We arequesting your views on what Croydon Council should do about Heathfield House.
As you will know the Council recently listed the house plus a very limited amount of land around it for sale for offers over £1 million. There was significant opposition and for whatever reason the Council cancelled the sale.
A petition against the sale received over 2,000 signatures. The petition stated the following;
“Community groups have demonstrated how Heathfield House could be used for public benefit, yet have been ignored despite precedent at locations like Beckenham Place Mansion. Community groups now stand little chance against the open market.”
And they want to “initiate immediate and long overdue talks with the community and heritage experts about community use and/or purchase”.
The Council had been letting the building to Cressey College in 2020 for use as a special needs school but that arrangement failed as the College wanted to install a fence around the house and part of the site. According to “Inside Croydon” the fence would be 9 feet high.
It is our view that the site is big enough for both a special needs school with dedicated land around the back of it and community use of the rest of the site. Letting out a small part of the site would provide an income stream to maintain and use the other buildings and the rest of the site for community use.
What are your views?
Please reply via cvra.org.uk
