Tag Archives: Planning

Palace granted permission (again) for £100m stand at Selhurst

Back of the net! The result of last night’s planning committee meeting was never in doubt. But now Crystal Palace and their chairman Steve Parish have to seal a deal with Sainsbury’s. By our Town Hall reporter, KEN LEE It … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Christopher Herman, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace FC, Football, Leila Ben-Hassel, Planning, Selhurst, South Norwood, Steve Parish | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Cancelled planning committees are ‘shouting incompetence’

There’s growing concerns over the disorganisation of the council planning department, after last night’s scheduled meeting of the planning committee in the Town Hall Chamber had to be cancelled because of “issues with publication of reports”. The cancellation means that … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Neal, Planning, Property, South Croydon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Old Coulsdon residents angry at developer badgering wildlife

Croydon’s planners are accused of working together with developers to allow the destruction of an ancient badger sett in Old Coulsdon. Residents have been collating evidence for two years of deliberate vandalism to the sett, despite the protected species status … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Community associations, Coulsdon, Croydon Council, Nicola Townsend, Old Coulsdon, Old Coulsdon Residents' Association, Planning | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Council planners ignore court order over flats in Sanderstead

Those who hoped new Mayor Jason Perry would sweep away the bad practices of the council’s planning department are in for a bit of a disappointment. STEVE WHITESIDE with the latest in a long-running saga Even the decision of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Aventier, Business, Croydon Council, Housing, Lynne Hale, Mayor Jason Perry, Nicola Townsend, Planning, Property, Sanderstead | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Residents blocked from meeting by football club’s lobbyists

Crystal Palace FC have lodged 40 new files as part of the planning application for their proposed £100m stand. But a meeting promised with affected households has been cancelled and residents told that they are not welcome to attend a … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Christopher Herman, Croydon Council, Croydon North, Crystal Palace FC, Football, Housing, Louis Carserides, Mayor of London, Planning, Property, South Norwood, Stella Nabukeera, Steve Parish, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Planning permission lapsed for £100m new stand at Selhurst

The planning permission for Crystal Palace to redevelop their main stand in a £100million project at Selhurst Park has lapsed – leaving the club to go through a costly re-application process, or to continue to play their games in one … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace FC, Football, Housing, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Planning, Property, Selhurst, Sport, Steve Parish | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Planning chief’s position untenable as developers’ charter axed

Town Hall correspondent PEARL LEE on the seismic shift going on in the council’s planning department Croydon’s part-time Mayor, Jason Perry, will deliver on one of his key promises tonight when, at his first council cabinet meeting since his election … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Chris Philp MP, Coulsdon, Croydon Council, Croydon South, Heather Cheesbrough, Housing, Kenley, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Neal, Paul Scott, Planning, Property, Sanderstead, Shifa Mustafa | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Brick by Brick abandons its planning consents and 23 sites

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The council this week set light to a ‘bonfire of the vanities’, abandoning planning applications on 477 homes around the borough in development proposals by their failed house builders. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Croydon Council has dumped … Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Butler, Brick by Brick, Business, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Environment, Housing, Jo Negrini, London-wide issues, New Addington South, Norbury, Paul Scott, Planning, Property, Report in the Public Interest, Section 114 notice, Tony Newman, Waddon, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Sutton planners add fuel to incinerator fires with dirty diesel

Think those plumes of smoke coming out of the polluting Viridor incinerator at Beddington Lane are just from the burning of hundreds of thousands of tons of rubbish? Think again. It’s not entirely the case. Some of the pollution comes … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Environment, London-wide issues, Merton, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Mayor Perry’s first act is to end planners’ ‘9-9-9 emergency’

Town Hall reporter KEN LEE on the early moves by the new administration Jason Perry’s first executive act as Croydon’s new Mayor was to start to wind-in the toxic legacy of Paul Scott’s time in charge of planning and development … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Council, Improvement Board, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

Croydon’s planners out-strip other boroughs in permissions

EXCLUSIVE: Research based on government figures confirms that Croydon’s planning department has been out-stripping other south London boroughs in giving permission to property developers – at times by a rate of more than 5 to 1. By STEVEN DOWNES Research … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Planning director worried about her career? So she should be

CROYDON COMMENTARY: As someone who spent their career working on local authority planning matters, STEVE WHITESIDE has found council director Heather Cheesbrough’s attempt to gag one of the Mayoral election candidates just the latest example of shameless arrogance So Heather … Continue reading →

Posted in Aventier, Business, Croydon Council, Environment, Heather Cheesbrough, Kenley, Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Council’s planning chief attempts to gag Mayor candidate

