Bromley locals call on Crystal Palace FC to resolve traffic issues

By Joe Coughlan, Local Democracy Reporter

Bromley residents have called on Crystal Palace FC to resolve traffic issues in their street, which they claim originate from the club’s academy grounds. 

The residents say the street is regularly gridlocked and they are worried a child could be ‘killed’ due to speeding cars.

Lesley Mansfield, 76, has lived oi Copers Coper Road in Beckenham for 36 years with her husband, Nigel Squibb, 71. The road hosts Crystal Palace’s academy grounds, which opened in 2021 following a major redevelopment of the site.

Ms Mansfield, who is a retired doctor, said traffic in the area had been severely affected by the academy due to the restricted parking access on site.

Ms Mansfield said: “They used to park everywhere, including over my drive. If I got a call-out to come and see somebody with chest pains, I would not be able to get out of my own drive. I used to have to phone up Crystal Palace and get them to tell whoever drove the car to come and move it.”

The residents said the issue slightly improved after Bromley council spotted double yellow lines to the road. A Crystal Palace FC source said that work was being done to convert the grounds into a two-way site for traffic.

But, Mr Squibb has often recorded speeds of up to 70 miles per hour on the street using his own speed gun.

Ms Mansfield said: “We’re petrified that one kid is going to get killed at some point. Something awful is going to happen one day and that would be a completely unnecessary event.”

Locals on the road have contributed images and videos they have taken of the street on the website of their residents’ association, North Copers Cope Residents Action Group. The website appears to show records of several overturned cars, vehicles entering and exiting the academy site after dark as well as long queues of stationary traffic. 

But, Ms Mansfield said these incidents have not been acknowledged by Bromley council when raised by residents.

She said: “We feel that we are piggy in the middle between the council and Crystal Palace. Neither seem to be acting in the residents’ best interests.”

Michael Anderson, 75, has lived in Copers Cope Road for 10 years and said the lack of speed bumps on the road contributes to the traffic ‘chaos’. 

He said: “There’s cars stopped here, there and everywhere. Coming out the drive, you can’t see what’s happening. You just have to edge out and hope for the best.”

Mr Anderson said he noticed the original application from Crystal Palace to build on the site included several comments in support from residents living outside of Beckenham. The original planning application for the academy shows 600 comments from neighbours regarding the scheme.

Within the supporting comments, several individuals were listed as living in addresses within Kent, Cambridgeshire, Sussex, Surrey, Manchester and Somerset. One individual was listed as living in France, while another’s address stated they lived in Australia.

Steve Parish, chairman of Crystal Palace FC, said that the academy had maintained a good relationship with the community. He added that the grounds of the academy were ‘incredibly ramshackle and run down’ before the club took it over.

Mr Parish said: “I would genuinely refute that we have ever had more than 150 people at an event. This is not a stadium. There are no spectators that come from outside.”

A Crystal Palace spokesman said: ​”We take our responsibilities to be a good neighbour very seriously and we manage any traffic or parking issues pro-actively. We communicate directly with Copers Cope Road residents through a WhatsApp group and respond promptly to any concerns.”

The spokesperson said the club is proud of its role in the community and had invested more than £30million in world-class facilities for boys and girls at the academy. They said the facilities also provided significant local community and charitable use through the Palace for Life Foundation.

They added: “We have always been very clear about our plans for the site and believe our investment has improved both the aesthetics and security of the site to the benefit of the community.”

Bromley council was approached for comment, but did not respond in time for publication.

Pictured top: James Jack and Michael Anderson in Beckenham (Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga)