Like many local residents, I have long been alarmed at the state of the Purley multi-storey car park, which has had broken/faulty lifts, is in a general state of disrepair following a fire and is dirty. All of this presents an unwelcoming environment and is fuelling antisocial behaviour.
Since my election in May, one of my key priorities has been to make the car park, a more welcoming place to encourage footfall to downtown Purley. I have been urging Council officers to put pressure on Polaska who own the old Sainsbury's site and have asked officers to resolve the matter of illegally parked vehicles by the Leisure Centre/old Sainsbury's.
This week, I was pleased to receive a response from Council officers providing me with an update.
With regards to the fire damage, the Council officers have finally met with Polaska, who have undertaken some minor repairs to the affected areas. However, six months down the line, it is clear that that there has not been full remediation which is unacceptable, and we are very disappointed at the lack of progress. Polaska has been asked to undertake further remediation works asap and I have urged Council officers to obtain timescales at the earliest opportunity. We will continue maintaining pressure on them to deliver these important works.
I am grateful to the Purley Panel and BID for raising illegal car parking on the Leisure Centre/Old Sainsbury's forecourt, which is the responsibility of the Council. I am pleased that Council officers have instructed contractors to arrange to secure and lock the bollards, and provide notices warning cars that parking in this area is an infringement. A date on re-securing will be provided soon.
Cleaning of the car park is undertaken by the Council's waste services team every morning at 8am, but as this area is vulnerable to rough sleepers and antisocial behaviour, the car park isn't always at its best. I would urge residents to report issues via the LoveCleanStreets App.
Whilst these issues are nowhere near resolved, I welcome that there has been some progress and that Council officers are putting pressure on Polaska. I will continue to do the same and ask that residents email myself and my ward colleagues, Simon and Holly if they wish to raise specific concerns about the car park and surrounding area.
Cllr Samir Dwesar
