BULLETIN BOARD

The Council say that they will set up a website facility whereby anyone can register and then be able to create and save searches on properties and areas.  Residents will be able to set an area up as an alert when a new planning application for the set search area is received.  Additionally there will be a ‘tracking feature’, which can also be set up, which will automatically e-mail details to an email box when the application is going to committee or the decision has been issued. However, they only ‘hope’ to have these features on the planning website set up by the 1^st April, the date that they cease to send out notification letters.

The Council claim to want to ensure that people have an appropriate opportunity to view planning application that are near to them and that the Council must carry out this function as efficiently as possible. By these changes, they will only be carrying out the minimum legal requirement to notify residents to the minimum notification standard. Residents already, since 2005, had the facility to search the planning website, if not yet set up ‘alerts’.  This move by the Council will disenfranchise those residents without computers particularly in an area such as Coulsdon with a greater number of elderly residents who cannot or do not want to become part of the electronic age.

Whilst we understand the Council’s current need for budget constraint, we believe that ceasing to send out Neighbour Notification Letters to be a retrograde step which will give residents a poorer standard of service. Site notices have already in the past been placed in an area near to a development and are a poor minimum standard which are usually small with small print, they can easily fall off from where they are placed or be deliberately removed thus leaving residents unaware of development which may affect their area and quality of life with no opportunity to object should they wish to do so and for which the Council can claim they have notified people.  ECRA objects to these changes.

If you would like to know more about the Boundary Commission you can visit the following website. http://consultation.boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk/ where you can make your comments or get details of where to write to:- Boundary Commission for England, 35 Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BQ. Telephone: 020 7276 1102 Email address for general enquiries: information@bcommengland.x.gsi.gov.uk  Email address representations: reviews@bcommengland.x.gsi.gov.uk

There has been no progress on the Aldi (Red Lion) site, although the site is being used as a temporary car park for the time being.   Despite Sainsbury's having planning permission to build at the old pinewood site, there has been no progress. There have been discussion with the Council for a new development but this does not include a supermarket.  A  new planning application. is awaited.

The draft Masterplan for Coulsdon has been approved by the Council and will go to public consultation once the Cane Hill Site has been sold by the Homes and Community Agency to a developer.  Negotiations are ongoing with the Council.  This now forms part of the Coulsdon Masterplan along with the Cane Hill Site.

Use type	Coulsdon and Cane Hill area	Cane Hill site
Residential	650 – 750 units	550 – 700 units
Retail	8,000 – 9,000 sq m
Of which supermarket	6,000 – 7,000 sq m
Industrial	2,000 – 2,500 sq m
Office/innovation	5,000 – 6,000 sq m	4,000 – 5,000 sq m
Leisure/other

To see the full Draft Masterplan docuement click here

• Extedning the footpath to make a circular route around the grass
• Installing some general fitness equipment in front of the pavilion
• Renovating the toilets.
• A company called Chave D'Ouro are taking over as proprietors of the cafe.  They are sharing the cost of renovating the building with the Councl, including the provision of a new roof and improvements to the forecourt so that people can sit outside on sunny days and will also be responsible for the maintenance of the toilets and selling tickets for the tennis courts and pitch and putt course.  Work should be finished by March 2012.

PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU OBTAIN A TICKET FROM THE MACHINES AS THE PARKING POLICE ARE ISSUING PENALTY NOTICES WHICH ATTRACT FINES IF YOU DO NOT DISPLAY A 'FREE TO PARK TICKET'.

BRIGHTON ROAD

One hour maximum stay free parking with ticket. No return within 2 hours to the same group of bays

SIDE ROADS

One hour maximum stay parking. First 30 minutes free parking with ticket. Payment for additional time.

RESIDENTIAL ROAD

One hour prohibition to park in various roads around Coulsdon.  Please make sure you either have displayed a Resident's Parking  Permit or park  on drives or away from the area during the prohibited hour.  Please let trademens who attend your home know that these prohibitions are in place so they are not issued with a penalty notice..

