Tuesday 22 September. 6pm. Future Tech City meeting.
From youth to adult education, apprenticeship programmes to full-time jobs, Croydon Tech City wants to make sure every Croydon resident has the opportunity to participate in the tech economy of the (near) future. Last year, it launched Future Tech City to support the creation of tech skills and opportunities in the borough, and support Croydon’s schools and students by providing free activities that encourage the delivery of STEM and technology skills. The evening will be an opportunity to meet the Croydon Tech City team, learn about the FTC scheme and connect with local school teachers and representatives from its various edtech partners (Code Club, Apps For Good and STEMNET). Venue: Project B Cafe/Bar
3 to 7 Middle Street, CR0 1RE. To be book a free place go to https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ctcs-future-tech-city-september-tickets-18375128504?dm_i=25YE,3OCQ1,FOI28G,D81HI,1
Thursday 24 September. 6.30pm. Making Welfare Work in Croydon Talk by with Prof. John Hills (LSE)
Prof. Hills’ recent book Good Times, Bad Times questions long-held opinions about who benefits from the welfare state. Event organised by Opportunity & Fairness Commission in Room 330 in Croydon College. Please enter the college via the main reception on College Road. It is free to attend and all are welcome, but booking is required. To book your place, email contact@opportunitycroydon.org or call 0800 612 2182 and ask for Pancho. See also:
Saturday 26 September. Opening of Foxton’s Estate Agency shop at 2 High Street
See news item below.
Wednesday 30 September. 7pm. Croydon Communities Consortium Meeting
Kenley Memorial Hall – small hall, 92 Godstone Rd, Kenley, CR8 5AB. Not far from Kenley Station. Open to all. Advisable to book in advance at
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ccc-public-meeting-kenley-tickets-18177270706
7 October. 5.30pm – registration for 6pm. CVA’s Annual General Meeting
CVA Resource Centre, 82 London Road.
Wednesday 16th October. 12.45am. “Passport to Pimlico” film.
CVA Waterside Centre. This highly funny film about Pimlico declaring UDI within Britain was filmed in the Hercules Rd area of North Lambeth. To book in advance: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cvas-annual-general-meeting-tickets-18228164932
Wednesday 16 October. Close of Council’s consultation principles on regulating gambling
This consultation effects charities and community groups as well as commercial gambling operators. Access details via Croydon Council website.
Cabinet Starts Consultation on Local Plan
The Council Cabinet has approved for consultation a draft of changes to the Local Plan
http://news.croydon.gov.uk/making-croydon-a-great-place-to-live
See my discussion posting on Croydon Citizen:
http://thecroydoncitizen.com/politics-society/council-will-start-consulting-local-plan-autumn
Croydon may cut garden waste service
Just Croydon starts weekly alert
The Just Croydon website linked to Croydon Arts Network has started a weekly alert every Thursday to highlight upcoming local events. To receive make sure you are registered at http://www.justcroydon.com
Develop Croydon Forum Snubs Community Voice
In response to a request for free community places at the Develop Croydon Conference in November the Forum’s James Clark says: ‘Unfortunately there are no community places available at this conference. This is a nationally run commercial marketed conference aimed at external investors and developers. However all the information from the conference, debates and results are made publicly available for free post conference on the Develop Croydon website. http://www.developcroydonconference.com.’
TfL seeks contractors for tram loop scheme
http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2015/09/10/tfl-tests-bid-market-for-east-croydon-25m-tram-link
Fears over erosion of freedoms with Public Spaces Control Orders
http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/sep/08/pspos-new-control-orders-public-spaces-asbos-freedoms
BNP fails to organise numbers at Lunar House
The British National Party failed to attract more than 20 members and supporters for its anti-immigration demonstration outside Lunar House on Saturday 5 September. The counter demonstration organised by Croydon Unite Against Fascism attracted 150. Croydon TUC, and branches of the Public Civil Servants, Unite, and other unions as well as DEPAC were prominent. Half-a-dozen Labour Councillors were there, Hamida Ali speaking. Several others had their Saturday morning surgeries.
