Developments on developments
Well, as you may have heard, Croydon Council have come up with a cunning plan to build houses on our existing community centre site, and relocate the Centre to a new facility in the town centre (on the site of the old Smitham Junior School, sometimes called the CALAT site). Now there may be certain advantages to this proposal, including new, improved facilities and more space. Or there may not. We’re engaging with the council, their development company and the architects, to consider all the options, and to make sure that any scheme that does go forward (and there’s no guarantee it will) meets the needs of all our many user groups and the wider community.
If – and it’s a big if – we feel we can reach an accommodation on a scheme and a deal which we feel able to recommend to our users, then we’ll make sure everybody knows about it and is happy with it.
If we can’t, then we will vigorously defend our right to stay exactly where we are, and to continue operating very successfully as we have been for many years. We’ll keep you posted.
Please be aware that even if an agreement can be reached, it’s likely to be around two years before any new, improved community centre would be built, up and running. During which time we would, of course, continue operating from our current site. Watch this space for more news. Or contact us at the Centre if you have any particular issues or concerns about this that you would like to discuss. Thank you.