Croydon South MP Chris Philp is asking constituents to join his campaign to fight planning decisions made by Croydon Council. In an email he states ‘Over 90% of all applications are getting approved by the Planning Committee. In particular, they are routinely allowing family housing to be destroyed and replaced with small blocks of flats’ and says that priority should be given to brown-field sites, the Council would then have no reason to ‘destroy houses in suburban areas.’
He wants Croydon Council to adopt Area Planning Committees which would have local councillors decide on smaller developments and not those from ‘distant parts’ of the borough who impose ‘very bad schemes.’
On Monday 1st April a demonstration will take place on the steps of Croydon Town Hall from 6pm to 6.30pm, at the time of the Full council meeting, and then the council meeting afterwards, in the public gallery of the Council Chamber. From 8.30pm onwards, planning will be debated and Area Planning Committees will be proposed and voted on.
In the meantime anyone wishing to support the campaign should sign the petition calling for Croydon Council to stop destroying family homes, pursue a “Brownfield First” policy and adopt Area Panning Committees. The petition is at www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/CroydonPlanning
Croydon Council’s Governance is under review by Dame Moira Gibb. The MP says constituents should email her directly with their concerns about how the council currently handles planning applications and ask she recommends Area Planning Committees for Croydon.
moira.gibb@crinanhoward.comHe also wants constituents to express their ‘anger’ by emailing those responsible for planning in Croydon; the Leader of the Council, Cllr Tony Newman and Chair of the Planning Committee, Cllr Toni Letts.
tony.newman@croydon.gov.uktoni.letts@croydon.gov.uk