Drain Cover - Addington Road
22/05/2020 14:59:00.......Posted by Yvette Hopley

I am pleased to report that the extremely noisy drain cover on the Addington Road just before Sanderstead Plantation will be fixed this week.  Residents I am sure will not miss the dreadful din as heavy traffic passes along this route

Broken Handrail on Sanderstead Hill
22/05/2020 14:52:00.......Posted by Yvette Hopley

Unfortunately, the handrail on Sanderstead Hill collapsed and upturned some of the tarmac.  I know that many elderly residents rely on the handrail, particularly in the Winter months to avoid falls.  I am pleased to say that officers have informed me that it has been replaced.  Keep safe everyone.

Neighbourhood Recycling Centres Closed
19/05/2020 13:43:00.......Posted by Yvette Hopley

Many residents rely on the Neighbourhood Recycling Centres to dispose of much of their waste.  Particularly those living in flats above the shops without any facilities to dispose of waste other than on the pavement or grass verge.

Unfortunately, the council has taken the decision to close the centre at Hamsey Green along with others without providing an alternative serrvice for the residents.  The recycling centres have only just opened and the Purley Oaks Centre has extremely long queues for over an hour and is some miles from the area which isn't helpful, particularly if you haven't got a car,  

This is the response I received from the council, not that I have seen fly tipping at the site only a lack of service in emptying the bins and keeping the site clean and tidy.

"Due to the Covid-19 pandemic we made the decision to close the neighbourhood recycling centres as they were being contaminated and residents were not adhering to social distancing.  This was a separate decision to closing them when we introduce the flats recycling. The introduction of the scheme is now delayed until we can return to a more business as usual situation.  There is currently lots of messaging going to the public and now would not be the time to introduce a new recycling scheme.  

We appreciate this is not the best scenario as it does not allow the residents to recycle but it does take the pressure off Veolia to ensure kerbside services are maintained.  A decision on reintroducing sites until we can deliver the new recycling scheme is constantly being reviewed and we will let the public know as soon as things change.  We removed the all the bins we could so as to discourage fly tipping at the site."

Litter bins on Sanderstead Rec
17/05/2020 08:17:00.......Posted by Tim Pollard

I've had reports that the waste bins on Sanderstead Rec are overflowing so I have put in a request for these to be emptied. I guess in these unusual times some local amenities are going to need attention on a different cycle from normal, so if you do notice anything like this around the ward, please let us know and we will get it sorted.

Red Gables 2 Beech Avenue, Sanderstead - Refused
15/05/2020 20:27:00.......Posted by Yvette Hopley

As residents will know I objected to the application on the site of Red Gables in Beech Avenue.  I believe that the application was out of character with the area and would be harmful to the character of the locality and the visual amenity of the surrounding landscape namely The Beeches.  I am pleased to see that the application has been refused siting some of the reasons I put forward but also the lack of affordable homes.  For now residents can breath a sigh of relief but sadly I am sure another application will be forthcoming.   There follows the official wording from the council:

Red Gables, 2 Beech Avenue, South Croydon, CR2 0NL

Reason(s) for Refusal:

1 By reason of its scale, form and design the development would not be of high quality would be harmful to the character of the locality and detrimental to the visual amenity of the surrounding townscape. The development would thereby conflict with Policies SP4.1, SP4.2 and DM10 of the Croydon Local Plan (2018), Policies 7.1, 7.4, and 7.6 of the London Plan (consolidated with alterations since 2011) and the Croydon Suburban Design Guide (2019).

 2 The development would fail to adequately contribute to addressing London's and the borough's need for affordable homes and would therefore be contrary to Policies SP2.4 and SP2.5 of the Croydon Local Plan (2018) and 3.10, 3.11, 3.12 and 3.13 of the London Plan (consolidated with Alterations since 2011).

3 The application has not demonstrated that the flood risk from the site has

been adequately addressed or provides an adequate scheme of sustainable

drainage. The proposal would fail to meet the requirements of the NPPF and

PPG, Policy 5.13 of the London Plan (consolidated with alterations since

2011) and Policy SP6.4 of the Croydon Local Plan (2018).

