STREET parties over the Platinum Jubilee weekend could be shut down if organisers dont have the correct permission. Please select Council property Housing Association Private rented Owner occupied. Over a hundred years, maybe 33% of the countrys existing properties would come up for renewal. Condition 2 of that formal notice reads Unless otherwise previously agreed by the Local Planning Authority in writing, the development shall be carried out entirely in accordance with the following drawings and other documents submitted with the application., In the words of one barrister, The tailpiece in Condition 2, Unless otherwise previously agreed, is in my view unlawful. A Croydon flat where the tenant subjected her neighbours to fighting, knife threats and excessive noise has been shut. Antisocial behaviour. By STEVEN DOWNES, The shame that wont go away: the latest edition of Inside Housing magazine, featuring Regina Road and ITV News reporter Dan Hewitt. The council has powers to deal with noise that is considered a statutory nuisance. CR0 1EA. We have a council spouting off about sustainability, climate emergency, green measures, LTNs etc whilst systematically conniving with profiteering developers to destroy the place. They own land built on by Ms Z. Croydon Councils antisocial behaviour officers have been busy helping residents in their battle against criminal and offensive neighbours, successfully securing a number of Premises Closure Orders (PCOs). If you think a vulnerable adult is being abused in any way, you can report this as a safeguarding concern. The council said the next phase of its Streetspace scheme will launch on 28 September and will use planters and signs to transform four more streets into places to walk, cycle and exercise while maintaining car access for their Also, if you are planning an international move, we can do it. Hewitt has spent most of the past year researching and following up countless other instances of appalling conditions in council and housing association homes. 3 1 March 2021. This section has information about making a complaint about neighbourhood noise. Based in Croydon and edited by Steven Downes. as far as I could ascertain from our neighbours, plastics/etc and food were collected from . But this was changed to general boundaries in 1875 which are only indicative and open to challenge. Following complaints from neighbours about vandalism, broken windows and doors and fly-tipping, in 2013 the council began negotiations with the owner to get the property done up and then transferred to council control. Which, for most reasonable people, might have been a starting point for a radical improvement in the councils care and attention to its tenants. But he says because the council gave Ms Z planning permission, she undertook further building work. In approving application 20/00108/FUL, they did so based on a council officials report, the committee agreed that thereafter the director of planning and strategic transport has delegated authority to issue the planning permission and impose conditions and informatives. That design is hideous and mirrors a template of square blocks going up all over the place with no regards to aesthetics and the surrounding area. In May 2019 and all points after that, it was clear at least some of the garage structure was on land outside Ms Zs ownership., The council should have gone further, the Ombudsman says. We are committed to making our website accessible to all visitors. Croydon Council. Croydon Council have launched a new smartphone app, that allows users to report noisy neighbours.. The councils Housing Revenue Account is a ring-fenced fund used to run the boroughs council homes. We will also ask you to keep a record of the noise and how it affects you on diary sheets for a few days or weeks, depending on how often the noise occurs. But with this report, it is impossible not to imagine the impartial, objective observer drafting it raising their eyebrows while muttering aloud, They did what??!!. Wooden and mesh fences can rot away. I remember thinking that I couldnt live in this for a day, never mind for months and months and months.. However, I cannot see that a lot of what they are accused of here is entirely within their control, and they do not appear to be significantly worse than many other Planning Departments (although admittedly may be a bit too relaxed regarding over-development). Ploughing through the law: demolition of 89 Hyde Road went ahead, despite a complaint suggesting the council process had been unlawful, Schedule 1 of the undertaking reads (my italics for emphasis): Sustainable Transport Contribution means the sum of 13,500 to be utilised towards (which could include but not limited to and council exercising absolute discretion) sustainable transport, highway management measures and the delivery of sustainable transport initiatives in Sanderstead.. It's all public. He has build wall in my front garden in my property. The other key Legislation is the Party Wall Act , affecting construction on and near boundaries. Updated 16:31, 17 OCT 2022. This latest Ombudsmans decision against Cheesbroughs department would appear to contradict that contention. It is up to the applicant to make sure they have all the other permissions in place, such as the permission of the land owner, Building Regs etc. Tue 24 Nov 2020 01.00 EST. Croydon Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Block by block: Quantums proposed five-storey block of flats for Hyde Road, a street of two-storey homes. Perhaps a Government could bring in a requirement for new title pans to accurately plot all boundaries and building plans on NEW and REBUILT properties using modern surveying methods down to a very high level of accuracy eg by Satellite