Croydon considers closing garden centre which supports people with autism and disabilities

By Tara O’Connor, Local Democracy Reporter

There was an impassioned plea for Croydon council to rethink proposals to close a garden centre which supports people with autism and disabilities.

The authority is considering closing the Cherry Orchard Garden Centre, St James’s Road, in a bid to save £180,000 a year.

More than 2,000 people have already signed a petition calling for the centre to stay open, and while the council said the situation was not yet a done deal, it said tough decisions had to be made.

The petition was started by Charles Barber, who told a Croydon council meeting about ‘Darren’, one of the volunteers who is “devastated” by the news.

He told Wednesday’s meeting: “Darren’s whole sense of identity is tied up in the garden centre.

“He has worked at his local garden centre for 31 years without any form of payment and [he has been] told he is no longer needed and no longer wanted. He has far fewer options to fall back on.

“I really believe if the council had put the same amount of effort into exploring how the garden centre could remain open rather than closing it we could have a garden centre that not only serves local gardeners but is a green social hub where people can meet and connect.”

However, cabinet member for finance, Councillor Jason Cummings, said that while closing the garden centre would be a “blow”, the council had to save money to fix its financial situation.

He said: “The centre costs £180,000 a year to run. This may seem a small sum and indeed in many ways it is, but it is just one in a long list of savings and efficiencies in clearing up Labour’s mess.

“The sad reality is that the path back to financial stability will include decisions of this nature, each of which will impact on the residents of Croydon.”

Mayor Jason Perry said a final decision on the garden centre had not yet been made. He added: “We still have huge problems and debts. It is really sad to me that we have to look at such decisions but we have to make tough decisions and ensure that we get Croydon back in balance.”