The Bird House Saga

I received information from Croydon Council yesterday concerning the "Bird House" on Sydenham Road.

I have been banging on about this for almost 4 years, and was told by the council in April of this year that there was planning permission for it.

Unfortunately, the council had given me information relating to the wrong building.

The reality is that the "Bird House" has a history of being owned by a landlord who defaulted on repairs, and could not be traced. Broomleigh Housing Association took the property over and, because a new building could not be built on the site, sold it to Whitstable Investments Ltd of Jersey.

All the buildings in Sydenham Road of this design and date were put on a local list which prevented them from being demolished. This was recently lifted.

Croydon Council have obtained information from the Land Registry and will be contacting the owner to start proceedings to get them to place the properties back into residential use.

I would like to thank the recently appointed member of the Empty Properties Department of Croydon Council for being the first person in the council, in almost 4 years, to actually bother to look into this properly and to state that they will actually try to do something about it.

It is a disgrace that the building has been left to rot and decay over the years. It would have made a fine home for someone, now it seems that it will end up being demolished.

I shall watch developments with interest.

The Bird House Saga

I am advised by the council that if there is no change in the status/condition of the Bird House in Sydenham Road, then they will consider a compulsory purchase of this sadly neglected building.

This sad building has been a regular feature on this site ever since I started it back in 2004 (click the tag below). It is shameful that this once lovely building has been allowed to rot, especially as there is a housing shortage.

The Bird House II

I have had a response from Croydon Council, regarding the query I sent to them on Friday about the "Bird House" at Sydenham Road.

It seems that an application to build flats on the site has been received and approved by the Council.

That is good news, the residents of Sydenham Road have had to endure that dangerous, decaying eyesore for over seven years. Finally something is being done about it.

The only question being, when will work commence?

The Bird House Revisted

Those of you with long memories may recall that one of the very first derelict sites that I "named and shamed" on this site was the "Bird House", a substantial derelict property on Sydenham Road.

Sadly over three years on, the property remains very much untouched (despite Croydon Council, in April this year, telling me that they had given planning permission for a development of flats).

In order kick start things along I sent the following to The Times Property editor today, together with some photos, as the paper had requested photos of derelict empty buildings from around the UK.

I will keep this site updated with any developments, should they occur.

"Re your article in Friday's Property section, 'Why Are They Empty?', in which you asked for photos of derelict property.

Please find attached photos of a large property in Sydenham Road, Croydon.

It has been derelict and abandoned for years, and I have featured it regularly on one of my websites www.croydoniscrap.com (in this site I name and shame squalid buildings, derelict land, streets and other areas that are a blight on Croydon, the community and the environment).

Croydon council claimed in April this year that they have received and approved an application to build flats there:

However, as yet, there is no sign of any building work commencing.

Suffice to say the residents of Sydenham Road and the surrounding streets deserve better than this.

To add to their misery Lower Addiscombe Road (just around the corner) is falling into a state of decay and neglect; as I highlighted over 3 years ago.

Given the housing problems in Britain, it is a national scandal that so many areas are allowed to decay in this manner.

Kind regards

Ken Frost"

The Bird House Revisited

Look what I saw today at “The Bird House” (to read my earlier articles about this place visit The Bird House and The Leaning Chimney Pot of Croydon), someone has made a lame attempt to improve the aesthetics of this building.

If you are the owners, or a member of Croydon Council, can you spot the difference?

Before



After



Yes that's right; the boarding, which had fallen down, has been put back up.

I assume that the owners of this sorry wreck of a building and Croydon Council, who allegedly are meant to protect our urban environment, think that this is a real improvement to this eyesore.

It is nice to think that my website has had something to do with pricking their consciences into doing something. However, I am less than impressed with their efforts.

I want, and I assume the residents of Sydenham Road also want, to see this building renovated.

So stop messing around, and get on with it!

The Leaning Chimney Pot of Croydon

Here is a photo, albeit slightly blurred (sorry folks I’m not a professional photographer), of one of the chimney stacks of The Bird House (see my earlier post below for full details on The Bird House).




Now, I am sure it is quite obvious that there is a problem here. However, for the benefit of the owners of the Bird House and Croydon Council; neither of whom seem to care about the state of this building, I will elucidate.

One of the chimney pots is leaning at an alarming angle.

I am no expert on these matters, but I strongly suspect that the pot (and it seems to be quite a large one) is going to topple over in the not too distant future.

This of course poses a hazard to any pedestrians in the vicinity, who have the misfortune to be walking past at the time it chooses to topple.

I would remind our ever vigilant Council, and the rather dozy owners of this building, that this building is also next door to a nursery school.