co-ordinates. Croydon Council. The council's cabinet is set to meet today (Monday, March 8) at 2pm to discuss the 2021/22 budget ahead of a full council meeting this evening. Yellow signs backing a campaign against a new development can been seen in the tree-lined street of Pollards Hill South. But they will see the light of day and the ombudsman will direct responses. If your neighbour is a tenant, you could contact their landlord. The two neighbours who really owned the property even had a court ruling in their favour over the incursion on to their land. Dan Hewitts first report on the News At Ten was the start of an odyssey that would go on to highlight cases of poor social housing conditions across England. To contact us, please email inside.croydon@btinternet.com, Help to support our genuine local and independent journalism, Woman arrested after four boys die in Sutton house fire, Nine months on and council tenants are still being ignored, a damning report from independent consultants found systemic failures and incompetence at the council and its repairs contractor, Axis. You can complain if you are unhappy about how a council service has been delivered or if the council have failed to deliver a service. Were not stopping. Section 65 of the 1990 Town and Country Planning Act requires that a council shall not entertain a planning application that does not meet the certification requirements set out in the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015. If we prosecute we will normally apply to the court to have the equipment permanently confiscated. Is there a basement at the Farfield Halls which could be converted to a dungeon? If Steve Reed OBE MP and Clive Fraser spent less time trying to strangle democracy in the LLP and more time trying to address these dire housing issues, theyd be doing what they were elected to do. Heather Cheesbrough was in charge when Planning Policy SPD2 was written. You can complain to your council about a hedge over 2 metres high or a tree that could damage your property. When noise exceeds the permitted level, the district council can investigate and take action against the neighbour or other noise source. Complaint Resolution Team Croydon Council, Floor 7 Zone C Bernard Weatherill House 8 Mint Walk, Croydon CR0 1EA or email us at: complaints@croydon.gov.uk Croydon Council Bernard Weatherill House 8 Mint Walk Croydon, CR0 1EA; We are open for pre-booked appointments only Communal cleaning: The landlord explained that the caretaker was scheduled to attend weekly on a Monday COMPLAINT 202006413. Why are they still working on the site? Councillor Ali will go down in history as leader of Croydon Council for less than two years, her political career forever stained with the scandal of the council homes on Regina Road the worst homes in Britain, as they were described on national television. None of this has the excuse of the councils bankruptcy, which occurred under Councillor Alis predecessor and mentor, Tony Newman and his influential deputy and head of housing, Alison Butler. Mr X and Mr Y contested Ms Zs garage encroached on land in their ownership. They complain the council should not have given Ms Z planning permission to build on their land in January 2020. Unlawful: the destruction of the trees on the Hyde Road site broke the planning conditions. London. Taxpayers seem happy to allow their money to be thrown around paid to service providers without any regard for whether suppliers are doing a good job.We need tighter controls to improve standards. They made the council aware of the dispute over land ownership and the 2018 court judgement. With her application, Ms Z presented Certificate A saying she owned all the land covered by development, the Ombudsman writes. It is an offence not to comply with this notice and if a pollution enforcement officer witnesses a contravention of the notice we will usually prosecute the offender. Planning delivery has always been a weakness at Croydon Council and is the major factor in the recent referendum for a mayoral election. It had been OConnell, a decade earlier, who had produced Newsnights devastatingly critical report into the equally squalid conditions endured by families living in temporary accommodation in Croydon. Barnet Homes housing complaints. In May 2018, the council opened a planning enforcement investigation to consider various potential planning breaches committed by Ms Z. I am so glad I dont work for Croydon Planning Department. Brake System Calculator, Call the police. The only requirement is that the correct Certificate is completed by the applicant (which may not have been done here), but this is pretty minor. The listing numbers complaints to the Local Government Ombudsman: Birmingham received 257 last year, with our neighbours to the north, Southwark (198) and Lambeth (186) taking the runners-up spots. 13 July 2021. . If you feel that these rules are not being adhered to, you are advised to contact the council for guidance/to make a complaint. COMPLAINT 202011660. We'll send your report directly to your local council, wherever you are in the UK. