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10,000 new homes to be built in centre of Croydon (From Your Local Guardian)
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10,000 new homes to be built in centre of Croydon
9:22am Thursday 4th February 2010
The centre of Croydon could become a sea of skyscrapers with an extra 10,000 new homes over the next 20 years.
It is the equivalent of 20 new skyscrapers and an extra 25,000 people in the centre of the borough.
Croydon Council’s core strategy shaping the borough’s future in the next 20 years originally planned to have the extra housing spread out along the A23.
However, Councillor Jason Perry, cabinet member for planning, said the A23 proposal has been amended to focus more homes in the centre of the borough.
MP for Croydon Central Andrew Pelling has criticised the plan saying the figure is “off the scale” and is demanding to know why the centre of the borough has to bear the majority of the burden for new houses.
He said: “This is a huge betrayal of us in Croydon Central by the local Conservatives. 10,000 new homes is the equivalent of a total of 22 52-storey Menta-style skyscraper tower blocks that Councillor Barwell and local Conservatives pretended to oppose for short term political gain.
“Now we know what we are going to get in central Croydon after the election – not Manhattan but a new Elephant & Castle.
“The people I represent are going to pay a big price for this housing dumping.”
In a written reply, Coun Perry said the new plans would transform the centre of the borough with 10,000 new homes for families and 4,000 new jobs.
He said: “The remainder of the borough would be protected from significant new development other than that which evidently enhances the character of the local area.”
He added there would still be some development along the A23 corridor, but not as much as previously projected.
Councillor Dudley Mead, cabinet member for housing, said the plans were still being consulted on but thought planners would favour the dispersed approach.
He said: “I don’t think you can get 10,000 houses in the town centre. I think there is much more scope for building along the A23 corridor.”
Tony Newman, leader of the Labour group said: “People are not in favour of Croydon Council concreting over the north and centre of Croydon and the council’s failure to properly plan transport links and extra school places that are needed alongside the development.
“What people need to see is a core housing plan spread equally across the borough.”
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Your Say YourLocal Guardian
johnny scoffer, says...
3:36pm Thu 4 Feb 10
reality-bites, London says...
12:50am Fri 5 Feb 10
How come we are getting so overcrowded under Labour?
Roger Bumble, Border region says...
1:17pm Fri 5 Feb 10
robking, Croydon says...
1:32pm Fri 5 Feb 10
At first glance these proposals look like the woolly plans issued by the previous Labour administration. Called Vision 2020 it ended in failure when ludicrous plans to build an arena next to East Croydon station and massive, hideous tower blocks on the other side were refused permission.
I hope that Cllr Perry will think very carefully before these proposals are finalised and we end up repeating the mistakes of the past.
Tower blocks may be OK for a few wealthy second home owners, young professionals or students but they are not for the vast majority of people including people with children, by cramming people into soulless blocks we risk creating an increasingly fragmented and divided society, where nobody knows their neighbours and people don't feel part of any community.
Nor is tower block building always commercially successful either, take Altitude 25 on Park Hill which has failed to sell many of it's apartments and has now had to sub let some of them to a housing association, also, has anyone seen the crane move at the IYLO building site on the other side of town lately? I don't think they've done any work there so far this year, hardly inspiring is it?
I'm certain that when the feedback from the consultation is received the mood of the public will be overwhelmingly negative and that these frankly barmy proposals will be quietly dropped.
Robert King
East Croydon
10,000 new homes to be built in centre of Croydon
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Bob Peel, Croydon says...
12:01pm Thu 4 Feb 10
Yes Councillor Newman - most of it in Woodside. There's a green there, just ripe for such a development, don't you think?