London Borough of Croydon – Consultation Statement: Central Croydon, Church Street and
Croydon Minster Conservation Area Appraisals and Management Plans Supplementary
Planning Documents
Consultation Statement: Central Croydon, Church Street and
Croydon Minster Conservation Area Appraisal and Management
Plan Supplementary Planning Documents
This consultation statement has been prepared in accordance with Regulation 12 of the
Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) Regulations 2012.
1. Name of Supplementary Planning Documents
Central Croydon, Church Street and Croydon Minster (formerly Parish Church) Conservation
Area Appraisal and Management Plans (CAAMPs).
2. Purpose of SPDs
The purpose of the SPDs is to provide more detailed / area-specific advice on the application
of policies within the Croydon Local Plan that are concerned with the preservation and
enhancement of conservation areas and to help applicants make successful applications.
3. Persons/groups/bodies consulted in connection with preparation of SPDs
Before the formal consultation process began, the draft CAAMPs for the Central Croydon,
Church Street and Croydon Minster (formerly Parish Church) Conservation Areas went
through a process of internal consultation within the Planning and Building Control division.
Additionally, a meeting was held with the Central Croydon Conservation Area Advisory
Panel to inform the production of draft CAAMPs.
The following groups were informed of the formal consultation:
 Owners/occupiers of all addresses that lie within the conservation areas
 The Old Town Masterplan Stakeholder Project Board comprising of the following
organisations - BT, The Church House Business Centre, Clowater, Croydon Council,
Croydon Minster, Croydon Old Town Business Association, Durkan, English
Heritage, Greater London Authority, House of Reeves, The Portas Town Team, QPark Car Park, Rosepride, Transport for London and The Whitgift Foundation.
 The Croydon Local Plan database
 Statutory consultees
 The Old Town Masterplan mailing list
 Visitors to the area
 Readers of the Croydon Guardian by way of a press notice and the Croydon Council
Planning webpages
4. How were people consulted?
The formal consultation process for the draft CAAMP SPDs for the Central Croydon, Church
Street and Croydon Minster (formerly Parish Church) conservation areas adhered to the
Council’s adopted Statement of Community Involvement (2012) and also the statutory
requirements of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations
2012. Consultation took place between 10 February 14 and 24 March 14.
Consultation comprised of the following:
 Electronic versions of the draft CAAMPs and were made available for download
from the Council’s website.
London Borough of Croydon – Consultation Statement: Central Croydon, Church Street and
Croydon Minster Conservation Area Appraisals and Management Plans Supplementary
Planning Documents
 Two public consultation events on the Conservation Area Appraisals and
Management Plans. One on a Wednesday evening and one on a Saturday.
(Approximately 80 people attended)
 An exhibition explaining the draft SPDs was on display at the public consultation
events for the CAAMPs and remained on location for a week.
 Comments forms were provided for consultees to leave their comments.
(However, if comments were supplied in a different way they were recorded as
part of the consultation.)
Publicity for the consultation comprised of the following:
 An email was sent to the Old Town Masterplan mailing list (over 120 addresses),
the general conservation mailing list and the Croydon Local Plan consultation
contacts database (which includes statutory consultees) to inform stakeholders
about the consultation process.
 Copies of the draft CAAMPs were available to view at Access Croydon and at
each of the Borough’s libraries.
 Letters were sent to every affected owner and occupier within the conservation
areas.
 Approximately twenty site notices were placed within the conservation areas.
 An advertisement in The Croydon Guardian.
5. Summary of the main issues raised during the consultation
Central Croydon CAAMP
Issue A:
This conservation area includes the eastern retail frontage to The Whitgift Shopping Centre
on North End - Croydon’s retail core which is centred around North End. The Whitgift
Shopping Centre site was granted outline planning permission for redevelopment in
February 2014. One representation requested that the Central Croydon CAAMP should not
prejudice the successful delivery of the scheme. As a means of achieving this, it requested
that the SPD should recognise that a balanced approach be taken to all development
proposals which facilitate comprehensive redevelopment to be in line with the Croydon Local
Plan and the Croydon Opportunity Area Planning Framework (OAPF).
Issue B:
One representation commented that tall buildings are likely to be built within the setting of
the Central Croydon conservation area which would have an impact on its character. It
requested that to be in accordance with the NPPF that the CAAMP emphasise that the likely
harm of proposed buildings within the immediate setting of the conservation area be
assessed and taken in to account when determining pre-applications and planning
applications for such buildings.
Issue C:
Several representations argued that the guidance was overly restrictive.
Issue D
One representation argued that two buildings within the conservation area on Surrey Street
should be removed from it because they do not make a special contribution towards the
conservation area. It was also put forward that redevelopment of these sites should not be
constrained by the guidance within the CAAMP.
London Borough of Croydon – Consultation Statement: Central Croydon, Church Street and
Croydon Minster Conservation Area Appraisals and Management Plans Supplementary
Planning Documents
Issue E
Several key architectural features and building materials that are prominent in the area were
identified by one representation that were not included in the CAAMP.