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. At times the flooding in Lower Barn Road and Mitchley Avenue is so bad that it cuts Riddlesdown in half., And Hale concluded, The whole scheme does absolutely nothing in terms of sensitive optimisation it is pure maximisation of the site to the huge detriment of the green and open local character. Class B means of access to a highway. A nuisance tenant who terrorised his neighbours, making their lives a misery with his persistent noise and anti-social behaviour, has been barred from his home by a court ruling. Emails from residents unanswered, six-month delays in dealing with a formal complaint, and a planning department that ignored a court order. The council found the size of the garage then under construction exceeded that allowed under permitted development rights, where a developer does not need any planning permission. How can a child go to school and do well educationally when their home is riddled with damp and is wet and leaking?, Hard lives: the flats in Regina Road have provided badly inadequate homes. You have rejected additional cookies. On July 3, I was phoned by Mr Newlands, who told me that all the trees on the site were being cut down. They remain so. 8.00am to 2:00am. Contact details of agencies and organisations which can help with anti-social behaviour. An examination of the councils enforcement log suggests the Council only issued a decision in January when its enforcement officer queried at that time with the planning officer why they had not taken a decision on the application. Media. croydon council complaints about neighbourssunshine coast regional district real estate Comments Off on croydon council complaints about neighbours June 9, 2022 You could use a mediation service if raising the issue informally does not work. The only plan showing location was a red-line plan showing the outline of the whole curtilage of Ms Zs house at 1:1250 scale. . If you're making a complaint about council housing, find out more about the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code. Although, as this website appears to have put my actual name, rather than the alias as I thought it would, I should add that this is just informal advice and you may wish to get your own professional planning or legal advice. Croydon man furious at neighbour having tree cutter over at 9am because it's 'ruined his lie in' Stop what you're doing and check out these cats that looks like vampires having more team managers respond to complaints. Croydon Council have said there are no plans to review a Purley pubs music licence after a series of complaints over noise because they have not done anything wrong. You can report fly-tipping online or download our Don't Mess with Croydon app to send a photo and location of fly-tipping straight to the relevant team. Re Mr Patels comments above, it is actually frightening as to how much of the plot that can be filled up with sheds, under what is termed permitted development under The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, Worth looking up the UK Government Website, under its pages titled:- Show How we deal with corporate complaints. The council generally adopts an escalating approach to noise enforcement and can deal with unreasonable . Hence the importance of having boundary markers such as concrete posts or brick pillars at all corners of a property, and making sure that neighbours dont nibble away and steal a sliver of land by moving a fence line. For any noise emergencies contact 020 8726 6000. Thursday to Sunday. Ms Z appealed the court judgement, and lost. The proposal includes the unacceptable felling of eight individual trees and five groups of trees as well as substantial areas of mature hedging, Hale told the committee. The council respond directly to you with further enquiries or to update you as the rubbish is cleaned up. Considering what was now occurring on the sites next door and opposite, disgust is probably too mild a word. If we receive a complaint from you about neighbours playing loud music, we will send a letter to the alleged offender (s) asking them to keep the volume down. Those of us who deal with Croydons planning service are used to their incompetence but this one reaches a new level. As we read it, the inclusion of the bracketed text effectively means that the contribution could be spent on anything, without restriction and not necessarily even within Sanderstead. Croydon Council has the power to deal with noise nuisance that is considered to be a statutory nuisance. The cameras had been checked by both the landlord's staff and the police and permission was granted for him to have them. To make a complaint, please use the online form below. Where to find Access Croydon. only to leave after less than six months without any obvious sign of actually achieving anything. Hide, Send feedback directly to the content team using our website feedback form. Because, after all, that kind transparency and honesty about dealing with its failures might catch on, and could even lead to the council learning from its mistakes, and who at Fishers Folly would want that? Call the cops The LAPD suggests that noise complaints, from loud TVs to awful parties, are best dealt with by your local police station. We do not provide anout of hours service for complaints about parties. Since early 2018 I have tried, along with the Riddlesdown Residents Association and other neighbours, to help Mr and Mrs Newlands, the elderly couple who have lived at 96 Hyde Rd for more than 50 years, to defend themselves from the unsustainable intensification that threatens to swallow up their family home. On April 19 this year, and with the benefit of legal advice, I submitted a formal complaint to the council on behalf of the Newlands. It said Mr X could return to court and seek an order permitting him to remove the stanchions and recover the costs of this if Ms Z failed to comply. This included the garage under construction to the south of the plot. animal camouflage reading comprehension; . As far as I can see, Ive received nothing back so Ill take that as a No then. For a start, theres nothing to be found anywhere on the councils clunky website that reports any part of this latest clusterfuck by the planning department. London. This team is usually your first point of contact as a private renter. Consequently, Mr X returned to court seeking an order for their removal. A Croydon house known