Despite the C-19 lockdown and intermittent rain, Purley Conservatives held a street stall yesterday on the Brighton Road, and we were joined by Chris Philp MP. There was a steady stream of local residents who wanted to discuss lots of issues both with Chris & with local councillors. For Chris the main issues were C-19 lockdown and children's free school meals whereas for councillors, the main topic was, as it has been for the last few years, the excessive number of new developments which routinely receive planning permission from the Labour-dominated planning committee.
It's an astonishing fact that at the moment, Purley is supplying roughly 50% of the new homes requirement for the WHOLE OF CROYDON. In the last year or so, about 50 large family homes have been demolished to make way for blocks of usually nine flats (though some blocks have been much larger), and there are some huge developments in the pipeline such as Mosaic Place (220), Whytecliffe Road South (262), and 920-930 Purley Way (161). Planners are supposed to take account of cumulative impact when considering planning applications, but the Labour members of the committee appear to take a positive delight in completely ignoring this issue time after time. This is very serious for the future, because at the moment, not a penny is being spent in Purley on extra infrastructure such as schools, surgeries etc, so waiting lists are already lengthening.
