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?

Minerva Offer Collapses

In July I noted that Minerva, the developer which Croydon Council expect to develop Park Place, had received an offer from Limitless.

Property Week reports today that:

"Shares in listed developer Minerva fell 33% to 52p this morning after Limitless withdrew its prospective takeover offer.

The development arm of the Dubai World sovereign wealth fund told the London Stock Exchange this morning that it had withdrawn its 160p-a-share offer."

I do not see that this is good news for the Park Place development as, despite whatever Minerva claim, their financial position is now weakened.

Park Place Going Nowhere

The Croydon Guardian reports that the much vaunted Park Place scheme, that has caused the decay of St George's Walk, has been delayed again.

The original plan was for work on Park Place to start in spring this year, with completion expected in 2012.

Croydon council now claim that it does not expect to receive a new planning application from developer Minerva until October or November this year.

Whilst that is going on it seems that Minerva may well be taken over.

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).

Park Place Collapse

It looks like the Park Place development scheme has collapsed (or rather is going to collapse).

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?

How many other development schemes touted by the council are going to fail to get off the ground?

The failure of Croydon council to plan effectively has led to the degradation and decay of the area designated for the development, eg St George's Walk. Local businesses, such as Turtle's, have been under threat of closure because of this scheme.

In May 2005 I wrote that:

"Turtle's, one of Croydon's best known independent stores, is searching for new premises after compulsory purchase orders were issued to acquire the land for the £500M Park Place shopping centre."

In February 2005 I wrote about Minerva funding Croydon Council's fight against the Whitgift shopping centre expansion plans proposed by Minerva's rivals, who own the Whitgift. I stated then that this must surely raise reservations about the council's independence.

Interestingly, John Prescott crushed the rival scheme in March 2006; Andrew Rosenfeld (owner of Minerva) having loaned £1M to Labour.

According to The Times:

"Prescott killed the rival scheme, put forward by a consortium called Whitgift, by rejecting its appeal against an earlier refusal by inspectors to give it planning permission."

Prescott denied this and another allegation. Prescott confirmed that he had received the planning applications, but said he felt the decisions should be made locally.

"I passed it over to Croydon and (the other application) City of London Corporation.

They made the decision, not me."

It is time that the council stopped kowtowing to the developers, and asserted a robust and coherent development policy that served the interests of the people who actually live and work in Croydon.

Of Mice and Men

As the old saying goes "the best laid plans of mice and men..."

This most certainly is the case for the plans for the Park Place development, which have been gathering dust for years now.

Allegedly, the plan is to "regenerate Croydon town centre" (how often do developers and Croydon council use that phrase?), by amongst other things knocking down St George's Walk.

However, despite the developers and the council "talking big" for years about these plans, nothing yet has happened or looks like happening anytime soon.

The Croydon Guardian reports:

"Work was due to start in spring but Minerva and Lend Lease have still not secured an anchor tenant.

St George's Walk is under a compulsory purchase order and was originally set to be demolished late last year.

But it now looks as though it will still be open in 2009 and traders say they are fed up with not getting any answers from their landlord, Minerva."

Meanwhile St George's Walk is rotting.

A cynic might suggest that the plan is to allow the area to rot away to nothing, then force the council to accept a second rate tenant and a third rate development.

Why should the citizens of Croydon be treated in this manner by their council?

I know that I am not alone in despairing at the state of decay in Croydon.

I have received messages of support from residents in the borough. Additionally, I have received a list from Cllr Andrew Pelling (London Assembly Member for Sutton and Croydon); which identifies over 150 areas of graffiti in the borough, as at February 2004.

Cllr Pelling noted that that he has sent the list to the council.

If these areas have now been cleaned up, please advise and I will delete them from the list.

