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Jarvis Representative: David Lindsey

Planning Office Representatives: Will Tuckley, Rory McCloud, Theo Spring

Approx residents attendance - 85

The issues raised were as follows:

The covert behaviour of Croydon Council with regards to the proposed Ashburton Learning Village whereby it was established that very little consultation took place.

The transference of plans from a Leisure Centre to a Housing estate consisting of 100 two and three storey buildings.

The problem of overcrowding which would severely compromise the safety, privacy, social interaction and outlook (on greenbelt land) of residents within the immediate vicinity which would also have a knock-on affect on those further afield.

The fact the local schools and doctors are already over-subscribed

The severe traffic problems already in existence which would be further increased if the new estate goes ahead.

Decreased accessibility for emergency vehicles.

The problem of buses turning around at Stroud Green Way

The lack of confidence in Jarvis and Fairview bearing in mind the current economical climate.

The after effects if either company went bust, leaving severely scarred land and half built houses abandoned.

The justification off a new library when Croydon Library is already a major cultural and media centre.

The question of on-going funding for the new estate, scholl buildings and library after completion. The meeting concluded with a motion put that we ask for a deferral to allow for a period of proper consultation with residents and businesses and a period of environmental studies. This was carried unanimously by a show of hands; those against - NONE !

Minutes submitted by Jill Long

Thank you..

Many thanks to those that turned up for the "photo shoot"! It was a cold but sunny morning and several residents braved the frost and chill to have their picture taken by the Croydon Advertiser photographer. Several pictures were taken by the rear entrance of Ashburton School. This I am sure, will make even more local residents aware of what is happening. It is still very surprising to hear that a great many residents are confused and unaware of the Council's plans for redevelopment of the Ashburton School site and it's repercussions to them.

Please maintain your support and don't leave it to the few. Only through a concerted effort by all can we hope to achieve our aims and goals. Feelings are running high and as concerned and responsible individuals we have to exercise our fundamental rights to protect and preserve our quality of life. Continue to lobby your local councilor and other public officers by appropriate means. Contact details are found elsewhere on this site!

We have a couple of people who have volunteered to deliver notices to the estate announcing the date/time/venue of the next public meeting, but please feel free to offer some time to help out.
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If you haven't added your objection to the online "Petition" then please do so. If you have any suggestions or comments to make then a "Forum" is also available. You may also use the "Forum" to reply to other Postings!

I am quite happy to edit and post any comments/suggestions for those who do not have access to the internet. Just submit a clearly written note and post through my letter box and I will add at the earliest opportunity

The Facts So Far

Original plans called for the reconstruction of the Ashburton Community School together with a World-Class Leisure Centre.

Plans were changed and instead of the Leisure Centre there is now a proposal to construct 100 new homes.

Residents were given inadequate notice of this change. A letter dated 10th of October was sent to residents offering them deadline of 2nd November to raise objections and make comments.

this letter gave only "bare bones" of the proposal and offered no real details of the plan. Therefore local residents could not make an informal judgment.

Letter gave false start and deadline. It was posted on 10th of October, it did not reach residents until 14th October. The deadline of 2nd of November was artificial as this was a Sunday.

An exhibition giving details of the new plan took place on 5th of November, three days after the deadline for residents to raise objections.

The Council's Development Control Committee held a meeting on 20th November at which this development was discussed.

Local residents asked for a deferral to allow time for consultation.

Objections were raised by residents at the meeting: these included parking problems , traffic congestion, light and noise pollution from sports pitches, unsuitability of some buildings, accessibility by car and various issues relating to strain on local services (infants schools, GP's, etc.) The Committee did not consider any of these issues to be serious enough to warrant a deferral.

The plan to build new homes was passed by the committee. Brief report of Residents meeting at Addiscombe Boys Club on 26th November

The meeting was chaired by David Larkin (Residents Participation Officer) and speakers included Cllr Derek Loughborough and Lindsay Frost. Eleven residents were present. The main topic of discussion was the residents grievances about the proposed redevelopment plan. Objections were noted. It was agreed that as this was a serious issue that an action group be set up immediately and to this effect a public meeting was called for the 17th of November. Hopefully, the Residents Association can be resurrected. Those present also agreed that they were prepared to canvas the area to inform the locals who are still unaware of the councils plans. A flyer is to be produced to that effect.

Review on Meeting held at Council Chambers 20/11/03

The meeting was a farce. We tried to put the case that residents had

a) Not been advised of the change from leisure centre to houses and

b) That we had been ignored with regard to the local community support for the project.

The way we need to drive this forward is on two fronts:

1. The deadline for objections was 2nd November.

The information was only made available at the exhibition on 5th November.

Therefore the public was unable to make an informed decision by the 2nd Nov deadline.

2. There has been a total disregard for the concerns of local residents regarding parking, traffic and road safety.

This project is being forced upon us because the Council will receive loads of money for the project and this will help bail them out of the shortfalls in education funding etc...

Development Control Meeting

Chair: Councillor Nuala O’Neill

Town Hall 20 November 2003

Objector’s Speech on behalf of residents - Mr Lindsay Frost

“Thank you Mr/Madame Chairman.

Original plans called for the new Ashburton School to share the site with a “world-class Leisure Centre”, providing additional facilities to local residents of all ages. Yet we now have a housing project consisting of 100 homes squeezed into a tiny area currently occupied by the school playing field; a sure-fire recipe for more antisocial behaviour, that neither fits in with, nor is sustainable by the local community.

It is questionable whether there are sufficient places at the local infant and primary schools for young children living on the estate. Ashburton Infants and juniors are still using prefab units and plans for expansion have now been abandoned.

The new all-weather sports facilities will require floodlights enabling their usage until the late hours. Yet the combination of floodlights and noise will cause disturbance to local residents, particularly to young children sleeping in rear bedrooms.

Several of the buildings proposed are three-storeys high. This is visually at odds with the surrounding two storey residential properties.

The new village will also generate serious traffic problems. 100 new homes could bring up to 200 new cars. Ordinary families in neighbouring homes possess anywhere between 1 and 4 cars and there is no reason to suggest that the residents on the estate will not do likewise, regardless of the quality of public transport.

There are insufficient parking spaces in the estate itself. This will cause residents to park on surrounding roads, leading to an increase in the very congestion that we all seek to reduce.

These cars could generate up to 400 journeys every working day. With just one entrance into the estate, the back up of traffic queuing to gain access to Lower Addiscombe Road will cause additional congestion around the Stroud Green Estate whilst introducing a higher risk of accidents to residents on these roads.

The high volume of vehicles entering and leaving the new school site will cause constant hold ups on Shirley Road, particularly during rush hour. Even greater congestion will be created by the latest proposal to designate a bus lane on the dual carriageway between Addiscombe Road and the Wickham Roundabout.

Finally there is concern that police, ambulance and fire vehicles will be subject to additional congestion, impeding their access to emergency situations.

We cannot ignore the appalling manner in which news of the revised plan was conveyed to local residents. Or rather how it was not. The siting of two notices on lampposts was inadequate. The first many of us knew about the new plans was a letter that arrived on 14 October. This left just 14 working days for a written response before the unworkable deadline of 2 November, a Sunday incidentally. It is the underhand way that this has been handled that has annoyed so many residents.

Madam Chairman, in conclusion I ask that this project be postponed until further consultation with local residents can take place and until plans are revised to meet with the mutual satisfaction of all concerned.”