Members may have come across a campaign to have Croydon run by an elected Executive Mayor; more can be found at http://democ.org.uk.
The Executive Committee of SPRA has agreed that although the Committee may be divided on this issue, Association members should be given the opportunity to visit the campaign website so that they can make an informed decision.
The monthly list of planning applications in our area, as worked on by SPRA’s planning sub-committee, includes
Planning applications are reviewed as they arise from Croydon Local Planning Authority. SPRA planning sub-committee will highlight to SPRA Executive Committee any proposals that are deemed detrimental to our neighbourhood. In advance of going to print for SPAN magazine, residents can access the most up to date planning information from the sub-committee on the SPRA web site link springparkra.co.uk
The Council guidelines state that you have until the consultation deadline to make a comment (object, support or be neutral) and if you do not comment within that period the Council will assume that you do not wish to comment. However, even if the publicity period has expired (a notice posted at or near the site or letters sent to adjacent occupiers; details on the Planning website or for certain projects an entry in the local Guardian newspaper) it may not be too late to comment. You must comment in writing and you can do this by letter, email or via the website, see the links below. In all cases quote the property address and if possible the planning reference number. The ‘Validated’ date is the date that the Council has checked that the initial application has been submitted in the correct manner, however, be aware that applications are sometimes withdrawn by the applicant between submission of our data to the printers and the Council’s decision deadline. It is worth always checking the Planning website or phoning the Council for the most up to date status of the application you may be interested in.
We can report the following planning applications in the preceding month to 26 July 2019.
Land To The Rear Of 494-496 Wickham Road Croydon CR0 8DJ
Ref. No: 19/03060/FUL – Erection of detached dwelling with associated parking.
Validated: Tue 02 Jul 2019
SPRA will be reviewing this application as a potential back garden development.
572 Wickham Road Croydon CR0 8DN
Ref. No: 19/02880/FUL – Erection of a single storey extension to the front of the existing restaurant.
Validated: Wed 10 Jul 2019
19 Ash Road Croydon CR0 8HW
Ref. No: 19/02533/HSE – Erection of a single storey side/rear extension.
Validated: Thu 04 Jul 2019
580-582 Wickham Road Croydon CR0 8DN
Ref. No: 19/02319/FUL – Erection of single storey front restaurant extension along with outdoor seating area with retractable canopy (retrospective application).
Validated: Thu 04 Jul 2019
SPRA have previously objected to this unauthorised extension and will continue to review the Council’s enforcement actions.
2A Ash Road Croydon CR0 8HU
Ref. No: 19/03318/HSE – Conversion of a garage into a habitable space and single storey rear extension.
Validated: Tue 16 Jul 2019
83 Oak Avenue Croydon CR0 8EQ
Ref. No: 19/03099/LP – Erection of first floor roof extension to form side dormer extension.
Validated: Wed 03 Jul 2019
Land R/O The Shirley Inn Public House 158 Wickham Road Croydon CR0 8BF
Ref. No: 19/03279/FUL – Erection of a residential development of two detached three storey buildings comprising a total of 6 flats (2x1bed, 2x2bed, 2x3bed), provision of refuse and cycle storage, hard and soft landscaping and provision of two parking spaces.
Validated: Fri 12 Jul 2019
and
The Shirley Inn Public House 158 Wickham Road Croydon CR0 8BF
Ref. No: 19/03187/FUL – Demolition of existing ancillary building at the rear, erection of a ground floor extension to provide dining and kitchen facilities, first floor rear and side extensions for ancillary staff facilities and new extract duct.
Validated: Tue 09 Jul 2019 | Status: Awaiting decision
SPRA planning sub-committee is currently reviewing both applications and will report in due course.
Update
The Sandrock 152 Upper Shirley Road Croydon CR0 5HA
Ref. No: 19/01134/FUL – Erection of two storey side/rear extension to The Sandrock Public House and use of first floor as 1 x two bedroom flat for staff accommodation. Erection of a three/four storey building to rear of pub comprising 19 flats (7 x one bedroom, 6 x two bedroom and 6 x three bedroom flats) with associated car parking, cycle and refuse storage and landscaping
Decision: Permission Refused
Decision Issued Date: Tue 16 Jul 2019
There were 157 comments to the Local Planning Authority from local residents and Residents Associations. We will continue to be alert to any future resubmissions possibly with a scaled down application.
Monks Orchard Residents Association (MORA) applications relating to over-development continue to be monitored and SPRA support given if requested. Thank you to MORA who continue to provide in-depth technical planning knowledge in support of objections to shared Shirley wide concerns.
Croydon Local Planning Authority contact information:
Croydon Planning Department
Bernard Weatherill House,
8 Mint Walk,
Croydon CR0 1EA
Tel: 020 8726 6800
Email: development.management@croydon.gov.uk
Web site:
The Inspector’s report on Croydon’s Borough Planning document included the comment that he had not formally recognised various green spaces as needing protection from develoment because the Council had not shown evidence of the need for such protection.
The Council accordingly sought evidence from members of the public and SPRA has responded fully in respect of the vulnerable green spaces within our Association’s area.
These can be read through the following link (thanks are due to the team who put these responses together and to those who made these links available).
https://Green Spaces Consultation
Members are reminded that it is responses such as these which are so valuable a benefit for your subsciption and that SPAN – one of the best residents’ association magazines in the country – is another part. You don’t merely pay your sub to get SPAN, you also get the volunteers’ services behind responses such as those above.
