Croydon Selco warehouse on list of council building sell offs
By Tara O’Connor, Local Democracy Reporter
Croydon council wants to sell off more than 20 properties in a bid to bring in £50million this financial year.
On the list of “disposals” is the Colonnades Retail Park in Purley Way and the old New Addington leisure centre.
The cash-strapped council has published a list of 27 buildings it owns and plans to sell off in 2023/24.
This includes the Cherry Orchard Garden Centre which is staffed by volunteers with disabilities, despite strong opposition from locals.
It also includes the sale of five council houses in Wooderson Close, South Norwood, which are set to be sold off to make way for the long-awaited expansion of Crystal Palace FC’s Selhurst Park stadium.
A few of the sales listed include properties bought by Croydon council in the hope of bringing in income.
It bought The Colonnades for £53million in 2018 and in 2019 it bought the warehouse of the Selco builders’ merchants building and the offices of medical supplies specialist Alliance Healthcare in New Addington for a total of £14million.
A report, set to be discussed at a cabinet meeting next Wednesday, outlines the case for the sales.
It said: “The cost of holding and running assets is second only to staffing costs and therefore it is important to ensure that they are used in the most cost-effective manner.
“By adopting a more flexible disposal process, assets will be able to be sold in a more commercial and timely fashion.”
The full list of properties the council wants to sell off:
- The Colonnades, Purley Way
- Davis House – Office block in High Street, Croydon
- 60 Vulcan Way – Alliance Healthcare
- 37 Imperial Way – Selco builders merchants
- Imperial Way various
- Boulogne Road – Depot (Former Accessibility Centre)
- Enterprise Close (Units 1/11)
- 58 Ashburton Road – A three-bedroom house used for mental health services
- St. Colombas Mission Hall, Charnwood Road
- Cemetery Lodge, Croydon Cemetery, Mitcham Road
- House in Norbury Hall Park (56 Craignish Avenue)
- Two pavilions in Purley Way Playing Fields – one was burnt down in May 2022
- Cherry Orchard Garden Centre
- Addington Hills Restaurant
- Former New Addington Leisure Centre
- Addington Community Centre and 90 Central Parade
- Car Park of Coulsdon CALAT site
- Renal Dialysis Centre of Coulsdon Calat Centre
- 1-24 Ramsey Court – Offices of voluntary organisation Home Start Croydon
- 43 Carmichael Road – Home to Snuggles Pre School
- Café Limpsfield Road, Sanderstead
- Former Tollgate Children’s Centre, Malling Close
- 13A Mayo Road – Previously home to community furniture project
- Broom Road Depot – Empty former depot
- Wooderson Close (Numbers 22,24,26,28 and 32) – Council houses will be sold for the Selhurst Park expansion
- 139 Wingate Crescent – Council house which has been empty for 10 years
- 92a/94a High Street, Croydon – Buildings with shops on the ground floor.
Pictured top: Selco buliders’ merchants in Imperial Way was bought by the council in 2019 and is now being sold off (Picture: Croydon council)