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Category Archives: Pete Smith
Planners’ unconditional love for developers is unchanged
One of the arguments put forward for a change to a directly elected mayor was that they would be able to end the questionable practices of the council planning department. But as STEVE WHITESIDE explains, strategic ignorance and intellectual dishonesty … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Chris Philp MP, Croydon Council, Croydon South, Heather Cheesbrough, Housing, Lynne Hale, Pete Smith, Planning, Sanderstead
Tagged Arkwright Road, Chris Philp MP, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon South, Lynne Hale, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Planning Committee, Planning enforcement, Sanderstead, South Croydon, Steve Whiteside, Tory
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Landscape of deceit: director deletes qualification claim
By STEVEN DOWNES Five days ago, this website carried an article written by Steve Whiteside that exposed Heather Cheesbrough, “BA (Hons) PG Dip LA CMLI MRTPI”, Croydon Council’s “director of planning and strategic transport”, as claiming to be something that … Continue reading
Director of planning’s bogus claim over Institute membership
Planning officers routinely ignoring the requirements of local plans, little or no enforcement of conditions applied when permission has been granted and the courts throwing out decisions of the council. STEVE WHITESIDE on a litany of shortcomings, and worse, at … Continue reading
Objections? What objections? Opposition? What opposition?
CROYDON COMMENTARY: Has the council granted planning permission to a slew of sub-standard developments because the local Tories have allowed them to do so? STEVE WHITESIDE on the questions that Croydon Conservatives refuse to answer Have you ever wondered how … Continue reading
Posted in Chris Philp MP, Croydon Council, Croydon South, Dudley Mead, Jason Perry, Lynne Hale, Paul Scott, Pete Smith, Planning, Purley, Sanderstead, Tim Pollard
Tagged Chris Philp MP, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Croydon South, Dudley Mead, Jason Perry, Lynne Hale, Paul Scott, Pete Smith, Purley, Sanderstead, Selsdon, Tim Pollard
8 Comments
Institute member Townsend promoted as new chief planner
Nicola Townsend is the council’s new chief planner. Except she’s not. She’s been appointed as something which is described in council papers as Croydon’s “director of homes and social investment”. The council opted for an internal promotion to replace the … Continue reading
How Croydon’s planners have been giving a lift to developers
Planning policy requires that, apart from in ‘exceptional circumstances’, all new housing should have ‘step-free’ access. STEVE WHITESIDE has been looking at whether the council is always meeting those requirements when it grants planning permission to blocks of flats Croydon’s … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Housing, Paul Scott, Pete Smith, Planning
Tagged Aventier, Croydon, Croydon Council, Labour, London, Paul Scott, Pete Smith, Ross Gentry
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The mysterious case of Rectory Park’s growing block of flats
CROYDON COMMENTARY: Among the many bad planning decisions made by the council in recent years, those taken to allow a redevelopment in Rectory Park, South Croydon, ‘must surely rate as some of the most perverse’, according to STEVE WHITESIDE, who … Continue reading
Croydon’s head of planning set to retire. Will things improve?
CROYDON COMMENTARY: Pete Smith has been responsible for some ‘appallingly bad decisions’ while the head of the council planning department. Yet he has been free of risk of censure by the town planners’ professional body simply by not being an … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Paul Scott, Pete Smith, Planning
Tagged Croydon, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, London Borough of Croydon, Paul Scott, Pete Smith, Planning, Steve Whiteside
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After years of complaints, council escapes with an apology
12. That’s the grand total of complaints raised against Croydon Council by members of the public which have been upheld by the Local Government Ombudsman so far this year. It is a tally of incompetence, ineptitude and maladministration which should … Continue reading
Council’s secret deal on Queen’s Hotel sways inspector’s ruling
Our Crystal Palace correspondent, JOE PAXTON, on a predictable, if disappointing, outcome to a three-year planning battle Having twice won the arguments at the council’s planning committees, residents, councillors and even the local MP were today trumped by the developer-friendly … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Pat Ryan, Paul Scott, Pete Smith, Planning, Stephen Mann, Steve Reed MP
Tagged Croydon Council, Croydon North, Crystal Palace, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Queen's Hotel, Stephen Mann, Steve Reed OBE
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Queen’s Hotel planning inquiry is a case of David v Goliath
Whose side is Croydon Council on? As JOE PAXTON reports from the Town Hall, Crystal Palace Council Tax-payers face a four-day public hearing having had little support from their own local authority A David v Goliath battle commences at the … Continue reading
Posted in Business, Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Crystal Palace Community Association, Norwood Society, Pat Ryan, Paul Scott, Pete Smith, Planning, Stephen Mann, Steve Reed MP, Tony Newman
Tagged Croydon, Croydon North, Crystal Palace, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Labour, Pat Ryan, Paul Scott, Pete Smith, Queen's Hotel, Stephen Mann, Tony Newman
2 Comments
‘Godzilla weed’ could make Brick by Brick homes unsaleable
Our housing correspondent, BARRATT HOLMES, reports on how a notorious invasive plant Japanese knotweed could render flats in a Brick by Brick development unmortgageable Colm Lacey, the Croydon employee who styles himself as “CEO” of Brick by Brick, has confirmed … Continue reading
Did planning chief mislead committee over MP’s objections?
