Kerswell, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Nicola Townsend, Park Hill, Paul Scott, Planning, Ross Gentry, Steve Whiteside, Tory, Wayne Mullen
15 Comments
Council planning chief Cheesbrough set to take ‘career break’
EXCLUSIVE: After nearly a decade in charge of Croydon’s planning department, one of Jo Negrini’s closest colleagues is to leave Fisher’s Folly. By our Town Hall correspondent, KEN LEE Heather Cheesbrough, Croydon Council’s “director of planning and sustainable regeneration” (try … Continue reading
Posted in "Hammersfield", Brick by Brick, Business, CPO, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Jo Negrini, Planning, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre
Tagged Brick by Brick, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fairfield Halls, Heather Cheesbrough, Jo Negrini, London, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Tory, Westfield, Whitgift Centre
28 Comments
Kerswell issues warning to staff over ‘verbal abuse’ at council
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Flashpoints between security guards and council staff after just two days of the new appointments-only system at Fisher’s Folly have seen workers told ‘we will not tolerate abuse of any form’. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Within two … Continue reading
Posted in 'Future Croydon', Bernard Weatherill House, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Housing, Katherine Kerswell
Tagged Access Croydon, Bernard Weatherill House, BWH, Conservative, Council Tax, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fisher's Folly, Homelessness, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, PSDH, Public Services Delivery Hub, Tory
6 Comments
Opportunity knocks as Negrini does a MIPIM turn for London
Watch out London. The capital city’s Mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan, has made his first visit to MIPIM, the global property developers conference staged each spring in Cannes, with a notorious reputation in the past as a “booze and hookers fest”. … Continue reading
Posted in "Hammersfield", Brick by Brick, Business, Croydon BID, Heather Cheesbrough, Housing, Jo Negrini, Jules Pipe, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Planning, Sadiq Khan, TfL, Tom Copley, Transport, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre
Tagged Booze and hooker fest, Brick by Brick, Cannes, Croydon, Homes for Lambeth, Jo Negrini, Labour, Lambeth, Mayor, MIPIM, Opportunity London
3 Comments
East Croydon bridge to open in October, as MP fails to update
East Croydon Station’s Bridge to Nowhere is expected to be open, and finally allow pedestrians to go somewhere, in October. That’s according to Jeet Bains, the council cabinet member for planning and regeneration, in a speech at a Town Hall … Continue reading
Posted in Addiscombe West, Commuting, Croydon Council, Croydon East, Croydon West, East Croydon, Natasha Irons, Planning, Sarah Jones MP, TfL, Transport
Tagged Addiscombe, Bridge to Nowhere, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon East, Croydon West, East Croydon station, Jerry Fitzpatrick, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Natasha Irons MP, Network Rail, Planning, Sarah Jones MP, Tory
12 Comments
