Category Archives: Planning

Figures show how exodus from Whitgift Centre is speeding up

The number of empty retail units in the Whitgift Centre has increased by more than 50% in the past year, according to recent research. Now under the management of Westfield, the Whitgift Centre was supposed to have been demolished and … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Business, Centrale, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

Westfield is forced to fence off Centrale’s leaky entrance

As one door opens, another slams into shoppers’ faces on North End, as temporary fencing was erected outside the entrance to Zara and House of Fraser Less than a week after Westfield was trumpeting the opening of two “kiosks” in … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Business, Centrale, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Fold managers admit to fire alarm fault in 35-storey tower

EXCLUSIVE: Four fire marshals and battery-powered smoke alarms have been intalled in the mould-ridden block, where there is only a single staircase to serve as a fire escape. By STEVEN DOWNES The managers of The Fold, the 35-storey residential tower … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield, Housing, Mayor of London, Property, Queens Gardens, Taberner House, The Fold | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Croydon transformed! Westfield open two kiosks in Allders

EXCLUSIVE: Work on the ageing Whitgift Centre might now not begin before 2028, while Westfield are angling for a public subsidy of at least £100m. Today, as two shops opened on the high street, STEVEN DOWNES took a place at … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Business, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Mouldy Fold: no problems with council flats says Town Hall

Croydon Council is to carry out checks on its 90 flats in Malcolm Wicks House, the fourth block built in the Queen’s Quarter where the 35-storey private rental tower The Fold is being evacuated to allow its owners to completely … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield, Housing, Mayor of London, Property, Queens Gardens, Taberner House, The Fold | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

After the delays, we reveal traders set for Allders kiosks

EXCLUSIVE: Months late, and with only six of the seven units allocated, Westfield is finally about to find a use for part of the town centre’s former department store. By STEVEN DOWNES  More than a year after being granted planning … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Business, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

‘Let us be free from this hellhole’: Fold tenants issue demands

EXCLUSIVE: Residents in one of Croydon’s tallest buildings are becoming increasingly angry and militant over their treatment by their multi-billion-pound landlords. By STEVEN DOWNES The owners of The Fold, the 35-storey residential tower in Queen’s Gardens, have been given a … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield, Housing, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Property, Queens Gardens, Rowenna Davis, Taberner House, The Fold | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

UnFolding story: residents’ meeting is moved as concerns rise

EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Fire safety inspectors from the London Fire Brigade were on site this morning at The Fold, the 35-storey tower block close to Croydon Town Hall, where residents fear for their well-being because of poor-quality finishes to … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield, Housing, Mayor of London, Property, Queens Gardens, Taberner House, The Fold | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Fold folds: Hundreds of tenants given six months to leave

EXCLUSIVE: Croydon faces another housing crisis as poor build quality on four blocks built alongside the Town Hall is forcing the owners to carry out extensive works. By STEVEN DOWNES Residents living in Croydon’s fourth-tallest building, 35-storey The Fold, on … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Fairfield, Housing, Mayor of London, Property, Queens Gardens, Taberner House | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

Reshuffle puts Streatham MP on the spot over council funding

Steve Reed will probably feel more at home at MHCLG, but is the former leader of Lambeth Council, who as an MP was a bystander over ‘slum-like’ conditions at Regina Road and the bankrupting of Croydon, up to the job … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Commissioners, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Housing, Jo Negrini, Lambeth Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Regina Road Residents' Support Group, South Norwood, Steve Reed MP, Streatham and Croydon North | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

From ‘last orders’ to holy orders: pub in change of use scheme

Our south of the borough correspondent, SANDRA STEAD, looks into one of the more bizarre planning application received by the council, even by Croydon standards “Sins downstairs, forgiveness upstairs.” That was the shrewd assessment of one local when they heard … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Chris Clark, Church and religions, Croydon Council, Fairfield, Parking, Planning, Property, Pubs, South Croydon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

‘Once they’re gone, they’re gone’: Corbyn digs in on allotments

Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour Party leader, has criticised the government’s move to relax restrictions on local councils to allow them to sell allotments to house-builders. Angela Rayner, the Secretary of State for housing, has recently given her permission for … Continue reading

Posted in Activities, Climate Crisis Commission, Community associations, Croydon Friends of the Earth, Croydon Greens, Croydon parks, Environment, Gardening, Planning, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

New director job ads signal end for Kerswell’s costly interims

EXCLUSIVE: Just a couple of weeks since the government Commissioners arrived in Croydon, and an obvious way of saving money is being implemented. By KEN LEE, Town Hall reporter Could it be that the era of £1,000 per day “interim”, … Continue reading