4 Insufficient information has been provided to demonstrate that the

development would not result in unacceptable harm to protected species or

habitats. This would be contrary to Policies SP7.4, DM27 and DM28 of the

Croydon Local Plan (2018) and Policy 7.19 of the London Plan (consolidated

with alterations since 2011).

5 The development would result in the loss of or the putting at risk of valued

trees. The loss of these trees would be detrimental to the character of the

area and the proposal is, therefore, contrary to SP7, DM10.8, DM27 and

DM28 of the Croydon Local Plan: Strategic Policies 2013 and 7.4 and 7.21 of

the London Plan (consolidated with alterations since 2011).

Temporary Lights Limpsfield Rd/Orchard Rd
01/05/2020 13:52:00.......Posted by Tim Pollard

To enable some gas mains replacement works it is necessary to install temporary multi way lights at Limpsfield Road j/w Orchard Road. The works are planned to take place between 4 and 17 May. Should anything change I will post an update.

I guess the good news about the timing is that this sort of road work is less of a problem during lockdown, with so much less trafic on the roads.

Poo bins in Kings Wood
30/04/2020 08:40:00.......Posted by Tim Pollard

Under lockdown I have been enjoying the fact that my local walk - strictly the one I am allowed for exercise - is through Kings Wood, where the bluebells this year have been fabulous. Not so lovely has been the sight of the overflowing poo bins in several places, most particularly at the Kingswood Lane end. Having noticed this over the weekend I have brought it to the attention of the appropriate team, so hopefully it will be dealt with soon.

Watch out for Coronavirus scams
27/03/2020 13:19:00.......Posted by Tim Pollard

It is a sad reflection on modern life that, in the midst of the current Covid-19 crisis, there are still people whose first instinct is to try to con their fellow citizens. The link below is to  a police postcard which outlines some of the latest wasy the scammers are trying to con people.

There are many authentic offers of real help out there, and we thank those people who have volunteered to help out. Just be careful when accepting help that it is from someone you know and trust, or a reputable organisation.

Link to the postcard

Dumped mattresses
25/03/2020 11:04:00.......Posted by Tim Pollard

Most people behave brilliantly in a crisis like the one we're currently having with Covid-19. But a few people just can't help behaving badly, like whoever dumped these mattresses on Southcote Road and two more on West Hill. Given the state of them, it looks like a contractor closing up a doss house they've been housing their workers in.

I've reported all three sites to the council for clearing. Hopefuly that will hapen in the next few days, as the waste services part of the council is working reasonably normally.

By the way, if you see mattresses like this in your locality, bear in mind that the dumping MAY be caused by Coronavirus concerns - for example if an HMO has a case in a 'dorm' then they may well ham-fistedly 'sanitise' by dumping all the mattresses. So it is best not to handle them without proper protective gear and taking great care, as they potentially still have virus contamination. Sadly, at this time, we must all treat anything outside our home as potentially dangerous. The best rule is to touch nothing that isn't part of your home.

Coronavirus: getting help from your councillors
23/03/2020 12:52:00.......Posted by Tim Pollard

We hope you are safe and keeping well in these difficult and frightening times.

If you need any advice on Council services or help on any local issue we and the Council are here to help.

The Council has the following information on its website:-

https://www.croydon.gov.uk/healthsocial/phealth/coronavirus-information/covid-19-coronavirus

The government website can be found here:-

https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

The NHS Portal is here:-

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

The main volunteering effort in Croydon is being coordinated via Croydon Voluntary Action, whose website is here:-

https://cvalive.org.uk/

Sadly, our ward surgeries and street stalls will be cancelled until future notice.

However, do please e-mail us on:-                        
lynne.hale@croydon.gov.uk
yvette.hopley@croydon.gov.uk
councillor@timpollard.co.uk

Or alternatively, we can arrange a video call if you need to discuss something face to face. Please e-mail Tim to arrange this.

Do please stay safe during these difficult times. Many neighbours are coming together and looking after one another which is wonderful. Sadly, there are some scammers out there – so be careful.

Stay home, protect the NHS, save lives

Please do your best to stay at home. If you do that you will reduce your chances of getting infected and reduce the chance of passing the virus on to vulnerable family members and neighbours. That will reduce the pressure on the NHS, and in turn will help to save lives.

We will get through this by working together, following official guidance and supporting each other.