for drug-taking, harassment and antisocial behaviour has been boarded up by council enforcement officers. Image: Cleaner Croydon, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Silverleaf Developments made a planning application that included my land. Unimpressed: Croydon Council planners handling of the neighbours boundary dispute saw the Ombudsman being sharply critical. Nicola Townsend: signed off decision notice. On December 3, 2018, a decision was made by Lincolnshire County Council to reduce the speed on High Road and Low Road from 40mph to 30mph. Tweets & replies. Officers up to chief executive level seem determined to continue with their couldnt-care-less attitude, while Mr Snodin has apparently decided that this is a good time to leave the Councils employ. No thought for the environment, the local infrastructure, parking, GPs schools or transport. This is well established.. The implication is that there are too many complaints for the current management to handle, so wed better get some more 50k a year (and the rest) managers to fob people off. Croydon council's housing department operated with "a poor operating culture with a lack of care and respect for tenants" resulting in accommodation being left in terrible conditions, a . We will also ask you to keep a record of the noise and how it affects you on diary sheets for a few days or weeks, depending on how often the noise occurs . As a last resort you can take legal action through the courts. The work of OConnell and Hewitt had done in 2021 what Cathy Come Home had exposed in the 1960s. How to make a complaint. The council said it would reply before the end of December. Ombudsman (LGSCO) in relation to Croydon Council. On 22 July 2021, I informed Robert Snodin, (then-) Trees and Enforcement Team Leader, that this developer had already breached pre-commencement Condition 5 [Construction Logistics Plan (CLP)] and Condition 15 [tree removal]. This DCP supplements and supports the Ashfield Local Environmental Plan (LEP) 2013. An abandoned vehicle is one which has not been moved or attended to for a long time. Your Croydon's Tweets. A planning investigation has been opened after Croydon Council made a 'series of mistakes'.. By the early hours, rioting Talk to your neighbour. We have to build more homes and South of the Borough has to take its share but they should at least be of a high design standard and fit in with the surroundings. The Ombudsmans report explains that Ms Z had been seeking to build a garage since around 2016. Patrick Butler Social policy editor. It was only a week since the council had issued its Section 114 Notice, to become only the second local authority in England in 20 years effectively to declare itself bankrupt. Only 10% of council housing repair jobs ever get checked, Ali accused of cover-up over findings on council flats scandal, Croydon shamed over dangerous squalor in council flats, Your staff make us feel less than human, Love it or List it is coming to Croydon and want you to take part, 37-34: Mayor's 15% Council Tax hike rejected in budget vote, 10-year campaign by locals wins reprieve for Central Hill Estate, Scott and Butler to be snubbed by Town Hall honours system, 'Stand up for the people and get fair funding for Croydon', Say No To 15% Council Tax Hike, Town Hall, Mar 8, Fairfield Halls offers some Easter movie magic for just 2, Council heat network hits customers with 25% price increase, 'You never mentioned 15% tax hike when seeking election', Teachers in unanimous vote to escalate their strike action. The parish council said it found vehicles travelling in . Residents of the block claim that Croydon Council had been informed of the issues but had not acted. A person can complain of nuisance if damage is caused by a substantial and unreasonable interference with the private right to use and enjoy one's land. Booth seem likely to be left considerably out of pocket because of the necessity, through the councils actions, of undertaking anothr court case to get Ms Zs garage off their land. The Ombudsmans report says, I have called the complainant Mr X. If it is longer the Council may ask customers to explain why they could not complain sooner. The property is in a great condition, and ready to move in. If talking hasn't resolved the issue, you can make a complaint to your local council or the police. What a shit show the planning department is. Three clicks and you're done. Find a propertis in Croydon, London on Gumtree, the #1 site for Residential Property To Rent classifieds ads in the UK. It would not have taken much to point out to Ms Z or her agent the structure under construction was already on land outside the property boundary.. The study also indicated that 1 in 3 neighbours have had some kind of a dispute. Aside from Croydon Council's mega 15% hike planned, London councils can increase bills by 10%. There is a process under which registered owners can obtain definitive boundaries from the Registry but at a cost, With building plots becoming ever smaller and in need of precision and cartographic technology advancing there is a strong argument for a national survey giving reliable boundaries to all plots of land. Perhaps we can apply for planning permission to excavate one? Other Council workers seem to get more sympathy from this website, but not the Planning Department. Support is available for you or someone you're worried about. You can also make a complaint by: telephone: 020 8359 2000. writing to: Barnet Council, 2 Bristol Avenue, Colindale, London, NW9 4EW. We can then serve a legal notice under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 requiring the offender to stop causing a nuisance. We aim to give all our customers a good service, but sometimes we make mistakes. Likes. Poor repairs: