Tomorrow is the close of the Council’s consultation on the Croydon Local Plan’s Sustainability Strategic Policies Review. The consultation has had a very short period, and was obviously set up before the results of the local elections. Very few people seem to know about it. I have therefore asked the Council leader to consider extending the consultation period. The document is very frank about the problems facing the Borough and particular critical of the lack of adequate action to protect t local heritage. I have made a submission commenting on some aspects of the review including several recommendations.and attached as Appendices my discussion notes on the new Council Growth Plan and them future of cullture.
Recommendations
1: that the final document that emerges from this review should include:
- recognition that the Borough wide strategic policies will be applied to different areas of the Borough (whether at ward, district or local centre level) in accord with the needs of and challenges faced within them;
- that the development of plans at these lower levels must involve local residents and businesses and their organisations in order to meet needs and aspirations in the light of the differing circumstances in each area.
2: that the Cabinet consider reinstating access to Greenspace Information for Greater London data.
3: that the Cabinet consider requesting the water companies to supply more detailed information of water useage and leakage.
4. that the partial review consideration be amended to read:
‘Reduce potable water consumption – by driving water efficiency in the built sector, by requiring developers of new buildings to include the most water efficient machinery, equipment, heating and piping systems, and encouraging the use of harvesting and re-use of water (rainwater collection and greywater recycling).’
5: that the partial review consideration should read ‘Increase recycling and composting and reduce domestic, commercial, and dumped and fly-tipped waste going to landfill.’
6: that a partial review consideration should take into account:
- The need to ensure that all new residential buildings have high levels of internal and external noise insulation.
- The need to ensure that the increase in higher densities in some parts of the Borough does not increase the noise levels in the streets.
7: The fact that there are serious shortcomings in the protection of the Borough’s heritage, the Cabinet should consider convening a day long event to explore what can be done involving the local history and amenity societies, residents associations, and individuals involved in activity on the history of their neighbourhoods.
8: In order to better understand the challenges involved in seeking to reduce neighbourhood experience of social deprivation an analysis should be carried out of the social-economic changes in Fieldway and New Addington Wards starting with the analysis carried out for the start of the Neighbourhood Renewal programme in the Borough, setting out what the benefits were, the factors that may have held back further improvement, the current challenges and the programmes and policies currently being implemented into two wards with a view to submission to a future Cabinet meeting and to the Fairness Commission.
9: that Croydon Observatory should have the lists of streets in each LSOA added so that people can understand socio-economic differences between different neighbourhoods in each ward.
10: that Census 2011 information should be analysed at ward and LSOA level in more sophisticated ways.
11: that sample Place Surveys be carried out in neighbourhoods representing the typically most affluent, average and most deprived ones in order to obtain some insight into current attitudes about the quality of life, neighbourliness and civic participation.
12: that the consideration be given to carrying out a survey of schools’ provision of physical, fitness and sports activity to ensure that the right level of participation is being achieved and delivered in a way that does not alienate pupils from future participation.
13: that partial review considerations suggestions:
- Promote growth of creative industries and development of centralised hub to support creative businesses.
- Support temporary use of vacant buildings and sites for creative/cultural activity.
- Ensure that all communities have access to leisure and recreation facilities
should be re-examined in the light of the outcomes of the Culture Seminar, the report on which is yet to be made available.
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