The main Hospital complex, which closed in 1991, is in a dilapidated state of repair and like many buildings of  its age, asbestos is present. The buildings are derelict due to the asbestos, water penetration, vandalism and fire. The state of the buildings renders refurbishment largely impractical and demolition of the buildings started in July 2008 and was completed by the end of 2010. The chapel and administration blocks to be retained as they are locally listed buildings and it was likely that the water tower was to be retained as this is a local landmark and a number of people had expressed a desire for it to be kept. 

However, on the 13th November 2010 a fire took hold in the administration block and went on to destroy all but the front facade of the building. The fire also destroyed the iconic clock tower. At about midnight, firefighters saw the clocktower crash to the ground in the blaze. The fire had been started in the basement of the building, draughting its way up through the ground and first floors before finally torching the roof. Along with the clock tower, the fire destroyed many of the exterior masonry walls, rendering the building in a state of imminent collapse.

No planning application has been submitted. and  HCA are now to sell the site and are trying to find a purchaser to take over development  They are in still  in consultation with Croydon Council Planning Department, but there is no news of consultation with the public which is  / was expected in the summer of 2011. A Draft Masterplan has been published by the Council but consultation is on hold until the site is sold. Once consultation starts we will put the link to the site here. We await the next stage of consultation and for building to start.

The negotiations which have been taking place between Aldi and Croydon Council on a possible land swop seem to have come to nothing.

For further information visit http://canehill.org.uk/home/index.html

They would also like you to join other local residents that are pledging to walk more locally, be it for work or pleasure.

People are asked to visit a specially set up website www.croydonlibraries.org.uk and vote on whether they approve of or oppose the market testing exercise. As this does not allow for those who do not wish to go to a computer to do this, please write with your views to Councillor Sara Bashford and  / or John Rouse Chief Executive at London Borough of Croydon, Taberner House, Park Lane, Croydon, CR9 1JT

• Used extensively by schools, families, older people.  Would damage village community, unlike other libraries on the list
• In bad weather village completely cut off for four days at the worst with no public transport at all and dangerous to use roads down from the village. 
• Cheapest to run per capita of all libraries under threat, second cheapest in LBC other than Central Library
• Transport – isolated community, some people in south of Old Coulsdon would need to get two or three different buses to get to Coulsdon library.  Council policy want people to use cars less, most people in village can walk/wheel to Bradmore Green.  With cut in mobility component in DLA, even less chance for disabled people to go to library outside the area.
• Disabled people/people with buggies/children – parking difficult in Coulsdon, can park outside Bradmore Green, either in the car park or on the street
• It is problematic for wheelchair users to get to Coulsdon library by public transport. If rely on public transport, ramps on buses unreliable (saw wheelchair refused entry on bus on Monday as ramp not working).  Have LBC carried out a disabled assessment on impact of closing library on people with disabilities?
• Coulsdon library could not cope with extra demand of use by three schools and two colleges in Old Coulsdon
• Why do libraries come under heading of Leisure?  As used a good deal by schools, why not allocate some funding from Education budget?
• There is a legal obligation to provide the services to 70,000+ users.  Almost as many people use Coulsdon library as use Coulsdon library with many more people in Coulsdon.
• Why not use it for more services, e.g. person from Connexions, especially as service to be extended to all ages soon
• Someone suggested sponsorship/advertising – why not consider this?
• The £3million spent on Coulsdon would have kept the library open for 30 years.
• Bad design of road surface in Coulsdon is now costing LBC huge amounts on maintenance.  About to start doing same to Purley – spending £2.25 million, which will have same problem.  Shouldn’t LBC prioritise people over fancy roads?

A local resident has put a petition on the Croydon Council Website. ECRA would encourage all residents to log in and sign this petition (as a resident)  against the withdrawal of Neighbourhood Partnerships using the link below. Council Question Time has replaced the Neighbourhood Partnership at this time.

6. The minimum annual subscription shall be such as is recommended by the Executive Committee from time to time and approved by the Annual General Meeting, which shall cover all adult members of the same family unit resident at the same address. Subscriptions are due on 1st April in each year and payment thereof shall constitute membership "except those excluded under rule 5".