Croydon Council threatens Home Office with legal action after £4m cut in asylum-seeker funding
http://www.croydonadvertiser.co.uk/Croydon-Council-threatens-Home-Office-legal/story-27736295-detail/story.html#ixzz3l4zYEuGJ
Croydon MPs divided on taking in more refugees
Barwell – maybe; Philp – No; Reed – Yes
http://www.croydonadvertiser.co.uk/Croydon-s-MPs-think-UK-refugees/story-27730530-detail/story.html
Croydon Streets and Postcodes
Following a Freedom of Information request the Council points to the following links for those want to check Croydon street names and postcodes.
http://www.croydononline.org/borough_map/streetgazette.asp?wtL=A
https://www.croydon.gov.uk/sites/default/files/articles/HighwayGazetteer2015.pdf
Expanding Gatwick Airport
More propaganda in support of the case to expand Gatwick rather than Heathrow Airport is at http://www.gatwickobviously.com/debate
Foxtons to open shop in High St
On Saturday 26 September the estate agency Foxtons opens a shop in Croydon High St. The news is reported by Croydon Guardian at http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk/news/13647406.Foxtons_eyes__considerable_growth__in_Croydon_s_regeneration
A Guardian reporter rang me up for a comment but did not use it. This is what I confirmed by email:
‘For several years Foxtons appears to have been one of the most aggressive agents in London. They will not be coming to Croydon Town if they didn’t think the area was on the up in terms of house prices and rentals and therefore estate agents fees.
They will contribute nothing to increasing the number of homes for young people and families not earning enough to even buy an apartment costing £250,000. They recently let a new build 3 bed house in South Norwood at £1,800 per month, a 2 bed ground floor maisonette for £1,400, and a one bedroom for £1,200. The charges for being the lettings agents to latter flat was £1,662 deposit and £420 admin fee. I hope they are ensuring these private rented properties are being registered under the Croydon Council licensing scheme coming into effect on 1 October, and that they have provided the new tenants with the appropriate refuse bins and Council pamphlet on the refuse/recycling collection service.
The national Guardian newspaper reported on their aggression in June and the campaign against them in Brixton. The article quotes Ivor Dickinson, a former managing director of one of Foxtons’ competitors, Douglas and Gordon, as saying: “If you have a name as a really ruthless, sharky bastard estate agent, a lot of people, when they come to selling their house, will think, ‘I want that ruthless, sharky bastard”-
– Sean Creighton, Convenor Croydon TUC Croydon Assembly Local Economy & Housing working group
Two Croydon multi-millionaires invest £20m in Town Centre Tower Blocks
Two multi-millionaires 19 year old Hashim and his father Nisar Haq are investing £20m into developer Phoenix London and Regional’s two proposed 16 and 38 storey tower blocks on the College College College Rd car park. Hashim plans to open a roof top shisha bar on the smaller block. Nisar Haq says: “We are seeing two-bedroom flats in central Croydon breaking the £500,000 price barrier, five years ago that would have been almost unheard of.” Read more: http://www.croydonadvertiser.co.uk/Millionaire-son-s-big-plan-boost-Croydon-s-future/story-27729737-detail/story.html#ixzz3l4z113Ba
Meeters and Greeters Start work for BID
Having closed the Visitor Centre at East Croydon Station Croydon Bid has employed three Meeters and Greeters for the Town Centre. You can spot them by their pink coats and bags. The BID’s spin can be read at http://croydonbid.com/news/street-ambassadors-debut-croydon. Andrew Kennedy comments on Historic Croydon Facebook. ‘Well it is an historic occasion. The arrival of the new Meeters and Greeters. 2 out of the 3 are local lads/lasses. A new website is due to come on line in October to compliment them. (I hope they’ve used local talent to write it). All to replace the closed Visitor Centre. We need to give them our support to keep their peckers up. Presumably they will be on their feet all day. I can’t see personally how this can be cheaper than a proper staffed visitor centre in the town hall but we’ll give it a go.’
Are People deluding themselves over Boxpark?
Is the hype over the Boxpark development at East Croydon Station misleading some people to think something beneficial is going to happen. Pro Boxpark advocate Lauren Furey discusses in Croydon Citizen her support for the scheme and some of the concerns raised: http://thecroydoncitizen.com/politics-society/boxpark-coming-dont-panic. I have posted a comment.
History & Social Action News and Events 