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Heather Cheesbrough has lied about her qualifications and covered up for planning staff with too-close connections with private developers. Now she’s trying to block an election candidate calling for her to be sacked. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022 council elections, 2022 Croydon Mayor election, Andrew Pelling, Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Planning, Val Shawcross, Waddon | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Planning Inspector rejects developer’s appeal on Hartley flats

After nearly a decade of profit-hungry developers being allowed to build too-small flats in too-large blocks in Croydon’s leafy suburbs, a government official has finally pointed out that this does nothing to help the housing crisis. By BARRATT HOLMES Residents … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Community associations, HADRA, Housing, Planning, Property, Purley, Purley Oaks and Riddlesdown | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Residents in Oval Road put in a spin by latest flats scheme

Long-suffering residents in Addiscombe are trying to fight proposals to build two blocks of flats, of up to four storeys, that profit-hungry developers, aided by the council’s planners, are proposing to squeeze into a narrow space between the back gardens … Continue reading →

Posted in Addiscombe West, Jeet Bains, Jerry Fitzpatrick, Planning, Sean Fitzsimons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

#Macarnage: Formal complaint over planners’ too-close links

EXCLUSIVE: The council has approved a scheme for another block of flats which is to be built by a firm with close links to a senior member of the planning staff, and where another planner appears to have helped draw … Continue reading →

Posted in Coulsdon, Coulsdon West Residents' Association, Croydon Council, East Coulsdon Residents' Association, Heather Cheesbrough, Nicola Townsend, Old Coulsdon, Old Coulsdon Residents' Association, Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Planning department judged ‘at fault’ over boundary dispute

Emails from residents unanswered, six-month delays in dealing with a formal complaint, and a planning department that ignored a court order. Just another episode in the regular shambles at Fisher’s Folly Another day, another ruling from the Local Government Ombudsman … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Katherine Kerswell, Planning | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

The enforcers: residents making plans for council court action

Is something shifting in the Town Hall planning department? Amid news of the exit of a senior manager, and of director Heather Cheesbrough correcting her false claims on her online CV, and now a High Court ruling against the council’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Coulsdon, Croydon Council, Nicola Townsend, Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Call for objections to scheme that threatens No1 Croydon

Councillors in Addiscombe are asking the public to lodge objections to a planning application for a tall tower block – another one – close to East Croydon Station. Developers Fifth State want to demolish the unprepossessing CityLink House office building … Continue reading →

Posted in 101 George Street/Ten Degrees, Addiscombe West, East Croydon, Jerry Fitzpatrick, Menta Tower, No1 Croydon, Patricia Hay-Justice, Property, Ruskin Square, Sean Fitzsimons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Buyers beware: High Court judge puts planners in the dock

A High Court judge has ruled against Croydon’s planning department, quashing the decision of a senior council official to grant permission for a block of flats in Sanderstead. Here, former council planner STEVE WHITESIDE explains how the court ruling could … Continue reading →

Posted in Aventier, Business, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Housing, Nicola Townsend, Planning, Property, Purley, Purley Oaks and Riddlesdown, Sanderstead, Selsdon & Ballards, Selsdon and Addington Village | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

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 →

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Heather Cheesbrough, Jo Negrini, Paul Scott, Pete Smith, Planning, Tony Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Planning chief wants to give permission to more blocks of flats

As Croydon Tories get their facts wrong (again) and heap praise on the borough’s planners, a council director warns that she wants to green-light more developments. By STEVEN DOWNES Heather Cheesbrough, Croydon’s planning chief, wants the council to grant even … Continue reading →

Posted in 2021 Mayor Referendum, 2022 council elections, Business, Chris Philp MP, Croydon Council, Croydon South, Heather Cheesbrough, Planning, Property, Richard Chatterjee, Shirley North | Tagged , , | 30 Comments

Council chiefs accused by MP of being on side of developers

As concerns mount about the local authority’s failure to exercise any development controls or planning enforcement over rapacious private developers operating in the borough, a local MP has accused Croydon Council of not caring about residents and being “content to … Continue reading →

Posted in Chris Philp MP, Croydon Council, Croydon South, Heather Cheesbrough, Katherine Kerswell, Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Director refuses to admit conflict of interest over South Drive

A council director has told residents that there is nothing wrong whatsoever in a member of her planning staff providing pre-application advice to a developer,  and then leaving their job at the council to work for the architects hired by … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Coulsdon, Coulsdon East, Croydon Council, East Coulsdon Residents' Association, Heather Cheesbrough, Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

#Macarnage: Planning officer’s ‘leaving present’ to Coulsdon

EXCLUSIVE: The revolving door between the council planning department and private developers and architects is exposed over a scheme for 39 flats in Coulsdon. By STEVEN DOWNES Before Jan Slominski was hired as a senior planning adviser for the architects … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Coulsdon, Coulsdon East, Croydon Council, East Coulsdon Residents' Association, Heather Cheesbrough, Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments