There doesnt seem to be any accountability so how will things change? Updated 16:31, 17 OCT 2022. Github; Twitter; Facebook . The other key Legislation is the Party Wall Act , affecting construction on and near boundaries. A Croydon flat where the tenant subjected her neighbours to fighting, knife threats and excessive noise has been shut. He is supported in his complaint by Mr Y. Complaints should be made to the Council within 12 months from when a customer feels that something has gone wrong. How to make a complaint. Croydon Council is pressing ahead with low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs), undeterred by criticism from a neighbouring authority. Dont worry we wont send you spam or share your email address with anyone. It was not as if the councils planners had not been on notice about the on-going boundary dispute. You can report non-urgent incidents to the Anti-Social Behaviour Team at contact-centre@royalgreenwich.gov.uk or on 020 8921 4411. The independent Reports into Croydon council to include the ARK Report are very clear. A planning officers report accompanying the decision noted Mr X and Mr Ys objections, based on their ownership of some of the land on which Ms Z had built the garage. It took the council another two months to reply six months after the original complaint had been lodged. But he says because the council gave Ms Z planning permission, she undertook further building work. Support is available for you or someone you're worried about. By this stage in the Ombudsmans report, the author is clearly warming to the theme of the mind-numbingly, staggering incompetence of the Croydon Council planners. And if they say that Croydons planners are, at best, negligent, or at worst, incompetent, then perhaps it is well overdue that suitable action is taken at Fishers Folly. For Condition 5, development includes demolition and at the time of writing, the application to discharge it has still to be determined. As a last resort you can take legal action through the courts. The resident made further complaint s on 21 August 2020 and the landlord issued a formal letter about the problem to the neighbour in line with its complaints policy. They complain the council should not have given Ms Z planning permission to build on their land in January 2020. Births, deaths, marriages and citizenship, Support is available for you or someone you're worried about, contact our Single Point of Contact (SPOC) team, Report and request removal of offensive graffiti, If you are a Housing Association tenant, please report the issues to your Housing Association, If you are a Council tenant or leaseholder please contact your Tenancy Officer or call 0208 726 6000. It was dated February 22 2021, three months after the committee meeting. We'll send your report directly to your local council, wherever you are in the UK. The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/596/contents, particularly as set out under SCHEDULE 2 Ombudsman finds Croydon council did not carry out assessments, provide 'Mr D' with a support plan or offer him a personal budget. Im afraid this is just the tip of the iceberg for the Croydon Planning department. On July 3, I was phoned by Mr Newlands, who told me that all the trees on the site were being cut down. Venues for hire. Despite the surge of opposition to the replacement of a house, the application was passed by Croydon Councils planning committee on Thursday night (January 27).. Abandoned vehicles. But even as the Newlands were being forced to cope with all the nonsense and nuisance next door, they were faced by the prospect of yet another block of flats right across the road from them, at 89 Hyde Road. Tweets. Yet a Labour-run council has axed its meals on wheels service even after paying its outgoing chief executive more than 600,000, it emerged yesterday. Ultimately it seems very like a boundary dispute between neighbours and Planning Departments are not best placed to become involved. Image: Cleaner Croydon, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. As many as 450,000 complaints are investigated each year by councils. Croydon Council installed a new CCTV camera in the town centre, on Charles Street, in November 2019 following complaints about inconsiderate parking by the Q-Park car park. He explained that the CCTV was initially installed for his protection and the neighbours' complaints about this was malicious and had no merit. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. For any noise emergencies contact 020 8726 6000. Make a complaint. 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]. The same complaint that the council had been sitting on for almost three months. Ms Z appealed the court judgement, and lost. A brand new Croydon library could be sold off before it's even been used; Read More Related Articles. telephoning: 020 8545 3060 (weekdays 10am to 2pm). 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. Labour councillors in several wards have lodged formal complaints on behalf of their residents for months on end, as the homes security is being placed at risk, and break-ins at the blocks have become more frequent, vandalism and drug-dealing has been an issue. For all customer service enquiries go to @ContactCroydon. Read more: Ali accused of cover-up over findings on council flats scandal Croydon council has declared effective bankruptcy for the third time in two years, saying it faces an "existential question" after collapsing under the weight of a "toxic debt burden . Where neighbours borrow tools and sell sofas. 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). A curved boundary can be very difficult to establish unless there are features shown on the Title map which are still in existence on the ground. By this stage in the Ombudsmans report, the author is clearly warming to the theme of the mind-numbingly, staggering incompetence of the Croydon Council planners. Antisocial behaviour. Or they could do the work and charge for it. From your message it appears that there was some dispute over whether notice was served on you. Another day, another ruling from the Local Government Ombudsman against Croydon Council. I also note that under Licenses and Certifications your Linkedin profile STILL includes CMLI though as you know, I was informed by the Landscape Institute (in November 2020) that you had not been a Chartered member since May 2013! If you live in private rented accommodation, please contact your landlord or managing agent. All Planning Departments can (and do) grant planning permission on land that is not owned by the applicant. If you are a tenant or live in a strata scheme you may have other options for . Re Mr. Harveys comment above, I would comment that Land registry plans (at least, those shown on the Land Title documents) rarely if ever show the ownership of a boundary fence. The Ombudsman says that the council has accepted its findings, and will pay Mr X 750 in recognition of his distress, time and trouble, and pay 500 to Mr Y, with apologies to both. 