My thanks to Cllr Pelling for the list, which I reproduce in full below:

GRAFFITI REPORTS TO CROYDON COUNCIL – FEBRUARY 2004

On flats in Woburn Court on northern end of Wellesley Road.
On side wall of 60 Exeter Road.
Extensive graffiti in small park at rear of 91 Stretton Road
On side wall of 63 Dartnell Road
On side wall of 80 Dartnell Road
On side of 78 Dartnell Road at its junction with Laurier Road
On side wall of 92 Rymer Road
On Telewest box at junction of Rymer and Dartnell Roads
On side wall of 5 Albert Terrace in Dartnell Road
In car park by housing at southern end of Dominion Road
On side wall of 2B Dominion Road
In pathway running from car park in Dominion Road to Laurier Road
On sidewall of 34A & 34 Dartnell Road
On side fence of 1-12 Thornbury Court in Blunt Road.
On fence in pathway running parallel to the railway by side of the western end of the bridge over the railway north of South Croydon station and running into Hurst Road.
On Telewest boxes at top end of Havelock Road.
On fence of properties at top of Clyde Road facing onto the Addiscombe Road.
On front fence and sidewall of 501 Brighton Road.
On NatWest bank at 96 Brighton Road, Coulsdon.
On shutters next to Plumb Centre in Station Approach Road, Coulsdon.
On electricity sub-station behind Barclays Bank in The Avenue, Coulsdon.
On doors at back of NatWest Bank.
On front of Lloyds Bank in central Croydon.
On side of Woolworths in Coulsdon.
On 1A Alexandra Building, Edward Road, Coulsdon.
On top of wall of 25 Melrose Road.
On 5A Woodside Road.
On shutters of Shirley Computer Services in Spring Lane.
On pathway through to St Luke's Close off Spring Lane.
Small amount of graffiti on side fence of 53 Spring Lane.
On fence on junction of Woodside Avenue and Woodside Green.
On Telewest box at junction of Woodside Green and Howard Road.
On stairs running up to Roman Way at Reeves Corner.
In underpass under Roman Way.
On wall of car park opposite entrance to Booth Road.
On front of 99-101 Church Road.
On front of 91 Church Road.
On wall by side of the Grouse & Ferret public house opposite 74-94 Cherry Orchard Road.
On outside wall and on Oval primary school building.
On slaughterhouse (Cherryfield [Croydon] Ltd) next to Oval primary school (NB: flowerpot on railings next to slaughterhouse has been displaced and contents spilled all over the pavement).
On waste bin opposite Cherryfield at the bus stop.
On Telewest box and Keep Left traffic signs opposite 41 Cherry Orchard Road
On Pay & Display machine 30 yards to west of 41 Cherry Orchard Road
On park benches at junction of Cherry Orchard Gardens and Cherry Orchard Road.
On outside fence of car park next to large white building at junction with Billington Hill
On the large white building (Amy Johnson House) next to Billington Hill
On red Post Office pouch box at junction of Cedar Road and Cherry Orchard Road
On side of Stevenson House in Cedar Road
On Billington Hill street sign at the bottom of Billington Hill.
On CR0 former public house in St George's Walk.
On shutters of sandwich bar at 35 St George's Walk
On shutters of 38 St George's Walk
On walls at Croydon College entrance end of St George's Walk
All over the grilles on the pedestrian bridge across the tramway in Spring Lane.
On street light No. 7 in Spring Lane just south of Spring Lane bridge.
On concrete slabs outside Croydon College.
On disabled ramp outside Croydon College.
On park bench outside Croydon College.
On outbuildings on College Green, between College and the Higher Education Centre.
On large plant box to east of the College entrance overlooking College Green.
On large pillars at the back of College Green close to the multi-storey car park.
On panels at 'permit holders entrance only' to Fairfield car park.
On the bridge over the railway into permit holders entrance into Fairfield car park.
On back of Fairfield automatic car park sign in Hazeldene Road.
On street sign at entrance to Granville Close.
On Fairford's sign at entrance to Garrick Crescent.
On side wall of 58 Cedar Road.
On side fence of 65 Lebanon Road.
On Telewest box at bottom end of Lebanon Road.
On public toilet at roundabout junction of Lower Addiscombe Road and Morland Road.
Also on the signs in the middle of the same roundabout.
