Community eager to revive Wandle Park cafe themselves

By Harrison Galliven, Local Democracy Reporter

Croydon residents have called for ‘community use’ of the Wandle Park café after fears that the council’s plans to reopen it next year will fail.

The café houses the park’s only public toilets and previously acted as a community hub before it was closed during lockdown.

The café, once a lively hub for visitors enjoying a cup of tea or coffee, has been shuttered to the public since the pandemic.

The purpose-built café cost £3.5million of council and national lottery money, but its use has been sporadic due to the departure of its previous two tenants.

Its closure has meant that Croydon’s most central park has now been without a community focal point for a number of years, leading many to feel that the park has become ‘less of a place to stay and play’.

Simon Jones lives nearby and has been involved with it for a number of years as a ‘Friend of Wandle Park’.

He said the cafe’s continued closure was holding back the future potential of Croydon’s central green space. He said: “The group are trying to get in and run the place as a community.

“We are aware there is a candidate in the pipeline, but if that falls through like it has done in the past, this could go on forever. What we’re saying is we want access to the café and its amenities in the meantime.”

Alongside a café, storage and an event space that can be hired out, the closure of the building has deprived the local community of the only public toilets in the park.

“The toilets are a major issue, and whoever has the lease runs the toilet,” Mr Jones said. “There are a lot of people here in the summer. There used to be a block of toilets in the park, but they were knocked down.”

Despite previous promises to reopen this year, Croydon council kept the café shut due to issues with its roof. Previous attempts were also squandered when a new operator pulled out of plans to take it over. However the council hopes to have a new tenant in the café by the Spring.

Mr Jones was joined by other community members outside the shuttered café last weekend in a show of support for the cafe’s reopening and greater inclusion of local residents.

Mr Jones said: “The first tenants were really enthusiastic and put a lot of effort into it. They wanted to make money out of the café, but this part of the borough is generally poorer. People in parks in Wandsworth wouldn’t think of spending £10 on a coffee and cake. A lot of people can’t afford that here.”

Waddon’s Labour councillors Rowenna Davis and Ellily Ponnuthurai have been active in pushing for the café’s reopening since lockdown.

They said: “It’s devastating having our café closed. A total waste of space to have it sitting here shut up for years when it should be bringing in joy and business. How can the Mayor say he wants Croydon to be open for business when he can’t even open his own café.”

A spokesman for Croydon council said: “The café has been closed longer than expected due to delays during the tendering process for a new café operator. This included a prospective operator cancelling during the process.

“We are committed to getting this facility re-opened for the benefit of locals and visitors. We are speaking to prospective, local operators and aim to have one in place to enable the café to reopen in the spring.”

Pictured top: Members of the local community gathered outside Wandle Park café to show support for its reopening (Picture: Harrison Galliven)