Now at the risk of sounding like a bore, why not fix it before someone gets hurt or killed?

Wonder of Croydon

Croydon Council are asking for nominations for "Wonders of Croydon".

I leave you all to decide what your particular "Wonder" is. I will be nominating the "Bird House" on Sydenham Road, and asking how it is that a house of that size can remain neglected and derelict for so long (given the housing shortage in the UK).

Further details of the vote can be accessed via this link "Wonder of Croydon".

Bird House Boarded Up

You may recall the nice photos that I posted last year on this site, about the ugly and decaying building known as "The Bird House" (see post in Feb 2004).

Well I am pleased to report that progress has been made in restoring this once fine house back to its former glory.

The broken windows, that allowed a colony of pigeons to roost there, have been boarded up.

Pathetic!

Which century will it be I wonder, when the owners and the council get around to actually restoring this building?

In my view, by their inaction, they are taking the piss out of the voters and the residents of Croydon.

The "Bird House" Sydenham Road Croydon

Sydenham road is a residential area where, in general, the properties are well maintained.

However, there is one notable exception; this house, known as “The Bird House”, which has fallen into disuse and decay.

As far as I can recall, it has been standing empty and unloved for at least three years.

At one stage some building equipment was parked in the front garden, and ugly boarding erected. That provided some false hope that something may at last be happening.

However, the equipment has gone and the boarding is collapsing.

It now provides sanctuary for a large family of pigeons, and other birds, who inhabit the upper floors.

Needless to say it is now a fly tippers paradise.

I fail to understand why this prime piece of real estate has not been redeveloped; we are constantly told by our political masters that there is a housing shortage.

It is hardly pleasant for the residents of the street to look at; or indeed safe for the school children who use the school opposite, and nursery school next door.

We look forward to seeing action taken by the owners/Croydon Council to renovate this scrofulous tumour on the backside of Croydon.




To see a slide show of more pictures please click Birdhouse

The Bird House

Text of enquiry sent to Croydon council today:

"Given Croydon Council's predilection to use compulsory purchase orders (see www.catarena.org), why have the council not used one on this derelict eyesore in Sydenham Road?

I first wrote about it in February 2004, yet it remains untouched and unloved.

Instead of providing much needed accommodation for human beings, this decaying carbuncle is merely providing a home for flocks of pigeons.

The owners and Croydon council should be ashamed of themselves for not ensuring that this building is used for the purpose for which it was intended."

The Times

My thanks to The Times for allowing me to plug this site in their article about the empty homes crisis, and publicly remind Croydon Council that "The Bird House" in Sydenham Road is still untouched and unloved.



"A large property in Sydenham Road, Croydon, has been derelict for years and I featured it on www.croydoniscrap.com, the website where I name and shame squalid buildings, derelict land and streets that are a blight on the community and the environment.

Croydon council claimed in April that it had approved an application to build flats there. However, as yet, there is no sign of any building work commencing.

Ken Frost,

Croydon"

Ken Praises Croydon

24dash.com reports that the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, has praised Croydon Council for exceeding his target for building new homes and for ensuring over half of them were affordable.

The figures show that Croydon:

-Delivered 1,121 new homes last year, exceeding the Mayor's London Plan 2006/07 target of 903

-Provided 558 affordable homes, exceeding the Mayor's target that 50% of all new homes should be affordable.

The Mayor told Croydon it was a "good performer" adding:

"I am delighted to see you demonstrating to others that, given the political will and commitment, it is possible to increase both overall supply and the proportion that is affordable."

Croydon Council are to be congratulated to for exceeding plans.

However, given the pressure on housing, I would like to ask why it is that derelict houses such as the "Bird House" on Sydenham Road are still allowed to rot?

Croydon To Emulate New York?

I recommend that you read this interesting article in Saturday's Times about Croydon (click on the link to the Times to read it).

Basically the article outlines the vision of the big property developers, architects and Croydon council for the future of Croydon.

Were these groups to be believed, the next 10 years or so will see Croydon transformed into a glittering metropolis emulating New York.

The only trouble I have with believing in this dream, is the reality of Croydon today.

How can you believe that these people will succeed in building their vision of the future, if they cannot address even the most basic of issues that have been highlighted on this site over the last 12 months?

• The "Bird House" is still crumbling



• Dingwall Road is a post nuclear disaster area



• "The Little Shop of Horrors" is still a blight on the landscape



• The "pile of rubble" is still there on St James's Road



• The area around the Home Office is still a scrofulous tumour on the backside of Croydon

Bottom line guys, you (the property developers, architects and council) have failed us many times before, we the citizens of Croydon don't believe you any more.