Posted in 'Future Croydon', Adam Wilkinson, Commissioners, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Karen Agbabiaka, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Property, Sue Hanlon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Council facing High Court challenge over ‘No Access Croydon’

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The Public Interest Law Centre is bringing a Judicial Review against the council claiming it is failing to meet its statutory responsibilities and is acting in a discriminatory manner EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Tory Mayor Jason Perry … Continue reading

Posted in Bernard Weatherill House, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Housing, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Sutton fear ‘Croydonisation’ as developers chalk up extra flats

Profit-hungry developers have been given permission to build more than 1,000 flats in Chalk Gardens, the town centre site of the former B&Q store It seems that 970 flats in one of the biggest residential developments in Sutton, at something … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Housing, Jayne McCoy, London-wide issues, Planning, Property, Sutton Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

How chief Nimby Philp built in Tories’ own Purley backyard

BARRATT HOLMES, housing correspondent, on what is undoubtedly, even by Croydon’s low standards, the most egregious example of ‘do as we say, not as we do’ from our politicians Croydon residents living south of the Flyover, whether they are in … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Chris Clark, Chris Philp MP, Croydon South, Housing, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Property, Purley | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Only 20% ‘affordable’ in 676 flats proposed for College Green

Housing correspondent BARRATT HOLMES on the latest proposals for huge towers providing expensive flats and situated close to East Croydon Station The site next to the Fairfield Halls and Croydon College, once owned by Croydon Council through its failed house-building … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, College Green, Croydon Council, Delta Properties, Delta Properties Ltd, Fairfield, Housing, Planning, Property, Tapestry Croydon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Perry’s poor waffle performance shows who is really in charge

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The borough’s £82,000 per year executive Mayor gave up a morning of his valuable time to help a property PR firm boost the flagging credibility of Westfield’s town centre proposals. And there among the breakfast croissants and … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Business, Centrale, Croydon Council, Housing, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, North End Quarter, Planning, Tom Copley, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Surrey, Lambeth and Bromley beat Croydon as rotten boroughs

Based on official Ombudsman figures, our council remains among the most complained about in England. But might there be a glimmer of improvement in the figures, or has our borough just been overtaken for rotteness by others? EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN … Continue reading

Posted in Adult Social Care, Children's Services, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Another Croydon mugging as Westfield stages latest charade

There’s a public consultation about the long-delayed Westfield redevelopment of the town centre. Yes, another one. But there’s no promises of when any work will actually begin, or end. By STEVEN DOWNES After decades of broken promises and inflicting development … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Adam Smith, Business, Centrale, Housing, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Upper Norwood neighbours win 5-year battle with developer

After a five-year battle against a deep-pocketed developer, aided and abetted by Croydon Council’s planning department, residents on Downsview Road in Upper Norwood have claimed victory in the High Court. But they now face financial ruin because of the huge … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Community associations, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Environment, Housing, Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Property salesman Lewis quits council job over interim costs

EXCLUSIVE: One of the cash-strapped council’s £1,000 per day ‘temporary’ directors left Fisher’s Folly in a bit of a rush last week – getting out before the Commissioners arrive. By STEVEN DOWNES Huw Rhys Lewis BSc, BArch, MSc, MRIBA, MAPM, … Continue reading

Posted in 'Future Croydon', Adam Wilkinson, Commissioners, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon Nightwatch, Heather Cheesbrough, Heathfield House, Improvement Board, Karen Agbabiaka, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Nazeya Hussain, Nick Hibberd, Property, Section 114 notice, Stabilisation Plan, Tony McArdle | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Westfield’s non-denial denials can’t mask their investment plan

More than 48 hours after trade magazine Property Week reported what Westfield had been briefing their investors about the possibility of them selling off their interests in Croydon, and there’s been not a peep from the Paris head office of … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Centrale, Croydon West, Housing, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Sarah Jones MP, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Westfield looking for ‘bargain basement’ sale of Croydon site

Respected trade magazine Property Week is reporting that after almost 14 years of inflicting development blight on Croydon town centre, without ever laying a single brick, Westfield could be about to flog off their interests in south London once and … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Centrale, Housing, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

£1,000 per day ‘Interim Adam’ was Kerswell’s personal pick

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Residents are stung twice for recruitment costs of head of planning, at a crucial time for Westfield development and review of London and Local Plans. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Adam Wilkinson was handed the position as Croydon’s … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Adam Wilkinson, Business, Council Tax, CPO, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments