Some residents closest to the development site are concerned that the application may have an effect on parking. Their concern is that a number of new residents will compete with existing residents to use the limited number of resident only parking bays near to the development and that spaces outside of restricted hours on single yellow lines will also be fought over.
The residential tower will provide 427 new homes. In the basement of the tower, spread over three floors, 173 parking bays will be provided exclusively for the use of residents. This meets the guidelines set by Croydon Council and far exceeds the expectations of Transport for London. Each apartment in the residential tower will also have its own incorporated cycle storage bay, as well as a further 636 cycle bays in the basement and 50 cycle stands on ground floor for the use of visitors. As an imaginative innovation, a Car Club Scheme will be introduced for those who require the occasional use of a vehicle but who ordinarily do not own or have the need to park a private car. The Car Scheme could also grow and develop if the residents of Addiscombe supported its use.
Transport for London would prefer to see no parking facilities provided at all. Transport for London recognises that the development site is a key transport hub and would encourage residents to rely more heavily on using public transport rather than owning a private car. The residential tower will be located directly on the mainline railway station at East Croydon and within short walking distance of both the bus hub and the tram interchange. In choosing to live in the residential tower it is easy to suppose that many of the new residents will make their choice to live there based on transport links with where they work, that is to say they may commute to London or work locally within Croydon town centre or other employment centres such as Redhill, Crawley, Gatwick and Brighton. It may well be the case that the expectation that every new resident will have a private car is not entirely realistic.
The developers, Menta, also wish to safeguard the right of existing Addiscombe residents to effectually use their parking permits and are prepared to stipulate as a condition on the new residents’ leaseholds that they will not be able to apply to Croydon Council for residential parking permits. This will be a legal clause in their leasehold prohibiting them from applying for a parking permit from Croydon Council which, in the event that this clause is breached, would jeopardise their investment in their new home. This scheme has been used recently in the newly completed Strata Tower in Elephant and Castle where it has proved effective in preventing new residents from using parking bays reserved for existing residents.
Existing residents should feel confident that Menta will actively protect their right to easily park near to where they live.
Residents For Regeneration 