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Are you interested in becoming a Street Champion?

We are sure many of you agree that some parts of our area are badly littered, but this has slightly improved recently, with all the litter clean ups. Most of this litter is on private land. But not all. Some is on the highway. The Council have now cut back on street cleaning to most streets in the Riddlesdown area, to every 6 weeks, rather than every 4 weeks. However, the group of streets south of Mitchley Ave, close to the Collegiate are still on 4 weekly clean, i.e. Honister, Ingleboro, Derwent, Grisedale, Buttermere, Eskdale and Dalegarth. However this 4 weekly cleaning doesn’t include the main thoroughfares of Mitchley Ave, Rectory Park or Mitchley Hill!

Tracey Bellamy at Croydon Council, is the Clean and Green Champion Co-ordinator and the RRA are now working closely with her to try and improve our environment. These Green Champions are a network of people who have volunteered to improve the environment in their local area. Champions are local people who work alongside Croydon Council and its partners to encourage residents and businesses to recycle more, manage their waste responsibly and reduce instances of environmental crime.

Tracey has already made contact with Riddlesdown Collegiate and her aim is to work with the school to encourage the pupils to take pride in the beautiful environment that their school sits within. We believe quite a proportion of the litter in this area originates from the 2,000 school children who visit the area, but they are not the only ones who litter! Visitors to the shops in Mitchley Ave and Lower Barn Rd, together with commuters to the Station, as well as some of our own residents don’t help! Some of the litter is also wind blown from the recycling boxes!

The RRA would like to know whether any residents and/or groups are interested in becoming Champions to help keep our streets and green spaces locally, clean and tidy.

As well as maybe litter picking some streets (which we know some residents already undertake) we are in particular concerned about the following Green Belt areas which seem to be badly littered:

This is the link for further information on this scheme to the Council’s website and we would like to know the amount of interest in this, and whether residents would like to become “street champions.”

For anyone who is interested in becoming a Champion, perhaps you can leave Email us and we will respond in due course. Please also let any friends or family who live in Riddlesdown know, who you think may be interested.

Overhanging hedges, shrubs and trees

We would like to remind residents that the RRA do receive a number of complaints/comments, about some households within the area, who allow vegetation, like trees, shrubs, bushes, hedges, and roses from their gardens to overhang the pavement. This vegetation can in particular, cause inconvenience for people with buggies, in wheelchairs, the disabled and more importantly the visually impaired, who could walk directly into the vegetation and injure themselves. All property occupiers are legally responsible for ensuring this does not happen and could possibly have damages awarded against them by a court for any injury caused.

The Council also have the power under Section 152(1) and Section 154(1) of the Highways Act 1980 to serve a notice on the household and, if necessary, undertake the work themselves by removing the danger and charging the owner accordingly. They usually write a letter first asking for the occupiers co-operation and give 14 days before serving a statutory notice. So please check whether any of your vegetation is overhanging the pavement and, if so, please arrange to cut it back to level with your boundary or to the back of the public highway.

If you want to report an overhang to a particular property to Croydon Council, it can be done on the Council’s website by going to this Highway ‘Report it’ section. Or alternatively telephone the Council on 020 8726 6200 and ask for the Area Enforcement Officer for South Area. Or perhaps if you know the person concerned, have a word with them and point it out to them.

Bushes and Shrubs on Grass Verges

There are also in our area a number of shrubs and bushes which are set on the grass verges which are on the public highway. These grass verges and shrubs/bushes are the responsibility of Croydon Council to maintain.

Some residents advise us these shrubs are now getting tall and do obstruct their sight lines when exiting their driveways. Some of the streets particularly affected by this, are Lower Barn Rd, Borrowdale Gardens, Ingleboro Dive, Derwent Drive, Grisedale Gardens, Eskdale Gardens, Holmwood Ave, Tandridge Gardens and Buttermere Gardens.

If any resident is experiencing problems with sight line obstructions because of these shrubs and bushes then the RRA would suggest for residents to contact Paul Rest in the Development and Environment Department at Croydon Council direct e-mail address; main telephone number; 020 8726 6000, to ask that they be reduced in height.

Bonfires wood burning equipment

(Updated 13/8/20)

The RRA receives many complaints from residents about bonfires and wood burning equipment, which seem to be happening more recently over the last few years! The smoke especially in the valleys of Riddlesdown can spread for many hundreds of metres from the source of the bonfire and wood burning equipment.

The RRA would like to remind our residents about their responsibilities. The following advice is taken from Croydon Council’s website.

Smoke control areas

Under the Clean Air Act 1993, Croydon declared the majority of the borough as a smoke control area. To find out if you are in a smoke control area please contact the Pollution Team using the contact details below.

