Cash-strapped council admits it leased out the site for a long-promised medical centre in Coulsdon without any reference to councillors, while ‘the NHS is yet to confirm the latest forecast completion date for the project’
Croydon Council has admitted that the decision to lease a Coulsdon car park to a vehicle dealership was taken by an unaccountable council staffer, entirely without reference to councillors or the public. And, the council says, “the NHS has yet to confirm” when it might finally deliver a medical centre that has long been earmarked for the site.
Medical centre: there does not appear much chance of delivering the NHS facility while Kia are on site
As exclusively reported by Inside Croydon last week, Kia Coulsdon is paying for a 12-month lease of the CALAT car parfk, eight months after the cash-strapped council said that it had sold the same site to the NHS.
The CALAT site has been at the centre of development plans for almost a decade, part of property deals originally laid out for Brick by Brick, the housing firm that did much to bankrupt the borough.
The site of a former Coulsdon primary school has been earmarked for a much-needed NHS medical centre, and in March, Jason Perry, the borough’s Tory Mayor, and MP Chris Philp, announced that the site had finally been sold to the NHS. Work would begin in the next few months, Philp promised voters in the summer.
Bomb target: one of the many ULEZ cameras deliberately damaged by vandals, including one which was blown up in Sidcup last year by an explosive device
Vandals contine to be charged, have court dates set and are found guilty after causing hundreds of thousands of pounds of criminal damage – while Croydon’s Mayor, who was an ‘expert’ on an anti-ULEZ Facebook group, and his Tory MP chum have not had to face the consequences
A south Londoner has been charged and is due to appear at the Old Bailey following an investigation by the Met Police into an explosion at the site of a newly installed ULEZ camera in Sidcup in December last year.
Kevin Rees, 62, of Harcourt Avenue, Sidcup, was charged with causing an explosion likely to endanger life or cause serious injury to property, contrary to Section 2 of the Explosive Substances Act 1883. He was also charged with three counts of possessing a prohibited weapon, contrary to Section 5(1)(b) Firearms Act 1968. Continue reading
Redux: Richard DeDomenici’s version of the Croydon-based film had better sunsets
KEN TOWL was at a movie’s world premiere on Saturday, staged in Croydon (just off Surrey Street, as it happens), of a film shot in Croydon, of a film set in Croydon.
His verdict? It’s a bit of a split opinion…
I am watching a film that was shot in Croydon and is set in Croydon. The critically acclaimed All Of Us Strangers, written and directed by Andrew Haigh, who grew up in Croydon, starring Andrew Scott, who didn’t, was one of the stand-out British cinema releases of 2023. This isn’t it. This is All of Us Strangers: Redux, the brainchild of Richard DeDomenici.
Earlier this year, DeDomenici advertised for “participants to help make a quick low-budget remake of scenes from the recent Croydon-based movie All of Us Strangers, in the original location where it was filmed”. Continue reading
Edward Thomas was south London’s war poet. Born in Lambeth, he went to Battersea Grammar School, and became a newspaper literary critic after university. He only began writing his own poetry in 1914, and he signed up for the army in 1915, when aged 37. He was killed in action on Easter day, 1917.
He wrote the following brief poem in the spring of 1915.
In Memoriam (Eastertide 1915)
The flowers left thick at nightfall in the wood
This Eastertide call into mind the men,
Now far from home, who, with their sweethearts, should
Have gathered them and will do never again.
SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT: On Remembrance Sunday, using a treasured service sheet from Croydon Parish Church from more than a century ago, DAVID MORGAN outlines early efforts on the home front in World War I, and some of the many sacrifices
Early casualty: Capt Eric Schooling, killed in action in October 1914
The edition of the Croydon Times for October 31, 1914, 110 years ago, brought readers up to date with several local events related to the Great War.
There was a novel way to support the troops at the front, namely the first Chocolate Day in Croydon. It had been held in the borough a week earlier. It was organised by Mrs James, whose husband, Dr PW James, was serving at the front. He had told his wife that he thought chocolate would be a real boon for the soldiers.
