Croydon (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Croydon Council has revived long-delayed plans for Minster Green, reopening discussions on long-forgotten designs as the project returns to the local agenda.
Long-delayed plans for Minster Green will be briefly displayed at Croydon Minster from Tuesday, November 25 to Saturday, November 29, from 11.30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (until 7 p.m. on Wednesday, November 26).
For over ten years, there has been discussion on how to improve the open space and make it easier to reach from the opposite side of the busy Roman Way dual highway.
Almost seven years have passed since the announcement that the GLA had given Croydon Old Town over £10 million as one of eleven “Liveable Neighbourhood” initiatives in the capital.
In this case, plans to obstruct the pedestrian subway beneath the A236 Roman Way were at the heart of the plan.
After three Section 114 notifications and a worldwide epidemic, the council is only now releasing its architect sketches and CGIs for Minster Green (while comparable subway-filling work is already well advanced on Wellesley Road).
The main focus of the plans to be unveiled at the exhibit should be the topic of finance for this project and whether it will have a sufficient budget for all of the initial upgrades.
The wanton demolition of numerous antique gravestones in 2023, a crime for which no one was ever arrested, is one instance of why the Minster region needs some changes. At night, the Minster’s building was not covered by any CCTV.
The latest proposals for Minster Green “will make the area greener and safer by closing the subway and carefully restoring the area around the Minster,” according to a statement issued today.
“This includes a new public area in front of the Minster, a sculpture, trees and wildflower planting, and lighting to highlight and celebrate the Minster at night.
The subway will be in-filled and there will be improved access to the pedestrian crossing to the Minster, making it easier to walk from the town centre to the church and its grounds.”
Additionally, the display boards and information on how to provide comments will be made available online on the Croydon Urban Room “Resources” page.
What are the proposed changes to pedestrian access and crossings?
The rejected shelter beneath the central area will be closed, and rambler routes will be rerouted above ground to produce more open, accessible, and visible pathways. New rambler crossings will be installed on Church Street to ameliorate safe access directly between the city centre and Croydon Minster.
The redesign will give position, step-free access to encourage wider use by people with mobility challenges and families with buggies. Enhanced public lighting and road cabinetwork will further support rambler comfort and safety in the area.
These measures aim to reduce anti-social behavior frequently associated with retired or subsurface routes and foster a more welcoming, fluently passable public space for all druggies. The Minster Green design proposes closing the shelter and creating new face- position crossings and pathways with better availability and safety for climbers.