Croydon Council wants your feedback – see https://strategy.croydon.digital/ for three topics to tell them what you think
CROYDON COUNCIL CONTACTS
At the recent SPRA AGM, residents were concerned about the difficulty of reaching Croydon Council departments and some had been advised that all communication had to be sent by email or contact made though the Council website. People were worried that this would exclude those who were not online (often the elderly) from raising their concerns. Shirley South Councillor Scott Roche investigated this on our behalf and has been assured that everyone can still contact the Council by phone. The following numbers are direct dials for the various departments:
General: 0208 726 6000
Bins and Recycling: 0208 726 6200
Housing Repairs for Council Homes: 0208 726 6101
Planning and building control: 0208 726 6800
Parking and Streets: 0208 726 7100
Highway Maintenance: 0208 255 2816
Please note that Council departments close at 4pm each day.
We have received the following message regarding this important site in Shirley :-
MHA is delighted to invite you to find out more out more about volunteering opportunities to revitalise our seven- acre historic ecological garden and deliver an exciting activities programme. We are having our first volunteer open days 1st, 2nd and 3rd April.
As you know The Wilderness was the original home on the site on Shirley Church Road, built by the Rev William Wilks, complete with a seven-acre garden designed by him on his retirement around the turn of the 20th century. It is now MHA Hall Grange Care Home for older people.
The site of the garden was formerly part of Shirley Common, or Addington Hills as it is known today. It includes natural heathland and the little pockets of acid grassland and heathland heather. One of the most interesting features is the sphagnum bog, which is home to some very rare plant species. In addition, the bog area is the only remnant of a once more widespread habitat in the area and means that The Wilderness is designated a Site Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation.
Wilks approach to gardening was non-interventionist and he sought to accentuate the natural beauty of the landscape rather than impose upon it. He managed The Wilderness and the work he put in to it is still visible today, albeit overgrown with many of the original paths and plant species either dormant or overtaken by more invasive plant species. Our volunteers will help to develop a magical multi-generational outdoor experience for the residents of Hall Grange and of the local community through a range of conservation, restoration activities and tasks along with the promotion of the unique heritage of The Wilderness.
Join us to find out more about this exciting programme, the roles we have available, how we will support you and the benefits this exciting programme will bring to the local community.
We look forward to meeting you at the following open days: at MHA Hall Grange, Shirley Church Road, Croydon, CR9 5AL Please come to the main entrance of the Care Home.
Light refreshments will be served. We will be mainly indoors for a short presentation, meet the team and sign up opportunities. Please bring/ wear suitable clothing and footwear for an outdoor tour.
Monday 1st April 2pm- 5pm-To find out more about Garden Conservation and Restoration
The main focus of this event will be let you know how you can help with practical gardening and conservation tasks as part of an exciting programme to Reclaim the Wilderness.
Tuesday 2nd April 2pm- 5pm- To find out more about Activities, Events and Green-care
The main focus of this event will be to let you know how you can help with the delivery of a range of informal and formal outdoor learning activities for residents of Hall Grange Care Home and the wider community. We will also be letting you know about how you can help us to deliver an exciting seasonal calendar of community events in the Wilderness garden
Wednesday 3rd April 2pm- 5pm- Outreach and Oral History Project
The main focus of this event will be to let you know how you can help with the delivery of an outreach exhibition inspiring people to engage further with the programme of Reclaiming the Wilderness. We will also be letting you know how you can help us take part in an exciting oral history project to capture the living memories of The Wilderness.
Please RSVP by emailing alice.henry@mha.org.uk or by calling
Head Gardener Alice Henry on 07966 232359
Supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund
We have been advised of two recent break-ins to cars parked on front drives, where car windows have been smashed to steal, one presumes, items left on the seats, or look for parking cash from the glove compartment, or perhaps to steal the car. It’s safest not to leave any items visible in the body of your car when parked … even an empty carrier bag may look tempting to a thief.
The planning application can be seen here …
http://publicaccess2.croydon.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=PACRIIJLJZ400
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| Victims receive a telephone call from someone purporting to be a bailiff enforcing a court judgement, attempting to recover funds for a non-existent debt. The fraudsters state the debt originates from the victim not paying a magazine advertisement subscription.
A variety of magazine names and publishers are being used by the fraudsters, who also commonly use the names of certified Bailiff Enforcement Agents such “Scott Davis”, “Stephen King” and “Mark Taylor”. These are names of certified Bailiff Enforcement Agents employed by debt enforcement companies.
Once the money has been transferred, victims are not provided with receipt details of the payment or contact details. Later when victims make enquiries, they’ll discover that the debt did not exist, and often that no advertisement was placed.
This type of fraud is nationwide. Since 2017, there have been 52 Action Fraud Reports relating to this fraud. From the reports received, there are a range of different businesses and individuals being targeted.
Protection Advice:
2. Stay in control: always question cold callers: always contact the companies directly using a known email or phone number.
3. Don’t be rushed or pressured into making a decision: a legitimate company will be prepared to wait whilst you verify information.
If you have been affected by this, or any other type of fraud, report it to Action Fraud by visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.
Visit Take Five (takefive-stopfraud.org.uk/adv
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| Message Sent By Action Fraud (Action Fraud, Administrator, National) |
Dianna Fraser of Shirley Neighbourhood Watch has advised us …
‘Kent Police are warning drivers of a fraudulent emails, texts and phone calls from a company that claims to be the DVLA.
The messages are likely to contain links to several websites that have been made to look similar to the official one. DVLA does not send out emails or text messages with links asking people to confirm details or payment information.
In a similar scam, emails and messages have been received from what seemed like HMRC informing them of a tax rebate, with a link to confirm payment details. Once again, HMRC will never text or email you with links.
Anyone that receives an email or message like this should delete it immediately and report it to Action Fraud.
If you need to access any official sites then access them directly through Gov.uk to be directed to the secure site you need’.
