Croydon (Parliament Politics Magazine) – A revised proposal for 220 retirement flats on the former Purley Leisure Centre site in Croydon faces 75% public objections, despite lobbying from local MP.
More than 2,000 individuals have left comments regarding the planning application on the council website, which is a high level of engagement, with only one day left in the public consultation period. Almost 75% of those, or 1,529, have been objections.
In an attempt to get some last-minute support for the plan, which he has supported since the beginning, Chris Philp, the Tory MP for Croydon South, sent out a reminder email to voters last night.
Philp sided with the multinational developers over the people of Purley, saying, “I hope the council will be able to approve this before the end of February.”
The Purley project is not on the agenda for the planning committee’s upcoming meeting, which is scheduled for February 6, 2025. The planning committee’s next scheduled meeting is set for February 27.
Philp has sponsored a petition in favor of the multi-million-pound private development using his publicly-funded MP’s offices, and he says he has 1,500 signatures to his name.
However, he is running into public opposition.
The updated plans were rejected by seven of the borough’s residents’ associations last month.
According to a statement released by the residents’ associations, “all the RAs are very keen to see a new leisure centre built in Purley, serving our area, but we believe this should not be at any cost.”
And that’s how they responded to the second, “improved,” version of the plans, which were changed after the first one was rejected by City Hall authorities and ignored by the community.
The Greater London Authority deemed the initial design “wholly unacceptable” due to the lack of affordable housing, which violated both local and London planning regulations.
A larger recreation center, 18 reasonably priced residential units (not even 10% affordable), and a few more parking spots are all part of the updated plan, which was shown last month.
The scheme’s development company, Polaska Assets Ltd., is ultimately owned by an offshore business with its headquarters in the tax haven of the British Virgin Islands.
Despite several demands for information regarding Polaska Assets BVI, neither Jason Perry, the council mayor and plastic guttering salesman, nor Philp, the MP and millionaire property development financier, have been able to provide the directors’ details.
Polaska’s plans for Purley appear to be showing up at a time when the scandal surrounding offshore firms being used for money laundering is resurfacing, with the British Virgin Islands receiving criticism for its failure to implement stricter and efficient regulations.
The newspaper report quoted Andrew Mitchell, the Conservative MP and member of the all-party Parliamentary group on anti-corruption, as saying that the BVI’s stance “is nothing other than a shameful bid to continue to manage stolen funds and assist in money-laundering from sources close to the sex trade and the drugs trade”.
What are the main concerns residents have about the revised plans?
The suggested reduction in parking spots is among the most significant concerns. The updated plan reduces the number of public parking spaces from the current 424 to only 50.
Only 18 affordable housing units are included in the updated project, which falls short of both local and London-wide affordable housing targets, according to critics.
There are concerns that fewer parking spaces may deter people from coming to Purley, which might harm nearby companies that depend on foot traffic.