If you live in a smoke control area you must comply with the following:

  • It is an offence to emit smoke from a domestic chimney.
  • It is an offence for any person or company to obtain or deliver unauthorised fuels to a building, unless an exempt appliance is in use. Ordinary wood and bituminous coal are not authorised fuels.
  • Smoke control areas only restrict smoke from domestic chimneys and do not cover garden bonfires or bonfires on building and construction sites. For further information on bonfires see ‘Are bonfires necessary‘.

For more information on the location of smoke control areas, approved fuels and a list of exempt appliance, see UK Smoke control areas or download the ‘Using wood and coal for home heating’

Are bonfires necessary?

Bonfire smoke can have damaging health effects and although serious harm is unlikely if exposure is brief, it can cause significant problems for people with asthma, bronchitis, and heart conditions.

Bonfires generate around 30,000 nuisance complaints to local authorities each year. As well as causing health problems, smoke prevents neighbours from enjoying their gardens, opening windows or hanging out washing.

Please note: you should never burn household or commercial waste on a bonfire, only garden waste. However, we encourage more environmentally friendly ways of disposing of your garden waste. For more information see Garden waste collection.”

Lighting bonfires

If you have a garden bonfire please observe the following:

  • burn garden waste only
  • site the bonfire in a remote area of the garden where the smoke will not blow onto neighbouring properties – consider the direction the wind is blowing
  • douse the fire with water once the material has been burnt to avoid smouldering and fire risk
  • never leave a bonfire unattended
  • be considerate to your neighbours.

Fines for unlawful bonfires

The council can issue legal notices to people having nuisance bonfires. Offenders can be prosecuted and fined up to £5,000 for residential properties and £20,000 for businesses.

We have a very good Recycling and Reuse Centre available close to us at Purley Oaks, so please consider using that facility first before lighting a bonfire. An annual green waste collection is also made by the Council.

Further information is on this link to Croydon Council Website.

The telephone number for the Council’s Pollution team is 020 8760 5483 and e-mail;  pollution@croydon.gov.uk.

  • RRA Litter Pick April 2025

    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 […]

    Published On: 6 April, 2025Categories: Environment, General, News

  • RRA Litter Pick Nov 2024

    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 […]

    Published On: 26 November, 2024Categories: Environment, General, News

  • Land r/o 36 to 60 Honister Hts and opposite the Collegiate Gates in Dunmail Drive

    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 […]

    Published On: 25 October, 2024Categories: Riddlesdown and its common

  • RRA Litter Pick May 2023

    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 […]

    Published On: 6 May, 2023Categories: Environment, General

  • RRA Litter Pick March 2023

    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 […]

    Published On: 21 March, 2023Categories: Environment, General

  • Riddlesdown’s Flood Alleviation Works

    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 […]

    Published On: 27 August, 2021Categories: Flooding

  • Flood Prevention Works in Riddlesdown to go Ahead

    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 […]

    Published On: 21 June, 2021Categories: Flooding

  • Flood Prevention Works in Riddlesdown are Cancelled

    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 […]

    Published On: 16 November, 2020Categories: Flooding

  • Mitchley Wood and Dunmail Drive (White Path)

    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 […]

    Published On: 29 October, 2020Categories: Riddlesdown and its common

  • Flooding in Lower Barn Road

    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 […]

    Published On: 7 January, 2020Categories: Flooding

  • Flooding in Lower Barn Road

    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 […]

    Published On: 27 November, 2019Categories: Flooding

  • Green Belt Farm and Woodland in Riddlesdown

    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 […]

    Published On: 21 November, 2017Categories: Riddlesdown and its common

  • Farm and Woodland For Sale

    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 […]

    Published On: 27 October, 2017Categories: Riddlesdown and its common

  • Public Footpaths across the farm fields in Mitchley Avenue

    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, […]

    Published On: 4 August, 2017Categories: Riddlesdown and its common

  • Farmland in Mitchley Ave & Rectory Park

    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. […]

    Published On: 20 May, 2017Categories: Riddlesdown and its common

  • Farmland in Mitchley Ave & Rectory Park

    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 […]

    Published On: 5 May, 2017Categories: Riddlesdown and its common

  • Land in Dunmail Drive (rear of houses in Honister Heights) sold at auction

    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).

    Published On: 11 April, 2017Categories: Riddlesdown and its common

  • Woodland in Honister Heights, Dunmail Drive, Mitchley Wood & Mitchley Avenue

    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 […]

    Published On: 19 January, 2014Categories: Riddlesdown and its common

  • Taylor Wimpey Put Up Farmland and Woodland for Sale

    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 […]

    Published On: 4 September, 2009Categories: Riddlesdown and its common

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