East Coulsdon January Update

At the November meeting the ECRA committee welcomed Cllr Scott Roche to provide us with some updates. Cllr Roche is the Cabinet member for Streets and Environment on Croydon council.

We raised the issues of parks maintenance, refuse disposal and the proposals for parking.

Cllr Roche has a lot of priorities for parks maintenance. We were particularly concerned about grass cutting in Marlpit Lane park, the maintenance of the putting green, the need to reinstate the junior football pitch and the failure to maintain Chaldon Way Gardens. We continue to seek a meeting with him and his officers to improve this situation.

At the January meeting we raised the problem of the water logged area outside Pistachio’s café and some cracking on the new perimeter path. We have asked for a meeting for the friends of Grange Park with the officers and contractors.

The consultation on parking proposals closed recently and the results are being evaluated. Cllr Roche expects that the changes will be implemented next year after further trials in some local areas. It appears that a mobile phone will be essential although some local shops may be designated as Pay Points. ECRA committee continue to press for 1 hour free and 1 hour paid parking.

We raised further concerns about the parking trial in January in Addiscombe, New Addington and Purley which reduces the one hour free parking to 30 minutes and the need to use an app or phone RingGo. We feel that this will lead to a reduction in people shopping locally.

Croydon council are reviewing the bin collection arrangements and the “failure rate” of bins and the timescale for replacement.

Cllr Roche did not have any further information on Red Clover Gardens/Lion Green Road.

We raised this again at the January meeting as they have now been empty for 10 months. We also asked who is responsible for snagging when people do move in.

New Parking Charges (trial extended to additional areas)

Croydon Council is introducing cashless parking in three District centres – Purley, Addiscombe and New Addington – from today (Tuesday 2nd January 2024). This is despite hundreds of objections raised during and after a previous trial in South Croydon.

This reduces the free period from 1 hour to 30 minutes. You will no longer be able to obtain a ticket from a parking meter as these will be turned off. To park you will have to use the Parking app RingGo (https://ringgo.co.uk) or phone RingGo (020 3046 0010) quoting the RingGo location code, which are indicated on signs and pay by Bank card.

The alternatives are:
You can phone Ringo in advance from home, but there is no guarantee that there will be a free parking bay when you arrive.
You can pay at a shop that operates PayPoint in Purley. The PayPoint location in Purley can be found at the Londis store at the Shell Foxley Garage on the corner of Godstone Road and Foxley Hill Road (which is not exactly convenient for Purley Town centre).

Croydon council welcomes any comments on this trial via an online survey, available at:
https://www.croydon.gov.uk/NewAddingtonCPSurvey – for any questions please phone 020 8726 6000.
The survey will close on Monday 22 January 2024. It is noted that the Mayor failed to mention this in his Christmas News Message.

It is expected that these changes and charges will come to Coulsdon and other district centres in the near future.

The letter from Croydon Council advising of the changes can be downloaded from Hartley and District Residents’ Association website https://hadra.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Purley-Cashless-Parking-Letter.pdf.

Update on Rail Ticket Office Closures

In our area all booking offices would be closed and replaced by a ticket assistant who would be based at the station. It is not clear if they would be able to sell all tickets including those that you can’t buy from the ticket machines such as Boundary zone, CIV Eurostar tickets, Plusbus tickets etc.

Would the ticket assistant take cash? Where would they be positioned? Special arrangements would be in place at large stations such as Victoria and East Croydon.

East Surrey Transport Committee have listed 24 questions/issues that need to be resolved before they could consider supporting the closures. These can be seen on the Transport page.

Please send you objection to . There is also an online petition which we are asking you to support www.change.org/p/save-our-railway-ticket-offices.

Coulsdon RAs’ submission to Croydon local plan

Please find below the joint submission of Coulsdon RA’s to the Croydon Local Plan, submitted in February 2022.

The submission was jointly agreed by: East Coulsdon RA (ECRA), Old Coulsdon RA (OCRA), Hartley and District RA (HADRA) and Coulsdon West RA (CWRA). 

If you want to find out more about planning in Croydon and about the local plan, visit the Council’s Croydon Local Plan Review page Croydon Local Plan review page. 

Current Issues Around East Coulsdon

Overgrown trees

A reminder to residents that trees and hedgerows require maintenance.

The glorious summer weather brings the opportunity and the necessity of maintaining our gardens.

We are fortunate to live in a particularly green area of the borough.  However, what may be pleasing to some people can cause issues and a nuisance to neighbours, especially if vegetation is hanging over public footpaths.  Overgrown hedges, for example, can mean that those on mobility scooters or those with child buggies may have to venture into the road just to pass that large bush that may be being cultivated for the next Chelsea Flower Show!  If you live close to a road junction, please also consider that overgrown trees can hamper vision and potentially be a contributing factor in accidents.

