Croydon Advertiser Article

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South Norwood residents call on council to provide somewhere for their children to play

by Dave Burke dave.burke@essnmedia.co.uk

FUMING neighbours close to a plot of land in South Norwood have called on Croydon Council to pull its finger out and provide some open space for children to play on.

People living near Love Lane Green claim youngsters are missing out on somewhere to play because Town Hall chiefs are dragging their feet over issuing a compulsory purchase order (CPO).

They reckon that if the order is made, the site - whose future has been in doubt for several years - would become an asset to the community.

At the moment the green is fenced off, and numerous applications to build housing on it have been turned down.

A pressure group, the Love Lane Green Group, has now presented a petition with 600 signatures to the council calling for faster action.

Love Lane Green Group chairman John Clarke told the Advertiser: "If the will was there, the children would be playing on the green now instead of bouncing balls off cars.

"It's not as if a CPO is something really weird or unusual as far as the council is concerned.

"They should have plenty of experience of using CPOs."

Mr Clarke says his eight-year-old son Daniel would desperately like to use the green.

He added: "We try and get kids out exercising, but this does make it difficult."

His views are echoed by mum Jenny Rosbottom, who says her children, Connor, 11, Imogen, 8, and Elliot, 3, would love to have the green to play on.

She said: "I feel uncomfortable with them playing in the street.

"The government goes on about obesity and kids spending too much time playing computer games, so I don't know why this is taking so long."

Mum-of-three Danuta Plummer lets her children play on the streets but would rather have them using the bit of land.

She said: "Love Lane Green is an open space of land which could offer our children opportunities to safely play.

"Parents would be reassured that their children are meeting their friends, playing games and having fun in an appropriate, allocated environment, a safer option than playing on the streets."

A council spokeswoman said she appreciated the residents' desire for recreational open space in this part of the borough.

She added: "We are at present carefully considering all options regarding Love Lane Green, with an aspiration to bring it into public use.

"This includes the possible use of the council's compulsory purchase powers.

"In pursuing the matter, we are taking detailed advice from our professional advisors."