SUBMITTED – 48 Mitchley Hill – 25/01718/DISC – 23 May 2025 -Details pursuant to conditions 4 (landscaping), 15 (playspace) and 18 (lighting scheme) of planning reference 19/02209/FUL for the demolition of single-family dwelling and erection of one 3-storey block, containing 6 x 2-bedroom apartments. 2 x 4-bedroom houses and 1 x 3 bedroom house with associated access, 10 parking spaces, cycle storage and refuse store, granted 02.08.2019.

Yet again, a big thank you to all the residents, the 19th Purley Scout Group and Cllr Endri Llabuti for attending the RRA spring-clean of the area. About 40 people attended and many bags of rubbish were collected from the area – mainly from the privately owned, open space land.

Also as usual, a big thank you to Tracey from Croydon Council, without whose help, with supplying of the equipment etc, these litter picks wouldn’t happen.

We also understand from Tracey that the litter picks […]

FM Conway on behalf of Croydon Council will be carrying further drainage works on Mitchley Ave outside St Edmund’s Church from Mon 7 April until Sun 27 April 2025, which are to address the ongoing flooding issues there.  The works involve the installation of 3 new gullies and a manhole chamber to capture the flow of rainwater from upstream.

Traffic on Mitchley Ave will be controlled by two-way traffic lights and is being carried out mostly during the school Easter holidays, so hopefully they will not have […]

Despite the awful and stormy weather, about 40 children, plus parents/grandparents, attended the annual RRA’s Children’s Christmas Party on 7 December.

The 40 children seemed to enjoy themselves with entertainment and a tea, and so did the adults tea, coffee, cake and some with mulled wine! And of course Father Christmas put in an appearance! As usual, special thanks need to go to all the helpers and members from the RRA Committee and in particular to the organisers Neil & Rachel Tarrant.

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A big thank you to all those residents; the beavers, cubs and scouts from the 19th Purley Scout Group; the two Purley Oaks & Riddlesdown Ward Cllrs; and some members of the RRA committee who attended the litter pick on 16 November – about 35 people in total.

Litter was collected in a number of areas, and about 30 bags of rubbish were left in two locations for Veolia to collect.

The farm field opposite the shops in Mitchley Ave was particularly bad this time and […]

From 22 October 2024, the RRA received a number of enquiries from residents about two men, who with a digger, were clearing the shrubs and bushes on this land. There is a TPO on one tree on this land and a blanket TPOs on the part of land r/o 36 to 46 Honister Hts. See TPO No. 8; 2013 – Land r/o 36 to 46 Honister Heights – Link

The RRA took this up with the Planning Department on 22 October.

We […]

The RRA AGM 2024 for the RRA took place on Wednesday 17 April 2024.

Here the annual election of Committee members took place (new Committee members are always welcome to stand for election) and residents were updated on all the happenings within the area since the last AGM. At the AGM residents can also ask questions and raise any matter or topic. The minutes for the 2024 AGM are on this link.

We still do need a few more Road Stewards to help us out and deliver the Recorder magazine and collect subs. So if any resident living in our area would be available to become a Road Steward please let us know.

We try and give each Steward about 30 properties, and if you live in that street, it is a good way of meeting your neighbours. The Recorder is issued once a year and the Summer edition will involve the collection of subs at the same time. […]

A big thank you to the 30 or so residents (including those from the 19th Purley scout group and three Ward Councillors; Hale, Redfern, & Llabutti) who turned up at the RRA litter pick on Saturday 29 April. For a change, it was a lovely day, weather wise!

And thank you as well to Tracey Bellamy from the Council for supplying all the equipment.

We collected in the region of 30 bags of rubbish, a metal safe, and a road barrier. It is quite noticeable that […]

By Nicola Hunt – a volunteer for the Sanderstead to Whyteleafe Countryside area

Spring is now well on its way and the local wildlife is getting ready for a busy breeding season. If you are walking on Sanderstead to Whyteleafe Countryside Area (or otherwise known as Riddlesdown Open Space) you should hear the joyful song of the skylark in many of the fields. Look up and you may be able to see a speck hovering high in the sky. This is the male skylark proclaiming its territory and attracting a female. Sometimes […]

Over the last six weeks or so, students in Year 7, from Riddlesdown Collegiate have been carrying out litter picking near to the Collegiate building, ably assisted by Tracey Bellamy, the Council’s Street Champion Co-Ordinator.

