Park Place Folly Destroying The Heart of Croydon

One of Croydon's oldest family businesses, Turtle's, is to close its doors for the last time on Christmas Eve.

The future of the business has been uncertain for the past couple of years since compulsory purchase orders were issued on Park Street shops to allow Minerva's massive Park Place retail development to go ahead.

The lease on the store which is famous for selling its huge range of hardware and tools, is coming to an end.

And owner Jeremy Turtle told the Advertiser renewing it was not really an option.
Mr Turtle said: "I am 65 and have been involved in the business for 44 years.
"I want to retire and there is nobody else in the family who is interested in taking over, so there is no choice but to close.

"Business has not been very good recently and I think it has been affected by the uncertainty. There is little chance of selling it as a going concern."

The store employs around 30 people, many of them on a part-time basis.

Mr Turtle said: "We are all very upset but you can't go on forever. I am very disappointed for my customers."

Source Croydon Advertiser

The Park Place development is dead in the water, yet it is still destroying the heart of Croydon.

Park Place Dead In The Water

In May 2008 I noted the following:

"Aside from our very naive council, who seriously believes that this development will ever take place in the next five years?

This scheme is sinking fast, and is dragging down local businesses and the environment with it (see my article in March 2008 for further background)."

In March 2008 I stated:

"How many years has the council (both Labour and Tory) tried to kid us that this development would ever happen?

Who seriously believed that this scheme would ever get off the ground?"

In February 2005 I questioned the independence of Croydon Council:

"To my view, this must surely raise reservations about the council's independence.

As ever, the citizens of Croydon are left wondering when the creeping blight emanating from the town centre will be eradicated.

In my view, we are not being well served."

The latest report in The Croydon Advertiser indicates that I was right to be cynical about this project.

Quote:

"Croydon's flagship Park Place development will be delayed yet again and radically rethought, it has emerged this week.

Instead of this autumn, it will now be next year before any revised application emerges for the massive town centre scheme - and it looks set to be very different to previous plans."

This project is going absolutely nowhere, and dragging the centre of Croydon and St George's Walk down with it!

Surely even Croydon Council cannot be so naive as to believe that this scheme is ever going to get off the ground?

Why has the council allowed the centre of Croydon to hemorrhage for a "pie in the sky" scheme with no future?