Other local authorities picked up on this idea and the City of York sent all York men serving in the forces some Rowntree’s chocolate at Christmas. Rowntree’s was one of the biggest chocolate manufacturers in the country, and were based in York. In 1915, the scheme had been extended, and all troops serving on the Western Front were sent a box of Rowntree’s chocolates.
Queen Mary, famously, sent tins of chocolate, and tobacco, too. Continue reading
Our Town Hall reporter KEN LEE has got hold of a confidential letter from the Tory Mayor in which there’s an implied threat of action against a homelessness charity
Nasty Party: Tory Mayor Jason Perry
Croydon Mayor Jason Perry is a fully paid-up member of the Nasty Party, and he has no qualms about showing it.
Perry, who is paid £82,000 per year by the council for his part-time role, has taken well over a month before he bothered to provide the courtesy reply to a letter from 37 of the borough’s 70 elected councillors.
The letter, signed by LibDem, Green and Labour councillors but no Conservatives, appealed to Perry to drop all threats of legal action against Croydon Nightwatch, the borough’s biggest charity which provides food and support to rough sleepers and the working poor every night of the year. Continue reading
Closure opposition: parents, grandparents and youngsters at Bradmore Green Library yesterday, before it closed its doors for a final time
Parents, grandparents and youngsters gathered at Bradmore Green Library yesterday, the council-run facility’s final day of operation.
Bradmore Green, in Old Coulsdon, together with three other public libraries in Croydon – Sanderstead, Shirley and Broad Green – are being closed by order of Mayor Jason Perry, despite widespread opposition and a public consultation report that showed some of those libraries being closed to be among the best used in the borough, even with the limited opening hours of the past four years.
“Sadly we have the last day of Bradmore [Green] Library today after 60 years of serving local residents in Old Coulsdon,” the East Coulsdon Residents’ Association posted.
Instead of weekly “rhyme time” sessions for toddlers and early readers at Bradmore Green, the cash-strapped council is now to pay for a bus, every Monday morning, to transport library users from Old Coulsdon to Coulsdon Library, which is remaining open. Continue reading
Cars parked: Kia has taken possession of the car park at the former CALAT in Coulsdon. The promised NHS medical centre on the site appears no closer to delivery
EXCLUSIVE: Coulsdon residents have been waiting a decade for a promised medical facility in the town centre. In March, the council announced it had sold the site to the NHS. In the summer, local MP Chris Philp promised work on the medical centre would start in months. Now, residents have discovered the council has leased the site to a private company, for at least 12 months. By KEN LEE, Town Hall reporter
Croydon Council has delayed any development of the long-promised Coulsdon medical centre by at least a year, after signing a secret money-grabbing deal to lease the CALAT Centre site to a local car dealership.
Coulsdon’s Tory councillors did not know anything about the deal when first approached by concerned locals earlier this week, but they swiftly did a handbrake turn and went full throttle into news management mode on behalf of piss-poor Jason Perry, the borough’s Mayor, by declaring the deal “a win-win”, to the astonishment of residents. Continue reading
Croydon Council was forced to pay out TEN TIMES more in compensation to its tenants last year under Tory Mayor Jason Perry than it had done in the previous 12-month period.
That’s the astonishing findings of the official, annual report on Croydon’s performance as landlords from the Housing Ombudsman.
Croydon Council paid out more than £18,000 to tenants in compensation during 2023-2024.
Croydon also had a maladministration rate of 81%, compared to 67% for the previous year and, when measuring severe maladministration, Croydon Council performed worse than other landlords of a similar size and type. Continue reading
An inquest into the death in Caterham last year of 22-year-old Hannah Aitken has found that she died after taking a poisonous substance which she ordered online from abroad.
Paramedics who treated her were not carrying the antidote and had not been trained in how to recognise the symptoms of such poisoning.