Issue F
Several minor factual errors and examples of unclear text were highlighted by a number of
representees.
Church Street CAAMP
All of the main issues identified through the consultation on the Church Street CAAMP
related to the Tamworth Road character area.
Issue A:
One representation argued that there is no uniformity to the Tamworth Road character area
and that the area had developed organically and should be allowed to continue to do so.
It argued that the contrasting scale of buildings should be celebrated as indicated in the
OAPF and that taller buildings than those currently located on the street should be permitted.
Issue B:
Several representations argued that the former Mission Chapel does not make a positive
contribution to the conservation area as stated in the draft CAAMP because it has lost many
of its original architectural features and is modest in character.
Issue C:
Building on the point made in Issue A, one representation argued that a tall building on the
Cairo New Road site that lies within the immediate setting on the conservation area would
have a positive impact on Croydon’s skyline and that there already exists positive
precedents in Croydon Metropolitan Centre for this approach to development within the
immediate setting of Croydon’s conservation areas.
Issue D
Several minor factual errors and examples of unclear text were highlighted by a number of
representees.
Croydon Minster CAAMP
Issue A:
One representation suggested that the CAAMP should state that the Minster should remain
the principle landmark in the area as a Grade I listed building, parts of which are of medieval
origin.
Issue B
Several minor factual errors and examples of unclear text were highlighted by a number of
representees.
6. How have the issues described above been addressed in the SPD?
All of the individual comments received and the Croydon Council responses to them are
provided in the Appendix to this Consultation Statement.
London Borough of Croydon – Consultation Statement: Central Croydon, Church Street and
Croydon Minster Conservation Area Appraisals and Management Plans Supplementary
Planning Documents
A summary of how the issues outlined above have been responded to is provided below:
Central Croydon CAAMP
Issue A: The CAAMP guidance does not contradict existing Croydon Council Planning Policy
and the redevelopment of the retail core and the adherence to the guidance in the CAAMP
are not considered mutually exclusive. To stress this point, the redevelopment of the retail
core and the Council’s support for this (which is enshrined in planning policy) is now
referenced in the Management Plan.
Issue B: The recommendation made is considered sound and in accordance with the NPPF
and English Heritage guidance and the CAAMP has been altered accordingly.
Issue C: The CAAMP is planning guidance has been written in accordance with the NPPF
and English Heritage guidance and describes how the special character of the Central
Croydon conservation area should be preserved and enhanced. The content of the Church
Street CAAMP has therefore not been changed in response to this comment.
Issue D: The Central Croydon CAAMP has not been changed in response to this comment.
The buildings are included in the conservation area because they are located on an
important historic street within the conservation area and are surrounded by buildings that do
make a positive contribution to the conservation area. The CAAMP states that
redevelopment of the sites is permitted. however, the design of new buildings on the sites
would need to follow the CAAMPs guidance for it to enhance the conservation area.
Issue E: The architectural features and building materials identified have now been listed in
the Central Croydon CAAMP.
Issue F: Minor factual errors have been corrected and amendments to made to the text to
improve clarity.
Church Street CAAMP
Issue A: The Council disagrees with the argument given and therefore the content of the
CAAMP has not been altered as a result of this comment. There is a group of distinctive
Victorian buildings on the street that make a positive contribution and give the character area
broad consistency in terms of building age, scale and building materials. Furthermore,
although the character of Tamworth Road has been undermined by the introduction of some
unsympathetic 20th Century development, much of it lies outside of the present conservation
area boundary. The CAAMP is consistent with other Croydon Council planning policy
regarding the approach to development within conservation areas. The CAAMP provides
more site specific detail than the OAPF.
Issue B: The Council disagrees with the viewpoint expressed. The building has historical
significance as the first Mission Hall opened by the Christian Mission (later the Salvation
Army) outside of London’s East End. It also has some architectural significance despite it
having been subject to some unsympathetic alterations. In October 2014 the Council locally
listed the building which further demonstrates the value it places on the building.
Issue C: The text was amended to provide more clarity on the requirements for development
on this site. Whilst it is recognised that tall buildings are very likely to come forward within
London Borough of Croydon – Consultation Statement: Central Croydon, Church Street and
Croydon Minster Conservation Area Appraisals and Management Plans Supplementary
Planning Documents
the setting of the Church Street Conservation Area (and the other conservation areas in
Croydon Metropolitan Centre) a planning application should demonstrate how the
development would not cause undue harm to the special character of the Church Street
Conservation Area. If a tall building is proposed the applicant will need to demonstrate how
they have managed the transition in scale to avoid an imposing impact on the conservation
are.
Issue D: Minor factual errors have been corrected and amendments to made to the text to
improve clarity.
Croydon Minster CAAMP
Issue A: The text has been amended to state that the Minster should remain the principle
landmark in the area.
Issue B: Minor factual errors have been corrected and amendments to made to the text to
improve clarity.