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Category Archives: Planning
Crisis for Perry as Interim Adam resigns council planning job
KERSWELL’S CHAOTIC COUNCIL: A journeyman council director notorious for charging fees of £1,000 per day and taking massive pay-offs has quit as Croydon’s head of planning, following an investigation by this website. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Adam Wilkinson, the journeyman … Continue reading
Posted in "Hammersfield", Adam Wilkinson, Brick by Brick, Business, Council Tax, CPO, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre
Tagged Adam Wilkinson, Adam Wilkinson Consultancy Ltd, Cllr Alasdair Stewart, Cllr Jason Cummings, Companies House, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Derby City Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Katherine Kerswell, Kent County Council, London, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Tory, Westfield, Whitgift Centre
24 Comments
Interim Adam gets council job as HMRC winds up his company
CROYDON IN CRISIS: The council’s most recently appointed planning director was given the role while a company where he was sole director was being wound up in the High Court, an iC investigation has found. EXCLUSIVE by KEN LEE, Town … Continue reading
Posted in "Hammersfield", Adam Wilkinson, Alasdair Stewart, Brick by Brick, Business, Council Tax, CPO, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Jason Cummings, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre
Tagged Adam Wilkinson, Adam Wilkinson Consultancy Ltd, Alasdair Stewart, Brick by Brick, Cllr Alasdair Stewart, Cllr Jason Cummings, Companies House, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Derby City Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Katherine Kerswell, Kent County Council, London, London Borough of Croydon, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Tory, Westfield, Whitgift Centre
13 Comments
Owner Ansari seeks to avoid Leslie Arms planning conditions
CROYDON IN CRISIS: Since 2000, a multi-millionaire property developer has been allowing a Grade II-listed pub to decay. Now, he wants to change the conditions of his latest planning permission. KEN LEE, Town Hall reporter, on the sorry tale of … Continue reading
Posted in Addiscombe West, Business, Croydon Council, Housing, Leslie Arms, Planning, Property, Pubs, Tony Newman, Uncategorized
Tagged AA Homes, Addiscombe, Addiscombe West, Anwar Ansari, Cherry Orchard Road, Croydon, Croydon Council, Dogs attack, Dr Anwar Ansari, English Heritage, Kangal, Labour, Landlord licensing, Leslie Arms, Lloyd Park, Lower Addiscombe Road, Sadiq Khan, Sir Sadiq Khan, The Victorian Society, Tony Newman, Turkish Kangal, Yvette Cooper
16 Comments
The sorry 25-year chronology of a once great Addiscombe pub
LESLIE ARMS TIMELINE Since 2020, the owner of the Grade II-listed Leslie Arms on Lower Addiscombe Road has submitted 13 separate planning applications for the building – 14 if you include his 2009 appeal against a refusal of a planning … Continue reading
Posted in Addiscombe West, Business, Croydon Council, History, Housing, Leslie Arms, Planning, Property, Pubs
Tagged AA Homes, Addiscombe, Anwar Ansari, Croydon, Croydon Council, Dr Anwar Ansari, Leslie Arms, Planning, pubs, Upper Addiscombe Road
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‘It has to be’: Westfield scheme needs millions of public money
UNDER THE FLYOVER: In our latest podcast interview, housing specialist Fiona Fletcher-Smith, now the volunteer chair of the Whitgift Foundation’s governors, discusses the housing crisis, the closure of Old Palace School, what’s happening with the long-promised ‘kiosks’ in the Allders … Continue reading
Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Boris Johnson, Business, Charity, Croydon Council, Fiona Fletcher Smith, Housing, Inside Croydon, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, North End Quarter, Planning, Property, Sadiq Khan, Under The Flyover, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation
Tagged Boris Johnson, Court of Governors, Croydon, Croydon Council, Fiona Fletcher-Smith, GLA, Hammersfield, London, Mayor, Mayor Jason Perry, Roisha Hughes, Under The Flyover, Unibail Rodamco Westfield, URW, Westfield, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation
17 Comments
£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
12 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