Trees and hedges in our back gardens, especially if their height can negatively affect a neighbour’s enjoyment of sunlight, also need to be cut back and maintained.  Croydon Council suggest that hedge growth is kept below the 2 metre mark, so please do consider the impact on your neighbours on either side and on the neighbour whose garden backs on to yours.

We live in such a beautiful part of the country, surrounded by woodland and stunning gardens, however, with such beauty comes responsibility too.  So, on behalf of our members, all we ask is that you take the time to maintain hedges and trees so that they don’t become a nuisance to your neighbours.

 

PARKS CONSULTATION

Thank you to everyone for assisting with the collection of evidence for the parks and green spaces.  There was a tremendous response with approximately 250 additional green sites around the Borough suggested that people believe should be considered for Local Green Space designation.

The next step is to match together data from the main survey together with the Evidence and Evaluation forms that were completed and ensure each green site has its own evidence piece.  The compilation of evidence pieces will be available to view during the autumn consultation period.  Meeting the third criteria of ‘being of particular significance to the community’ will be the focus of analysis because this is the criteria the Planning Inspector is most likely to review closely.  Ahead of the consultation period, a list of sites believed to be in need of further evidence will be compiled to demonstrate this criteria.  Opportunity within the consultation period will be made for the evidence to be submitted.

Croydon Council’s Authotities Monitoring Report has now been updated and can be viewed following the link below:

https://www.croydon.gov.uk/planningandregeneration/framework/localplan/monitoringreports.

 

EIGHT STOREY TOWER IN PURLEY

A planning application has been made proposing the demolition of TWELVE terraced family homes  on Whytecliffe Road South (The road on which the main entrance to Purley station  on) to make way for an enormous 8- STOREY APARTMENT BLOCK WITH 106 FLATS!

This is not in keeping with the local area and the parking and traffic in Purley will be made even more terrible, plus the privacy of the residents etc will be completely lost.  This is the row of houses on the approach to Purley train station which they propose knocking down.  Further information and the location can be viewed here:

https://publicaccess3.croydon.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=map&keyVal=PU6D1LJLMNS00

Please submit your objections and comments online here:

https://publicaccess3.croydon.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=makeComment&keyVal=PU6D1LJLMNS00 OR you can email: quoting application number: 19/03142/FUL.

 

PURLEY HOSPITAL NEEDS URGENT CARE

A Publication by the Residents’ Associations in the South of the Borough

 Introduction and Background

Representatives from the Residents Associations (RAs) of Hartley & District, Old Coulsdon, Coulsdon West, East Coulsdon, Kenley & District, Purley & Woodcote, Sanderstead and Riddlesdown have been in discussions with the Croydon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) regarding the provision of urgent care facilities within the Borough of Croydon and in particular regarding Purley Hospital. The RAs have had several meetings with the CCG, involved Croydon HealthWatch, local MP Chris Philp and have also written to Jeremy Hunt, MP; the Secretary of State for Health. However, following a re procurement report issued by Croydon CCG on 1 September 2015, the RAs have now on 20 October 2015 wrote to all 16 Croydon CCG Governing Board members expressing grave concerns about this report; a summary of which is below.

In January 2016, the 16 members of the Croydon CCG Governing Body will be asked to make a decision on the future of urgent care provision in Croydon. This is a once in a generation opportunity to provide a comprehensive and effective urgent care system for Croydon. The Governing Body will be asked to make this decision on the basis of a CCG re procurement report dated 1 September 2015. This report gives 8 scenarios, which appear to polarise the decision between Walk-in Urgent Care provided at GP practices, or at Minor Injuries Units. The RAs believe there is another option, which is a combination of extended GP practices and a walk-in Urgent Care Centre at Purley Hospital.

Purley Hospital was redeveloped with £11m of public money in 2012/13 to provide improved outpatient facilities and an Urgent Care Centre for the local population. The redevelopment was conceived with the intention of providing a walk-in urgent care facility, and hence the site is already suitable:

We are pleased to report that the CCG agreed to place one of the GB Hubs which they commissioned to replace Urgent Care Centre and which reflect what was already available at the Urgent Care Centre. 8 amd to 8 p.m.

 

Pigeon Droppings in Town Centre Under Coulsdon Town Centre Railway Bridge

In February 2014, the Council withdrew the steam cleaning of the pavement due to their cuts.  This has resulted in the pavement being in an appalling dirty mess and a health hazard.  ECRA along with the other RAs and business groups are pressing the new administration in Croydon to re-introduce the steam cleaning under this and other railway bridges.  We are also pressing Network Rail to improve the pigeon proofing of this and other bridges in the area to prevent the pigeons gaining access. We continue to press for this to be done.  They have improved but has not resolved the problem.  We are therefore pressing for further improvements.