Ninety new flats could be built on the site of a former car dealership in Croydon

By Tara O’Connor, local democracy reporter

A block of 90 new flats could be built on the site of a former car dealership in Croydon.

Initial plans for a for a new development at former Motor Village were heard by the council planning bosses.

A pre-application from Iceni Projects shows that the developer wants to build 93 flats in buildings between four and eight-storeys tall in Broad Green’s Canterbury Road.

The developer plans to offer a third of the flats as affordable homes, but planning committee chair, Councillor Chris Clarke,said he would like to see more social rent flats offered.

The new flats would sit on the corner of Canterbury Road and Mitcham Road next to the roundabout heading onto the Purley Way.

Chris Levett from DHA Architects, who designed the plans, said: “We have designed for Covid, seeing how see how people work and have designed separate kitchens.

“We all know how annoying it can be when you’re working and someone is banging about in the kitchen.

“We have also designed a nook, that could potentially be a desk space.”

He added that there will be communal rooms in the development that could be used for working, yoga or children’s birthday parties.

“Importantly I believe it will bring this development together as a community” he said.

There would also be a communal garden as well as a public bicycle route as part of the scheme.

But Councillor Ian Parker said that while he has no objection in principal he wasn’t impressed with the look of the initial.

He said: “Apologies to the architect, I think it is unimaginative it looks like a complicated stack of red and grey bricks and concrete to me, I don’t see much attempt to integrate it into its surroundings.”

He added that he thought the developer was trying to “squeeze” too many flats into the site and thought eight storeys was too high.

Full plans will be submitted in the coming months.