August 2026: Objection to retrospective application to convert the old tennis court in the Old Palace School site in Melville Avenue into a car park
Application Reference:https://publicaccess3.croydon.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=TJKA1WJLKAR00
We have objected as follows:
The application is described as “Resurfacing and partial expansion of existing car park off Pilgrim’s Way”. This is incorrect. Before the current works started the site was split into three elements. The first was and still is the disused swimming pool area. This forms about one third of the site. The second part was a originally a tennis court and the third element was a car park comprising about one sixth of the site. This can all clearly be seen on Google Maps.
It is agreed that the disused tennis court was being used as a car park but to the best of our knowledge it did not have permission to be a car park as the tarmac was laid to be a tennis court. So by my calculation the car park is being increased from one sixth of the site up to two thirds of the site – a four fold increase.
This is important as the site is in the middle of a residential road and the residents don’t want a car park forming the majority of this site.
As well as the inaccuracy of the description we object to the size of the car park. The car park plan is for 38 spaces. The application says that the car park will be used by Maypole School. The school opened in 2026. It has capacity for 55 pupils. According to the nearest neighbours the current drop off on the street outside the school is working well with little congestion. They say there is less congestion than when the site was used by Old Palace School. So it is not obvious a car park is necessary. Maypole’s sister school in Leigham Court Road in Streatham with capacity for 45 pupils does not have a car park at all.
A recent planning application for Trinity School was approved with a reduction in parking spaces down to 175 spaces for 1,400 pupils for a site with fewer public transport options than Melville Avenue. Another example of many fewer spaces per pupil than is requested for here.
Coombe Wood School just round the corner has 127 general spaces for a school with a capacity of 1,680 pupils
It is not stated but it is presumed that the car park will be used by BAPS for their proposed Sunday School and other activities on the parts of the larger site not let out to Maypole School when they start up. Would such a large car park be allowed for those activities in an area with such good public transport?
Other objections
Entry and exit to the car park is via Pilgrims Way a single track lane. To avoid bottlenecks with incoming cars, is it intended to route all the exits from the car park out to Croham Road past all the residents of Pilgrims Way? It is not stated.
The application includes nine lamp posts . Five of these are within one meter of the boundary with 10 Melville Avenue. There are no light spill projections. These must be added to the application.
What are the operating times for the car park? Who is going to operate it and ensure there is no unauthorised access to the car park? What time will the lights go on and off?
June 2026: 168 Ballards Way conversion to HMO
We objected. Our wording was as follows:
“The Council have introduced an Article 4 Direction, which removes permitted development rights for the change of use from a single dwelling (C3) to a small HMO (C4). This was introduced to protect family homes, for which there is an identified need in the Borough. 6.3 Croydon Local Plan Policy DM1.2 states that the Council will permit the redevelopment of residential units where it does not result in the net loss of 3-bedroom homes (as originally built) or the loss of homes smaller than 130sqm.
The plans submitted for 128 Ballards Way do not demonstrate that the house is larger than 130sqm or that it was not originally built as a more than 3 bedroom house. From looking at the plans submitted there is every reason to believe that the house is less than 130sqm and was originally built as a max 3 bedroom house.”
The application has been withdrawn. Possible on the advice of the planners. However it again shows (see 9 Croham Valley Road below) that all houses in our area of more than 130sqm or 3 bedrooms are susceptible to be converted into HMOs.
April 2026: Telecoms Mast Opposite St Pauls Church
Replace existing mast with higher mast
We will let you decide what is wrong with this application. We have asked for replacement trees to replace the recently cut down ones.
This application was correctly Rejected.
April 2026: 9 Croham Valley Road
Conversion to HMO:
We deemed this unacceptable as the Council is constantly missing its targets for new family homes and we therefore do not want to lose the ones we have.
November 2025: 20 Croham Valley Road
Extension of House : Overdevelopment
Again the planners rejected this application.
April 2024: 78 Coombe Road
Conversion of House into Flats: Overdevelopment.
Thankfully the planners rejected this application.
April 2026: Telecoms Mast Opposite St Pauls Church
Replace existing mast with higher mast
We will let you decide what is wrong with this application. We have asked for replacement trees to replace the recently cut down ones.
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