They have carried out litter picks, 30 students at a time, and they have litter picked for an hour, choosing to pick up litter, on the ‘White Path’, the footpath from Dunmail Drive to Grisedale Gardens, Honister Heights, the footpath to Hamsey Green on the ‘Common’ and the farm fields opposite […]

NOT APPROVED 88 Riddlesdown Road – 23/00909/DISC – 06 Mar 2023 – Discharge of Condition 3 (Construction Logistics Plan) of planning permission 22/00148/FUL (Demolition of existing five-bedroom detached house and erection of a block of flats comprising of 21no. units, refuse and recycling store, parking, landscaping and associated works).

Riddlesdown Open Space (end of Riddlesdown Rd) – Car Parking Charges commenced on 25 January 2021

The City of London brought in new parking charges to both Riddlesdown and Farthing Downs car parks from Monday 25 January 2021. A number of residents contacted us and Ward Cllrs about this and particular about the concern of further on street parking to nearby roads, particularly close to Riddlesdown Open Space.

We have taken some information below from the C of L website. There are also some ‘frequently asked […]

Because there are no ‘Traffic Wardens’ patrolling the ‘Common’ car park, residents and users might think that by parking there for a few minutes, that they will ‘get away’ without paying.

We have been advised by a number of users that they have received a ‘Park Charge Notice’ from District Enforcement. Users, by parking there in excess of 10 minutes (drivers only have 10 minutes grace to make a payment – there is no notification about this on site!) and not paying will receive a Park Charge […]

As we posted on 21 June (below) and after about 10 years of perseverance by the RRA and Cllrs, we have been advised by the Council that the flood alleviation works for Riddlesdown will be starting on Monday 26 July and run until 31 August (now 14 September). There will traffic disruption during this period with temporary traffic lights in place.

We quote from the Council: “The works will initially start on Mitchley Ave at the junction to Lower Barn Rd. The works will involve the […]

In view of the heavy rain over the last few days and flooding, we have recently been given a new start date for works by the Council to try and alleviate the surface water flooding issues in Riddlesdown.

This work is on Mitchley Avenue near St Edmund’s and also in Lower Barn Road by the railway bridge.

Phil Thomas from the RRA and Cllr Helen Redfern met with Steve Iles, the Council’s Director for Public Realm by video a few weeks ago, and […]

The RRA learnt with dismay and huge annoyance yesterday (15/11/20), that Croydon Council have now cancelled the 1st phase of the flood prevention works that should have commenced in September 2020 but have been delayed for various reasons for both the flooded hotspots of Mitchley Ave (by St Ed’s) and in Lower Barn Rd under the railway bridge.

The Council have been given the money to spend on various flooding schemes in the Borough by DEFRA but because of the Section 114 issued last week […]

Some residents recently contacted the RRA about tree work that the 19th Purley Scout Group were undertaking by the scout hut in Dunmail Drive. Following a recent visit by the Council’s Planning Tree Officer it was stated by the Council Officer that the Scout compound was outside of the TPO areas. However, the Council Officer has now written back to the Scout leaders on 26 October to say he made an error in his previous assessment of the plans and available maps and has discovered that the […]

Following heavy rain flooding has occurred at least three times in December (15th, 20th & 21st) as well as 26/27 November (see below), under the railway bridge in Lower Barn Rd. This has caused issues for rail commuters and also residents trying to access the shops. It was particularly bad on 21 December and lasted all morning and into the afternoon. The detour if residents and/or commuters don’t want to get wet feet, is about 1 mile.

The RRA have been in regular contact with […]

Following the heavy rain overnight and the early morning flooding under the railway bridge in Lower Barn Road which caused issues for some commuters, the RRA have contacted the Council about this.