the maintenance of the flats at Regina Road is still less than optimal. Unlawful (and extensive) excavation works has thereby been allowed to continue (by default), necessitating large lorries using adjacent roads, the control/management of which the CLP was meant to control. If you are a tenant or live in a strata scheme you may have other options for . So, in March, Mr X asked to escalate his complaint to Stage 2 of the procedure because of this delay. Public Realm Division, Pollution Team, 6th Floor, Zone A Bernard Weatherill House At just after 4pm on July 7, I received an email from a corporate resolution officer at Croydon Council telling me that in order to progress the complaint investigation, the planning team needed to be sent signed authorisation that the Newlands had asked me to act on their behalf in the complaint. We certainly think so, and wonder how or why she was persuaded to make such a flagrant error of law in this case. Croydon Council. The court judgement established the boundaries of Ms Zs house. You have accepted additional cookies. If it's an ongoing situation, keep a record of the events in a diary noting . News stories, speeches, letters and notices, Reports, analysis and official statistics, Data, Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports. In January and February this year, Mr X sent the council three emails, chasing a response. Croydon council has outlined a drastic "renewal" plan that would result in extensive staff job losses and major reductions to services at libraries and children's . Overall the workplace culture is one of progression and collaborative . There is room for learning and development and training that supports you to do your job. Indeed, it has been Croydon Councils policy, under successive chief executives Nathan Elvery, Jo Negrini and now Katherine Kerswell, never to publish Ombudsman rulings against the authority. . Given recent issues with flash flooding across London and the failures of the planning process to mitigate against the impact of heavier rainfall, one of Hales criticisms of the proposal is of particular relevance, There appears to have been no consultation with Thames Water by either the developer or the council to see if there is capacity in the sewer network to take the additional foul and possibly surface water discharge from the proposed development. Date of experience: 12 October 2021. Shouldnt be a problem. Read more: Feeble planners allow builders to get away with (tree) murder. More importantly though, it not been NOT APPROVED. Once this form has been completed, the information will be forwarded to the relevant team for action. And the council knew of the April 2018 High Court judgement and the documents placed on the Land Registry records. It's how to get the most out of everything nearby. London. Croydon Council had been dealing with our formal complaint for three months by this point. The fla Seller type Agency; Date available Date available: 17 Nov 2022; Property type Flat; Number of . It was dated February 22 2021, three months after the committee meeting. Croydon, South London croydon.gov.uk Joined March 2009. Deliberate delays by council officials in the processing of a formal complaint from a couple in their 90s has helped allow the unlawful demolition of a family home in Sanderstead and the start of development of a block of flats, in breach of planning permission. 11 hours ago 11h. But lawyers who get fees from boundary disputes will oppose this, Having reliable and continuously updated INTERNAL plans of all properties should also be an additional (but separate) part of fire safety improvement post Grenfell. Information about our two-stage corporate process can be found on this page. The same complaint that the council had been sitting on for almost three months. A petition was recently set up on the website www.change.org to show support for the continuation of live music at The Jolly Farmers after several complaints from a neighbour. The council took action in response to ongoing neighbours On Saturday 6 August, the family and supporters of Mr Duggan, numbering around 120, marched to Tottenham police station to protest about the shooting. Based in Croydon and edited by Steven Downes. We will normally only consider complaints about things which happened in the past 12 months. For all customer service enquiries go to @ContactCroydon. Croydon Council had been dealing with our formal complaint for three months by this point. He and Mr Y will now incur more time, trouble and expense in returning to court to seek a further order for removal of building work. 535 Following. While Plymouth City Council is in talks over a council tax increase of 2.99%. There is a culture of not taking their complaints seriously., And Hewitt has a worrying message for Croydon Council and other social housing providers who fail their tenants. A neighbour said the situation is "upsetting and frustrating" as so many people are in need of a home. https://insidecroydon.com/2021/10/05/director-of-plannings-bogus-claim-over-institute-membership/. Click here, https://insidecroydon.com/2021/10/05/director-of-plannings-bogus-claim-over-institute-membership/, Love it or List it is coming to Croydon and want you to take part, 37-34: Mayor's 15% Council Tax hike rejected in budget vote, 10-year campaign by locals wins reprieve for Central Hill Estate, Scott and Butler to be snubbed by Town Hall honours system, 'Stand up for the people and get fair funding for Croydon', Say No To 15% Council Tax Hike, Town Hall, Mar 8, Fairfield Halls offers some Easter movie magic for just 2, Council heat network hits customers with 25% price increase, 'You never mentioned 15% tax hike when seeking election', Teachers in unanimous vote to escalate their strike action.