Council gives green light for new development but councillors say affordable allocation ‘not good enough’

By Harrison Galliven, Local Democracy Reporter

A  town hall has approved the plans for a three to four storey development of 24 new flats but councillors have said the affordable allocation is “not good enough”.

The new development including four affordable homes is planned to occupy the site of a former car dealership, opposite Whitgift School in Croydon.

According to developers, the build will bring “sustainable and energy efficient homes” to the busy Brighton Road. They added that the “quality architectural design will significantly improve the street scene,” which has been occupied by hoardings for a number of years.

The development of the brownfield site has been in the planning pipeline for nearly four years. But, during that time, issues around the adequate provision of affordable housing became a sticking point.

In 2020, developers Cambria Property Investments Ltd, submitted plans for 32 flats with no affordable housing provision. The subsequent approval of the four new affordable flats on the ground floor of the development was therefore welcomed.

Speaking to the committee, Labour’s Clive Fraser said: “Insufficient number of affordable housing and I find that very, very difficult to accept.

“We could have done better here by getting our act together and making sure that when a scheme like this comes forward there is proper corporate discussion between housing and planning.”

This was a sentiment shared by his fellow Labour councillor Leila Ben-Hassel, who reminded her fellow councillors that the borough currently had 7,000 people on a housing waiting list.

While the London design plan stipulates that 30 per cent of dwellings in new developments must be affordable, the 15 per cent offered by the developer was accepted as it was the most they could provide while remaining profitable.

The plans for the development will also include “public realm developments” in the form of increased greenery around the site, as well as the promise of two new pavements around Brighton and Hailing Roads. The mood in the chamber was largely supportive of the plans and appreciated that the three to four-storey height of the building did not allow for the potential overlook of neighbouring properties.

But, Tory councillor Danielle Denton argued that the plans paid “no regard for the Victorian-style housing blocks in the immediate vicinity.”

Across the chamber, Norbury and Pollards Hill councillor Ben-Hassel said plans like these often “look good on CGI but when you release it, it just looks like a Poundland version.”

A lack of resident parking was another sticking point for councillors. The plans offer no resident parking, with only one disabled bay and another car club bay.

The plans also offer no loading bay for delivery vehicles. While the developers stated these have been accepted by TfL and adhere to the Mayor’s London plan, councillors raised concerns that this will only increase traffic on the already busy thoroughfare.

According to Ms Denton, parking provision in the area is currently at 85 per cent capacity in the afternoon, with it sometimes reaching full capacity in the evenings.

She said: “Developments like this can facilitate controlled parking zones (CPZ) in quiet residential roads vastly affecting the once previously enjoyed parking provision for the residents who are disproportionately affected by this development.”

Following the debate, the plans were approved by five votes to four. A start date for construction  has not yet been made

Pictured top: The development will comprise of 24 energy efficient homes (Picture: Cambria Property Investments Ltd)