We have commented to the Council that many of Riddlesdown’s streets have not been cleaned by Veolia for well in excess of 6 weeks (if not longer). There are leaves everywhere on footways, gutters and in the carriageways. Many gully grids are blocked and have been for some time (especially in Lower Barn […]

The extract below is taken from the City of London’s Newsletter July 2019

“We are thrilled to announce that the Coulsdon Commons have been declared part of a new National Nature Reserve; the South London Downs National Nature Reserve. National Nature Reserves are recognised for having nationally important habitats or species and bring greater levels of protection to conserve landscapes. The NNR will be the second biggest in London, joining Richmond Park and Ruislip Woods, and will bring together the 417 hectares of land […]

The RRA have been made aware of surveying currently being undertaken to the farmland in Rectory Park/Mitchley Hill. The RRA do not know what this is about. The surveyors when questioned by the resident as to the purpose of their visits, gave no indication as to what they were doing, or who they were working for, but that they are there to conduct a survey.

We know the land was up for sale by Wineham’s with any offers due in by end of September (see below), so […]

The RRA have received a number of enquiries from concerned residents that the farmland and some woodland in Riddlesdown has been put up for sale.

The land has been advertised with Savills and offers were due in by 29 September 2017. Much of the land is let to local farmer.  

This land is being sold by Wineham Investments, who bought much of this Green Belt land from Taylor Wimpey in 2009. Wineham’s in 2016, entered into an Option Agreement with Bovis Homes.

With an […]

As some residents may have noticed, the local farmer (Church Farm Services) who have taken on the tenancy of the fields in Mitchley Ave and Rectory Park/Mitchley Hill have started to plough the farmland in preparation for sowing, “for long term grass leys this autumn and to cut it for hay and haylage next summer” (see our post below of 20 May 2017).

A number of residents have contacted the RRA to say that Public Footpaths have been ploughed and are now uneven. This is particularly so, […]

Some residents may have noticed, that some works are taking place on the farmland opposite the shops in Mitchley Ave.

It has been established via the Council that this work is bona fide and the new tenant of the land intends taking a hay crop on a commercial basis. The tenant has been made aware by the Council, of all the Tree Preservation Orders on trees around the field.

We have subsequently found out via our Facebook page who the new tenant is. […]

The RRA have been contacted over the last few days by some residents concerned about GL Hearn (Property Consultants) who spoke at the Croydon Local Plan hearing on Tuesday morning (23/5/17), on behalf of Bovis Homes.

Bovis were asking the Planning Inspector that Croydon Council remove the Green Belt status on the farmland in Riddlesdown (Mitchley Ave, Rectory Park/Mitchley Hill).

The RRA have been attending a number of the hearing sessions but we were not made aware this subject would be discussed on […]

Berkshire Homes have sold the plot of land in Dunmail Drive (r/o 36 – 60 Honister Heights) and opposite Riddlesdown Collegiate gates, at a Barnard Marcus Auction on 10 April 2017 for £110,000. The land was purchased for £148,000 in June 2014.

The land is Green Belt and was also subject to a recent Planning Inspector’s decision to dismiss the appeal for the building of 4 detached houses in 2013 (see update 17/12/13 below).

Now covered by Tree Preservation Orders Made by Croydon Council 

The RRA have been advised by Croydon Council that most of the woodland in Dunmail Drive, Mitchley Ave and Honister Heights are now covered by blanket Tree Preservation Orders (TPO’s). The Council have made these new TPO’s following the felling of many trees on land opposite the Collegiate gates in Dunmail Drive in August 2011 and May 2012, and the two subsequent planning applications on this Green Belt land for housing, both of which were refused […]

The RRA are aware that all the land owned by Taylor Wimpey, which comprises the farmland off Mitchley Hill, farmland off Mitchley Avenue, Mitchley Wood, and woodlands off Dunmail Drive and woodland in Honister Heights, is all currently on the market for freehold sale, either as one or in separate lots.

This land is all Greenbelt land and subject to current planning laws and is not available for development.

Update 17.9.09: The RRA has learnt that all the land has been purchased […]