Canning & Clyde Road Residents Association |
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E Croydon Gateway |
East Croydon Gateway Site LATEST NEWS January 2010 The East Croydon Masterplan After delays in development around the East Croydon Station area, Croydon Council has got together with the landowners and potential developers to draw up a co-ordinated plan to develop East Croydon Station. This area is considered key to the regeneration of Croydon and because of transport links is viewed as a potential central business district. Croydon Council has engaged Studio Egret West to shape initial ideas. We will let you know when these emerge. Croydon Council is also encouraging Studio Egret West to liaise with others involved in the different developments proposed around Central Croydon. In the meantime we can update you as follows. East Croydon Station improvements There is agreement between Network Rail, London Borough of Croydon and Stanhope Schroder, who own the Ruskin Square site, that improvements at East Croydon Station need to be made. There are plans for a bridge connecting the platforms with new entrances to the station in Ruskin Square and Cherry Orchard Road. If the scheme goes ahead, it will be jointly funded by London Borough of Croydon and Network Rail with a programmed completion by July 2013. We should hear more definite news about this and any other possible improvements in the New Year. Gateway / Ruskin Square site
The new bridge has implications for Stanhope Schroder's
existing planning consent to develop Ruskin Square, which will have to
alter; they are working on this. Stanhope Schroder would hope to have
an illustrative plan prepared early in the New Year. Stanhope Schroder are still actively pursuing potential office occupiers about a prelet and have some discussion ongoing but say this is quite a tall order in the current market. Because of the current economic climate, they will not be able to start office building without a tenant already lined up. Contrary to rumours caused by reporting of past events
in the local press, we have checked with Councillor Andrew Price and there
are no plans for an arena. Andrew asked in the summer in the Scrutiny
Committee both Emma Peters (Executive Director for Regeneration) and Cllr
O'Connell (Cabinet Member for Regeneration) if there were any plans for
leisure developments in the town centre. There were none. Andrew is unaware
of any plans that Jon Rouse (Chief Executive London Borough of Croydon)
is formulating for an arena. Andrew will ask him and the Leader of the
Council to double check. ARENA GATEWAY PROJECT NOT GOING AHEAD March 2008 Arrowcroft, the developer wishing to build a 12,500 seat arena by East Croydon Station have not challenged the decision of the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government not to grant permission to build the arena. Stanhope Schroders own the land and have planning permission from the Secretary of State for their own development including a park and new home for the Warehouse Theatre. They are in the strange position of having permission without having first liaised with Croydon Council who previously refused to engage with them. Stanhope Schroders hope to spend the next few months building a relationship with Croydon Council to arrive at a scheme that is acceptable all round. We shall continue to monitor potential developments. Compulsory Purchase Order - On Thursday 7 August 2008 we learnt that the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, has not allowed Croydon Council to compulsory purchase the land by East Croydon Station in order to facilitate the Arrowcroft proposed development including a 12,500 seat arena. We heard last week that she had not granted Arrowcroft planning permission. The Secretary of State said there was not enough evidence that granting a CPO would make the plan deliverable. She is of the opinion that the Stanhope/Schroder scheme would deliver many of the regeneration benefits 'notwithstanding that it does no include an arena'. There was therefore no 'compelling need in the public interest' for it to be granted. Planning Permission - On Thursday 31 July 2008 we learnt that the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Hazel Blears, had accepted the Planning Inspector's recommendation not to grant permission for Arrowcroft's planning application to build a mixed development including a 12,500 seat arena on the land beside East Croydon Station and Dingwall Road. Her main grounds were doubts over the viability of the Arena and unresolved questions about transportation of people, the main grounds on which we objected all along! Click here to see a copy of the Secretary of State's letter. The fact that the Secretary of state refused planning permission and the compulsory purchase order is extremely good news. It may not, however, be the end of the story. Arrowcroft until the middle of September (six weeks from 30 July) in which to launch an appeal in the High Court. Meanwhile Stanhope/Schroder have said they will wait to see if Arrowcroft challenge the decisions. If they do not, Stanhope/Schroder have said they then want to sit down with Croydon Council and rebuild their relationship so they can work constructively about early development. We would like to pay tribute to all who worked so hard to put across residents' views. Our very own Steve (Collins) galvanised in his own inimitable fashion and co-ordinated a response from our association plus HOME, Morland Park and Park Hill residents associations and also the Croydon Transport Focus Group. Although very ill, he waded through pages of tedious documentation and help compile a convincing written argument against both the planning application and Compulsory Purchase Order (see links lower down this page). Thanks too to Guy Salt and Richard Pywell of the Croydon Transport Focus Group whose expertise was invaluable. Thank you to John Ingman, Chairman of Park Hill Residents Association, who made the oral submission at the Inquiry in October. Many thanks to our three councillors, Andrew Price, Russell Jackson and Maria Garcia who listened to residents' views and represented us so well. Croydon Council's preferred developer, Arrowcroft, were asked by the Planning Inspector in the autumn 2007 to clarify some of the points they changed in the environmental evidence they gave at the Inquiry. Arrowcroft published their revised environmental information on 24 January 2008 and we were given until 14 February to send comments to the Planning Inspector. We along with three other residents associations: HOME, Morland Park and Park Hill together with the Croydon Transport Focus Group submitted a joint response. Our comments have focussed on transport and crowd dispersal issues. Click here to see our comments on the January 2008 environmental evidence from Arrowcroft We have submitted our 'Proof of Evidence' to the Public Inquiry. Click here to see the full reasons for our objections. The Public Inquiry into the Arrowcroft planning application for a development including a 12,500 seat arena and night club - and into Croydon's Compulsory Purchase Order - was held in September to November 2007. Click here for more information on the Public Inquiry. We along with three other residents associations (H.O.M.E, Park Hill, Morland Park) objected to the planning application and compulsory purchase order for the following reasons: We objected to Croydon Council's Compulsory Purchase Order of the site on the grounds that they must show this is overwhelmingly in the public interest. This they have completely failed to do. We objected to the latest planning application by Arrowcroft. It will create a need for people to travel that cannot be met by the existing road and public transport infrastructure. The developer has no plans for any large-scale improvement to road or public transport. The latest arena application made it clear that the Council will likely introduce changes to parking zones in our area. This could mean, as has been suggested before by Croydon Council, 7.00 am till midnight, 7 days a week restrictions at a much higher cost than the current Pay and Display. The last minute inclusion of the Warehouse Theatre is too little too late and with so many caveats as to make it a worthless token gesture. The viability of an arena here is far from proven, particularly with all the recent new venues opened like O2, Indigo and the newly refurbished Wembley Arena. Click here to see a copy of our letter to the Planning Inspectorate. Whitgift Estate Residents Association are also submitting an objection. Click here to see our letter of objection to the Compulsory Purchase Order. Click here to see the website Catarena (Croydon Against The ARENA) for views on the proposed development. Click here to see blog views on the Croydon Advertiser website. Click here to see the Stanhope website. Click here to see the Arrowcroft website. Link to Background Information on East Croydon Gateway
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