Castles In The Air - Another "Plan" For The Whitgift Centre

PropertyWeek reports that Hammerson has signed an exclusivity agreement which will enable it to buy a stake in the Whitgift Centre in Croydon.

This of course places a question mark over Westfield’s plans for the centre, and adds to the confusion as to what exactly is going on with the shopping centre.

In November 2011 Westfield announced that it had secured an exclusive agreement with the shopping centre’s freeholder, the Whitgift Trust, to explore options to redevelop the mall. However, the shopping centre’s other stakeholders had not been consulted and agreed to sell a share of their stake to Hammerson.

"Plans" for the redevelopment of the Whitgift shopping centre have been argued about for years, eg I wrote this in February 2005:

"Minerva is funding Croydon Council's fight against the Whitgift shopping centre expansion plans proposed by Minerva's rivals, who own the Whitgift.

Minerva is paying the six figure costs of legal fees incurred by the council, at a planning inquiry into the expansion of the Whitgift shopping centre.

The owners of Whitgift are appealing against the council's decision not to approve plans to extend the shopping centre. The extension is called Bishops Court 2.

The council is reported to back the rival project called Park Place, which is proposed by Minerva."

Frankly, based on the failures of previous schemes, I don't think there will be an redevelopment of the Whitgift anytime soon. 

Park Place Finally Dies

In March 2008 I wrote:

"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.

In October 2008 I wrote:

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

Today we finally read the obituary of this unwanted, and unloved, scheme.

Property Week report that Croydon Council is to cancel its development agreement with Minerva to develop Park Place, after it said there was "virtually no chance" that Minerva could develop the scheme.

Have I not been saying the self same thing for quite some time?

The council without a single trace of irony are quoted:

"Rather than prolong the inactivity that has blighted the site for so long, the council now intends drawing up a revised strategy for the site which will include attracting John Lewis to the town centre. It is hoped that a new CPO will not be necessary but this will be a fall back position when a new development partner is in place".

Croydon council leader Mike Fisher, said:

"I very much hope that we do not have to resort to CPO proceedings as this will only further prolong the delay that has blighted the area and devastated so many of the traders who used to operate in St George's Walk, but if another CPO is the only way we will follow that route to ensure the area is regenerated."

The above comments from Fisher and the council beggar belief. They are the ones responsible for ripping the heart out of the centre of Croydon, and inflicting the blight that will remain for decades to come.

I would also remind them that were it not for their pig headed intransigence the Gateway development, that they sought to block for so long, would have long since been completed. Instead, thanks to their insistence in backing the wrong horse, they have succeeded in ensuring that the redevelopment has been delayed further as a result of the financial and property crisis. Thus adding another blighted area to the centre of Croydon.

The people of Croydon have been ill served by their council over the past decade, there is not a cat's chance in hell that the council are capable of reversing the blight that is eroding the heart of Croydon.

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.

The Battle For Hearts and Minds

The battle between Stanhope Schroders and Arrowocroft for the hearts and minds of the citizens of Croydon over their rival proposals for the development of the scrofulous tumour on the backside of Croydon, otherwise know as Dingwall Road, continues.

Today I received from Arrowcroft a glossy mailshot that attempted to persuade the recipients of the advantages of building an arena, which Croydon does not need, and inviting me to attend the Arrowcroft exhibition in the Whitgift Centre.

The only problem with the invitation is that the exhibition was held 19th to 21st of October, today is the 23rd of October.

Aside from that, the mailshot notes that the council has set in motion the process of acquiring the site, currently owned by the rival developer Stanhope Schroders. Arrowcroft states that they are "close to commencing development of the Gateway site.."

Nonsense!

As I have already stated on this site, this process will take an inordinate amount of time. It should be noted that Arrowcroft first achived planning approval for this scheme over 3 years ago in 2006. Yet Dingwall Road continues to decay.

Stanhope Schroders, who own the site, will fight them every step of the way.

Dingwall Road has been in a state of ever worsening decay for years. The battle between the two developers will merely ensure that the citizens of Croydon will have to endure the blight on their urban landscape for a good many more years.

So much for trying to improve our lives!

The site needs to be redeveloped now!

Feel free to take a walk along Croydon's post nuclear road of shame via this link Dingwall Road.

Croydon Caught Up In Labour Loans Row

According to The Times, John Prescott made a decision to support Andrew Rosenfeld's company's (Minerva) plans to redevelop Park Place in Croydon after Rosenfeld had 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 denies 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."

Happy with the way that planning and development is carried out in Croydon?

Remember to make your feelings known to the current Labour regime, by voting them out of office on May the 4th in the local elections.

How Independent is Croydon Council?

The Times, in its Thursday edition, printed a story about Minerva (the property company that owned Allders); seeming Minerva is funding Croydon Council's fight against the Whitgift shopping centre expansion plans proposed by Minerva's rivals, who own the Whitgift.

Minerva is paying the six figure costs of legal fees incurred by the council, at a planning inquiry into the expansion of the Whitgift shopping centre.

The owners of Whitgift are appealing against the council's decision not to approve plans to extend the shopping centre. The extension is called Bishops Court 2.

The council is reported to back the rival project called Park Place, which is proposed by Minerva.

The Times summarises the schemes as follows:

Bishops Court 2: (proposed by the owners of the Whitgift shopping centre) Plans to redevelop the site, where an Allders department store is located, with a 495,563 sq ft shopping centre.

Park Place: (proposed by Minerva) Plans to build a new shopping centre with 1.08 million sq ft of shops, restaurants and cafés on an Allders department store site and adjoining sites.

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 Corner of Bedford Park and Wellesley Road Croydon

Here you can see a prime example of dereliction and decay.

A long since abandoned office block and waste land, combine to form a hideous eyesore.

The area has been in a state of decay for at least the last three years; and not surprisingly, is being used by "fly tippers" to dump their waste.

In an attempt to "improve" the eyesore, the authorities have erected a particularly ugly set of iron railings and wooden boarding.

This should be a prime piece of real estate in Croydon; it is opposite the Home Office (you would have thought that they would have complained!), close to the Whitgift Shopping Centre and near to schools, churches and residential dwellings.

Yet it resembles the Bronx in New York.

As our ever popular Council (who won my prestigious “Worse Than Worthless” award last year) says, they are trying to get Croydon recognised as a place to make films; clearly this part of Croydon would be well suited to filming the urban decay and dereliction of the Bronx.

Welcome to Croydon!

If you feel that something should be done about this area then write to the Council, the media and your local MP (remember to refer to this site).



I have put together an automated slide show of pictures of this squalid part of Croydon. If you wish to watch it please click this link Home Office.