At the time of her death, Hannah Aitken was living in a flat in Caterham provided by Brookhaven Care, a specialist housing association for people with autism. She was receiving 24/7 care from support staff and was also receiving mental health care from Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
Since the age of 12, Hannah had struggled with her mental health and, in 2017, was admitted as an inpatient to a psychiatric hospital. She was subsequently identified as having anorexia nervosa and, aged 17, was diagnosed with autism. Hannah spent several years in psychiatric hospitals and supported living accommodation. Over a five-year period, she was admitted to seven different hospitals for mental health treatment at various times. Continue reading
Our south of the borough correspondent, PEARL LEE, on the seemingly random block on some harmless organisations that is forcing them to turn their backs on social media
Businesses, community groups, arts organisations and residents in a thriving town on the Croydon-Surrey border are in uproar because the automatic systems employed to police social media have silenced them on one of the world’s biggest digital platforms – all because Coulsdon has the letters L, S and D in its name.
Residents’ associations and businesses with “Coulsdon” in their titles have found themselves “cancelled”, with posts being removed from Facebook and warnings issued as to their future conduct under a set of rules so vague that any post, however innocent, might fall foul of them. Continue reading
Our arts correspondent, BELLA BARTOCK, on how a geriatric grappler is the latest sign of a declining reputation at the council-owned arts venue
Knock-out: Kendo Nagasaki has dusted off his Samurai gear one last time
The “jewel in the crown” of Croydon Council’s arts offering, the Fairfield Halls, will be used to stage all-in wrestling later this month, when the headline act will be an 83-year-old who is coming out of retirement for the occasion.
It has not been confirmed, but Mayor Jason Perry is thought to be a big fan, and has already ensured that he is claiming his freebie VIP seats.
Wrestling was always a feature at the Fairfield Halls in the 1970s, one of the venues used by ITV’s Saturday afternoon World of Sport programme, when Kendo Nagasaki, the masked man of mystery, was one of the stars of this pantomime masquerading as sport.
Now “Nagasaki”, real name Peter Thornley, is top of the bill at the Fairfield Halls once again, 60 years after his debut bout. Continue reading
NON-LEAGUE NEWS: There’s a buzz around Croydon Arena on matchdays that hasn’t been felt for a while, as ANDREW SINCLAIR reports on some positive progress at both local clubs
Captain courageous: Croydon skipper Kieran Rufus hails another big win for the Trams. Pic: Paul Davis
Croydon FC are beginning to dream of a return to Step 5 football for the first time in six years, as they sit five points clear at the top of their league table three months into the season, one-third of the games played.
Across the borough, meanwhile, Croydon Athletic, after six weeks without a permanent manager, are finding their feet at a higher level of football after a rocky start to the campaign.
Beset by near-misses and slow starts in recent campaigns, Croydon FC look like a well-oiled machine under new boss Antonio Gonnella. Gonnella has quickly taken to his first senior management, building an effective squad and guiding them to a 12-match unbeaten run in the Southern Counties East Football League First Division.
Gonnella’s Trams have won four on the spin and their most recent triumph was one of their most impressive yet, trouncing Forest Hill Park 5-0. Continue reading
EXCLUSIVE SUBSCRIBER OFFER: Inside Croydon is delighted to offer our loyal supporters another great theatre competition – this time with two pairs of VIP tickets up for grabs for a new show in the West End
Two clever readers and their very special guests will be able to go to see children’s TV presenter Maddie Moate as she makes her West End debut with her brand-new live show, Maddie Moate’s Very Curious Christmas.
And our VIP competition winners will even get to meet Maddie straight after the show!
The show is perfect for enquiring young minds who want to find out more about what makes Christmas go with a bang. Recommended for four-year-olds and older.
Maddie Moate’s Very Curious Christmas runs at the Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, from December 6 2024 to January 4 2025.
And we have two pairs of tickets for the special matinee performance on Sunday December 8 – the basis for the perfect Christmas trip into central London. Continue reading
After a week of selections and elections on either side of the Atlantic, ANDREW FISHER looks at how the second coming of President Trump might affect British politics
New alliance: how much of what happens in the United States will shape politics in the United Kingdom?
