Plans for sought after London development site revealed
31-08-2012
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Barratt will work with Croydon Council and the GLA on the master plan framework for Cane Hill and Coulsdon. A key objective will be to integrate the derelict site within the surrounding area and to strengthen links with Coulsdon town centre. The aim is to submit a planning application within the next year and secure planning by the middle of 2014.
The development proposals also include up to 70,000 square feet of commercial space including business, leisure and retail. The homes, half of which will be family housing, will comply with the Mayor of London’s Housing Design Guide, Code 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes and Lifetime Homes.
The site is the size of 100 football pitches and is of considerable historical interest. Cane Hill hospital opened in 1882 and closed around a hundred years later and at its peak the hospital accommodated 2,000 residents. The original site contains a locally listed former chapel and a water tower that will be renovated as part of the development.
‘We are delighted to have secured this outstanding opportunity to develop one of the best sites in the southeast of England. This is a great example of high quality public sector land being brought to the market and largely developed on the build now pay later principle,’ said Mark Clare, chief executive of Barratt Developments.
‘We are committed to engaging with all the partners and the local community to design and deliver an outstanding place to live and work. Our selection to deliver this project underlines our capability to deliver high quality homes working in partnership with the public sector,’ he added.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said it is a huge step forward in the development of much needed and quality housing on the site which has been derelict for a long time.
‘Supporting vital jobs in the construction industry, this project will also give a welcome boost to Coulsdon town centre. As we push on to deliver more affordable homes on public land, it is projects like Cane Hill which can help make neighbourhoods across the capital better places to live, work and invest in,’ he added.
It is good for the area, according to the leader of Croydon Council, Mike Fisher. ‘It provides an exciting opportunity for Coulsdon and the rest of the borough to benefit from the redevelopment of this substantial and strategically important site,’ he pointed out.
‘Although details have yet to go through the planning application stage, we look forward to working with our partners to craft an exciting and sustainable residential led scheme that will provide a much needed boost to Coulsdon town centre,’ he explained.
‘We have worked well with our partners and the local community to produce a draft Masterplan to guide this major project and we will complete this process over the coming months now that Barratt is on board,’ he added.