On side fence of Suncroft and Telewest boxes in Morland Avenue.
On red fence opposite 5 Morland Avenue.
On Telewest box outside 42 Morland Avenue.
Outside 50 Morland Road.
On Telewest box outside 5 Vincent Road.
On garage at 33 Brampton Road.
On Brampton Road street sign.
On Telewest box at junction of Brampton Road and Davidson Road.
On garage of 31 Brampton Road.
On 'Boys' entrance to Davidson Centre in Brampton Road.
On pillar of Davidson Centre in Davidson Road by caretaker's house.
On Northway Road sign.
On side wall and fence of 436 Davidson Road.
On 139 Northway Road surgery.
On front wall of 108 Northway Road.
On Telewest box at junction of Rees Gardens and Northway Road.
On gates and main sign of Davidson Professional Centre in Northway Road.
On side fence of 102 Northway Road.
On side fence of 1 Westbourne Road.
On side fence of 100 Northway Road.
On Telewest box opposite 75 Northway Road.
On gate of 56 Northway Road.
On road sign at Aschurch Road next to 46 Northway Road.
On Telewest box by 39 Northway Road.
On wall of 2 Northway Road.
On bollard at junction of Morland Road and Northway Road.
On side fence of 148 Morland Road.
On fence of 156 Morland Road.
On Telewest boxes on Beckford Road at Morland Road junction.
On Beckford Road sign.
On side wall of 12 Beckford Road.
On side wall and fence of 54 Aschurch Road
In front of 46 Spring Lane.
On bollard at top end of Estcourt Road..
On side wall Meadvale Stores newsagents at 32A Meadvale Road.
On fence opposite 106 Hermitage Lane and all way down the pathway from Hermitage Lane.
On Hermitage Lane road sign at junction with Sonning Road.
On garage door opposite 30 Sonning Road.
On green post pouch at junction of Sonning Road and Anthony Road.
On garage door at 12 Anthony Road.
On black garage door at entrance to Anthony Road.
On roller shutters at 293 Lower Addiscombe Road.
On front wall of 196 Lower Addiscombe Road.
On buildings by side of tram next to FADS at 231A Lower Addiscombe Road.
On Sundridge Road road sign.
On Telewest box on Nicholson Road at junction with Lower Addiscombe Road.
On green gates opposite 9 Nicholson Road.
On side fence of 72 Grant Road.
On Telewest box at junction of High Barrow Road and Sundridge Road.
On side wall of property at end of Grant Road.
On red post office pouch box in Sundridge Road close to junction with Dalmally Road.
On Telewest box next door to 67 Dalmally Road.
On side wall of 67 Dalmally Road (still needing further cleaning).
On side wall of 45 Dalmally Road.
On Telewest box outside 17 Dalmally Road.
On white door opposite 34 Dalmally Road.
On side wall of 78 Coniston Road.
On garage and side wall of 52 Addiscombe Avenue.
On Addiscombe Avenue road sign.
On side wall of 10 Everton Road
On side wall of William Hill shop in Everton Road.
On door of the Church of Nazarene in Lower Addiscombe Road.
On Telewest box at entrance to Alexandra Road.
On Davidson Road sign.
On street light No. 6 in Lower Addiscombe Road.
On side of 40 Lower Addiscombe Road.
On blue gate opposite 40 Lower Addiscombe Road.
On lamp post No. 9 outside 85 Davidson Road.
On post box at junction of Stretton Road and Davidson Road.
On side wall of 178 Davidson Road.
On red post pouches at junction of Stretton Road and Davidson Road.
On garages at entrance to Stretton Road near junction with Davidson Road.
On side wall of 141 Alexandra Road.
On side wall of 43 Alexandra Road.
On front door of 48B Lower Addiscombe Road.
On shops next to Dry Hard Croydon Ltd at bottom of Cherry Orchard Road.
On shutters of 146 and 140 Cherry Orchard Road.
On side wall of 142 Cherry Orchard Road.
On 134 Cherry Orchard Road.
On 130A Cherry Orchard Road.
On shutters of 124 and front door of 122A/124A Cherry Orchard Road.
On garage door of 131B Cherry Orchard Road.
On properties at entrance to Leslie Park Road.
On red post pouch box at entrance to Leslie Park Road from Cherry Orchard Road.
On 121 Cherry Orchard Road.
On Pay & Display machine outside 121 Cherry Orchard Road.
On 125 Cherry Orchard Road.
On 127 Cherry Orchard Road.
On side wall of 101 Cherry Orchard Road.
On fences at junction of Brownlow Road and Park Hill Road.


All above up to 18.2.04 at 12.05
On bollards at end of Sunken Lane near Tramlink station.