In Britain, the election of Donald Trump as US President is seen as a negative outcome by a majority of Labour and Conservative voters – a rare moment of unity in an increasingly divided political landscape.
Nevertheless, the influence of the Trumpian approach on British politics has been great, with the whipping up of hate and division, the demonisation of migrants, a looser relationship with the truth and, largely, an absence of policies. Grievances not solutions.
Only Reform voters welcomed the second coming of Trump. But the growth of Reform’s electoral influence has already had a significant impact on the modern Conservative Party. Continue reading
A report by London TravelWatch, the capital’s independent transport watchdog, is urging widespread improvements to the capital’s bus service, including helping to speed up routes and keeping fares low
The next stop: Superloop routes are commended in London TravelWatch’s report
London TravelWatch said London’s bus network is “lifeline” to millions of Londoners, but it needs “urgent improvement” to tackle a long-term decline in passengers and delays to journeys resulting from a city-wide average speed of just 9mph.
Buses are the most commonly used form of public transport in London, with an average of 4.6million journeys a day. London’s £1.75 bus fare is the lowest in the country.
The report, published today, said that slow journey times, a lack of journey information and a poor “on-board experience” discouraged many from using the bus. Continue reading
It could prove to be Croydon’s hottest ticket this Christmas, with seats selling fast even before Theatre Workshop Coulsdon confirmed performance dates for their production of It’s A Wonderful Life.
One of the all-time great Christmas movies, directed by Frank Capra and starring James Stewart and Donna Reed, has only just been cleared for stage versions, and the enterprising theatre types in Coulsdon were quick off the mark to get ready for their 2024 winter show.
And just in case you are one of those few people who have never seen the movie, with its bittersweet take on lifelong struggles, then read on here: “Every time a bell rings, an angel gets their wings.” Continue reading
Among the many items that never warranted even a passing mention in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Budget last week were significant railway infrastructure schemes, which some economists believe should get support and so help get the economy moving at full steam ahead.
One of the projects that should be up for urgent consideration is the Selhurst Bottleneck, more formally known as the Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme, one of several projects to be crushed between the twin pressures of Tory government “levelling up” policy (ha!) and covid. Continue reading
CROYDON COMMENTARY: Time is running out to try to save a Victorian era pub building for community use continues, as JERRY FITZPATRICK, a former Addiscombe councillor, explains
Left to rot: the developers who own the site have allowed The Glamorgan to fall into disrepair over several years
Campaigners determined to save a historic pub in Cherry Orchard Road have come out swinging against the developer who wants to demolish it.
A young Victoria was on the throne when the Glamorgan, then called the Horse and Groom, opened on Cherry Orchard Road, close to the new railway lines, in 1855.
It remained a popular pub for more than 150 years, most recently as a successful gastropub, until it was suddenly flogged to developers in 2016. They wanted to demolish it at once and replace it will high-rise flats. They were thwarted by the Save the Glamorgan Campaign, who persuaded Croydon Council to stop the development. Continue reading
A year and a half after being rated as “Inadequate” following an Ofsted inspection, when the leadership was warned “about the risks associated with radicalisation and extremism” on its campus, Croydon College, together with Coulsdon Sixth Form College, has had its rating upgraded to “Good” overall, including “Good” in all eight assessment areas.
Much improved: Ofsted inspectors were satisfied that Croydon College is ‘Good’
The May 2023 Ofsted report had been the first since Croydon College’s merger with Coulsdon Sixth Form College in 2018.
Croydon College, located in a bustling town centre site between East Croydon Station and the Fairfield Halls, is among the biggest further education institutes of its kind in the country, with almost 6,000 on its roll, including nearly 1,000 pupils at the Coulsdon site. Continue reading
Transport for London has begun accepting applications for some Oyster cards, following the malicious cyber attack in September that compromised its computer systems.
Re-opened: applications and renewals for Oyster cards are about to get back online
Following the cyber attack on September 1, about 5,000 passengers were contacted by TfL to advise that their bank sort codes and account numbers may have been accessed by hackers.
It was then that TfL paused concession photocard applications to undertake security checks. Continue reading
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