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. another ruling from the Local Government Ombudsman against Croydon Council. Drainage is really important here; it is becoming increasing concerning that the foul water sewers in Riddlesdown are carrying more water than they are designed for and as a result areas downhill from here are suffering frequent episodes of flooding, often foul water and sewage. Normally a Councillors mail bag is full of important, but not life threatening, mail and emails regarding missed bin collections, planning issues and complaints about noisy neighbours. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. If your neighbour is a tenant, you could contact their landlord. But Inside Croydon is aware of formal complaints being filed within the past month about the supercilious and condescending approach of senior council officials to Regina Road residents at recent meetings. As far as I can see, Ive received nothing back so Ill take that as a No then. The Ombudsmans report explains that Ms Z had been seeking to build a garage since around 2016. The Inner West Comprehensive Development Control Plan (DCP) 2016 for Ashbury, Ashfield, Croydon, Croydon Park, Haberfield, Hurlstone Park and Summer Hill came into effect on on 10 January 2017.. Unlawful: the destruction of the trees on the Hyde Road site broke the planning conditions. 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. as far as I could ascertain from our neighbours, plastics/etc and food were collected from . I note that at no point in the application did Ms Z present a plan showing the footprint of the garage in relation to the property boundaries or surrounding land. Overall the workplace culture is one of progression and collaborative . I got neighbour from hell and Croydon council dont wish to do anything. There is no discretion in that. . Also, with workloads the way they are nationally most Planning Officers simply dont have the time to deal with things as closely as they would like. 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 . Croydon CR0 1EA Dozens of concerned residents took to the streets chanting "Croydon Council, shame on you" - as part of a protest against poor housing conditions on Wednesday night. Croydon Council. What a shit show the planning department is. We can then serve a legal notice under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 requiring the offender to stop causing a nuisance. It will surprise no one who has had to deal with Croydons cash-strapped council that it failed to do so. Its time there was a full investigation into the relationships between developers, members of the Council and Councillors. Media. If you think a vulnerable adult is being abused in any way, you can report this as a safeguarding concern. The complaint included reference not only to the unlawful tailpiece but also to what I maintain were misleading statements made by the applicant, the agent and council planning officials alike leading up to the committees decision. Most councils have yet to confirm plans, with about a third indicating they may propose a 3% increase. A brand new Croydon library could be sold off before it's even been used; Read More Related Articles. 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. By 3pm, he reported that the house was pretty much demolished. My own follow-up email to Heather Cheesbrough of July 27, was ALSO copied to Katherine Kerswell and Cllrs Hamida Ali and Jason Perry. Location. 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. The cameras had been checked by both the landlord's staff and the police and permission was granted for him to have them. For the smell to count as a statutory nuisance it must do one of the following: unreasonably and substantially interfere with the use or enjoyment of a home or other premises. Putting aside the likely unauthorised blocking of the highway, the demolition works were in direct breach of Condition 5 of the permission, which required the submission and approval of a "Construction Logistics Plan" before development commenced. Likes. News, views and analysis about the people of Croydon, their lives and political times in the diverse and most-populated borough in London. 3 1 March 2021. A party wall agreement, covered by the Party Wall Act covers shared walls in between semi-detached and terraced houses, or structures such as the floors between flats or maisonnettes, plus garden border walls. The court judgement established the boundaries of Ms Zs house. I cannot see the council scrutinised Ms Zs service of Certificate A through any such process here. Consequently, Mr X returned to court seeking an order for their removal. Croydon Council. It failed to address the issues of the carers assessments, insurance and transition planning. 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. If you have a story to share about housing conditions, email housingstories@itv.com. But on November 18 last year, the committee approved the demolition of 89 Hyde Road and its replacement by a block of nine flats. Search Gumtree.com; Post ad ; Menu Login/Register Enter a location to see results close by . Three clicks and you're done. Complaints and feedback. There are rules about heights of structures, their maximum height alongside a boundary, the area of land that can be covered with sheds without the need for planning permission, and heights of walls, fences gates etc. The council has told the Ombudsman that it is seeking to improve its complaint handling, by: In their findings, the Ombudsman said that the council was correct that land ownership is not a relevant planning consideration, But this does not mean the question of land ownership has no relevance to the planning process. Call 999 if the crime is still happening or 101 to report a crime later. The scale of corporate dysfunction at Croydon council prior to its collapse into bankruptcy two years ago was serious enough to warrant police investigation into potential misconduct in public . . Our efforts were initially confined to another scheme at No98, which had been put forward by one of the more rapacious developers in southern Croydon, Aventier. This time, through a relatively minor boundary dispute between neighbours, the Ombudsman In the interests of openness, I have worked for 2 Council Planning Departments (not in London). Just another episode in the regular shambles at Fisher's Folly Another day, another ruling from the Local Government Ombudsman against Croydon Council. The only leaks that Steve Reed, Hamida Ali and their chums at the Town Hall should be worrying about are the ones in the council flats in South Norwood, one Katharine Street source told Inside Croydon this week, as the local Labour Party continued in its course of vendettas, internal wrangling and self-destruction.