KEN LEE, our Town Hall reporter, on growing concerns about what testimony to trust at the council’s planning meetings Did Croydon’s most senior planning official mislead elected councillors on the planning committee last week? Had the planning department provided unhelpful … Continue reading
Posted in Addiscombe West, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Jo Negrini, Park Hill and Whitgift, Pete Smith, Planning, Property, Sarah Jones MP, Vidhi Mohan
Tagged Conservative, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Park Hill and Whitgift Estate, Sarah Jones MP, Tory, Vidhi Mohan
3 Comments
Labour councillors defy Scott over Queen’s Hotel expansion
WALTER CRONXITE, our political editor, on an against-the-odds victory for residents over the council’s planning machine For the second time in little more than six months, councillors sitting on Croydon’s planning committee have thrown out proposals for a giant-scale redevelopment … Continue reading
Posted in Chris Clark, Clive Fraser, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Felicity Flynn, Jason Perry, Oni Oviri, Parking, Pat Ryan, Paul Scott, Pete Smith, Planning, Queen's Hotel, Scott Roche, Simon Brew, South Norwood, Steve O'Connell, Steve Reed MP, TfL, Transport
Tagged Chris Clark, Clive Fraser, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace, Paul Scott, Pete Smith, Queen's Hotel, South Norwood, Steve O'Connell, Steve Reed OBE, Uppper Norwood
5 Comments
MP Jones to speak against Addiscombe Road flats scheme
Our housing correspondent, BARRATT HOLMES, reports on cross-party opposition to a property speculators’ multi-million-pound scheme that could change the exclusive Whitgift Estate forever Sarah Jones, Croydon Central’s Labour MP, will tomorrow night speak out at a Town Hall meeting against … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Housing, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Parking, Paul Scott, Pete Smith, Planning, Property, Queen's Hotel, Sadiq Khan, Sarah Jones MP, Steve O'Connell, Tony Newman, Vidhi Mohan, Wayne Lawlor
Tagged Conservative, Croydon Central, Croydon Council, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Park Hill and Whitgift Estate, Paul Scott, Sarah Jones MP, Steve O'Connell, Tory, Vidhi Mohan
6 Comments
Council planning chief’s ‘new way of working’ for Brick by Brick
Having managed to piss off people from Upper Norwood to Purley, from Shirley to Coulsdon, Brick by Brick, the council’s wholly owned and wholly opaque home-building company, and the Town Hall planning department are undertaking a pre-Christmas charm offensive. For … Continue reading
Trakas-Lawlor votes down Queen’s Hotel expansion plan
Has Croydon’s planning worm turned? KEN LEE reports from the Town Hall chamber, where two developments of little merit were both rejected last night Residents in Crystal Palace are preparing themselves for a long-term battle over the future of the … Continue reading
Posted in Chris Wright, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Jamie Audsley, Parking, Patsy Cummings, Paul Scott, Pete Smith, Planning, Property, South Norwood, Steve Reed MP, Wayne Lawlor
Tagged Conservative, Croydon North, Crystal Palace, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Jamie Audsley, Labour, Paul Scott, Pete Smith, Purley, South Norwood, Steve O'Connell, Steve Reed OBE, Tory, Wayne Trakas-Lawlor
3 Comments
Council’s experts warned hotel scheme must be rejected
The council’s planning department not only left out an MP’s objections to the Queen’s Hotel scheme, they tried to ignore entirely the findings of their own panel of conservation experts. KEN LEE reports Serious questions continue to be raised over … Continue reading
Posted in Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Humayun Kabir, Jo Negrini, Joy Prince, Paul Scott, Pete Smith, Planning, South Norwood
Tagged Croydon Council, Croydon North, Crystal Palace, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Jo Negrini, Labour, Member of parliament, North Croydon Conservation Area Advisory Panel, Paul Scott, Pete Smith, South Norwood, Steve Reed OBE
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Council planner admits: we didn’t report consultation findings
KEN LEE reports on the latest shocking development (cough) surrounding the failures of the council planning department Croydon Council has failed to fulfill its statutory, legal obligations over planning applications. Who says? The head of Croydon Council’s planning department, that’s … Continue reading
Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon South, Housing, Jo Negrini, Paul Scott, Pete Smith, Planning, Property, Purley, Sanderstead
Tagged Croydon Council, Croydon South, Derrick Avenue, Jo Negrini, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Norman Avenue, Purley, Purley Oaks Station, Sabderstead
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