Then ask the hotel to pay for the Bridge onto dartmouth road and bingo😃
Bridge?! to Dartmouth Road? … road bridge or footbridge? where and why?! there’s already a road under the railway, and footpath under the railway, and a bridge from the Co-Op site across the railway would end up on Devonshire Road…? I’m confused.
Think @anon10646030’s bridge proposal was a pie in the sky aspiration with his tongue firmly in cheek.
But then stranger things have happened.
I thought he meant a pedestrian bridge to better connect the Perry Vale Car Park with the Dartmouth Road shopping area. I think that’s been discussed/proposed a few times.
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I should have read it better.
That does seem a clearer interpretation.
I wasn’t able to attend in the end thanks to London Overground…! But the lack of a car park is very concerning. The residential area of Stanstead Rd, Rockbourne Rd and Rojack Rd is already HEAVILY over-used for parking by non-residents (I suspect mainly people parking and then getting the train from FH station, but also some commercial vehicles including a van from EJ Carpets which often parks there). I assume the landlords just completely wash their hands of their responsibilities in regards to guest parking - not their problem right? Which would leave local residents with the choice of either asking the council to create resident-only parking on those roads (which would be at a financial cost to local residents) or else accept that they might be unable to park on their own roads due to hotel guests. Super.
Sorry I was unclear, yes starman you wrote exactly what I was thinking
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Sounds like quite a change for the site for sure. Wonder how that will go when proposed to planning.
Don’t think it will be a negative having such a service locally, however it will make a big change to the appearance on the road for sure.
Nice to hear a shop of sorts will remain, and interesting to hear which companies are interested and not interested in the site. I wonder if this is their overall intention towards the area, as surely coming into a new location, a new build would be the best possible start.
Travelodge and a Budgens, with recommended parking in the car park on Perry Vale. Not too shabby, unless you are very local.
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I wouldn’t dream of leaving my car overnight in that car park.
Me neither to be honest, but there will need to be a reasonable proposal to get it past planning.
The suggestion in the original letter does mention making improvements to the surrounding area. Maybe CCTV would be one of those things. Guess it is one of those “wait and see” things now.
I use Zipcar and they keep a variety of vehicles in that car park and in the nature of things the vehicles will frequently be stabled there overnight.
Never witnessed any form of incident there.
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I noticed tonight there are a lot of spray marking all over the car park, survey marks etc…
Guess that goes hand in hand with the new info, and maybe even offers an idea of the footprint.
I hate it, it’s got no creativity whatsoever :& looks awful!
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I guess when you look at what it is being built next to, it doesn’t need to be beautiful.
Hopefully it will end up being a practical and fit for purpose building, bringing a positive business to the area. And with it, bring trade to the area to, even if it is just over nighters.
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Yes, sadly this seems to be the attitude of the architects.
Wouldn’t it be nice to see developers and architects go the extra mile to build something pleasing to the eyes? So many Honor Oak and Forest Hill buildings are beautiful (although generally only those built 100+ years ago).
I’m sure there were once some redeeming features of the area that became Croydon, but then the grey monstrosities came… and evidently the designers of everything that followed decided “I guess when you look at what it is being built next to, it doesn’t need to be beautiful.”
Depressing.
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I guess, like any pragmatic business, you have to address the key things first, practically, and affordability, then if there is space to wiggle things about, you consider its appearance.
Sure it would be nice to see something pleasing on the eye, but would it still offer the same business potential? If so, then why the devil not.
That section of road has no uniform appearance, is surrounded by a mishmash of different eras and styles.
My point is not simply anything goes, but more what would people prefer to see? Withdrawal of the plan, or a dull but practical building?
Also worth remembering this is a first proposal and a low resolution 2D render. Sometimes things can look better in the flesh.
Another localish project looked dreadful on paper but actually turned out to be rather nice. To my taste at least.
Maybe this is just the price of progress and ongoing development of the area. I guess there is a fine line between desired improvement of the area, and maintaining the existing attributes. For the latter I think Forest Hill does pretty well.
The biggest negative I can see in the plan so far is the loss of a line of sight from the bus stop to see when your bus is coming, due to the building line being pushed so far forward.
Christ that’s ugly.
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Exactly!
looks like a bloody prison with inmates & prison guards roaming around in the drawings 
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