Croydon Council will be carrying out long-awaited resurfacing work on Simone Drive on Wednesday 9th October. The road will be closed for the duration with extremely limited access.
The fact that this work is finally happening is partly due to the persistence of the WURA secretary in raising awareness of the poor state of the road surface with the council over the last few months.
Allfreys began work on schedule on Tuesday 24th and progressed well, with the road re-opened for Saturday.
They have found two old cast iron pipes near the surface which are broken, so although their purpose is unclear these could be the source of the unexplained water.
There is no evidence of a spring but the general pressure from ground water has tended to force water to the surface through fault lines in the road surface. These will be sealed in by the contractors.
Carriageway reconstruction is to take place between the Tuesday 24th and Saturday 28th of September 2019 between the speed ramp opposite 134 Welcomes Road and lamp post 24 on the verge on the first bend near 157 Welcomes Road. We hope that the road will be open again by the Saturday but please do not rely on it as it can not be guaranteed.
The contractor, J C Allfreys Co.Ltd., may need to carry out deep excavations to divert the flow of water from an underground spring which is causing subsidence to the road surface possibly resulting in the complete closure of this stretch of road.
The contractor will try to keep disruption to the minimum endeavouring if possible to allow the residents living directly opposite the works access to their property.
Through traffic MUST be prepared to use alternative routes to avoid this section of the road.
Please forewarn any visitors or deliveries that you are expecting between those dates. The contractor’s plant may be parked in Uplands Road near the Welcomes Road junction overnight.
We will issue further bulletins as the work progresses and will be writing to the residents directly affected about parking arrangements.
The Kenley Community Plan team presented an update session at the Kenley Memorial Hall on September 11th followed by another at the Old Lodge Lane Baptist Church on the 12th.
The main part of the presentation consisted of a set of boards showing a summary of their findings during the consultation throughout the Spring and Summer. This comprised an analysis of the answers to questions such as ‘what do you like about living in Kenley?’ and ‘how could Kenley be improved?’. Key areas of interest were identified, as follows:
The issues and areas of improvement for each are presented in the full slide pack, which can be viewed here (11MB PDF file).
These key areas have been used to identify potential projects for further investment. The data collated by the Community Plan consultation will be used to support applications for funds from the Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund. Such applications will be in a pool from councils all across London, so they are by no means a definite, but Croydon are hopeful that the involvement of the local community during the consultation period will put those applications in a good position. Potential projects identified so far are:
Each of these can be viewed in more detail in the GGF slide pack, viewable here (15Mb PDF file).
The team will be completing a final detailed analysis of all the feedback to be included in the draft Kenley Community Plan. This draft will be published for public comment later in October and a final Plan will be published in early 2020. The Kenley Community Plan page on Croydon Council’s website will be updated regularly so you can keep in touch with progress.
You still have the opportunity to get back to the team by contacting them on their email address kenleycommunity@croydoncouncil.gov.uk to provide feedback on areas which have not been considered or even if you spot factual errors on the current material.
Allfreys completed the resurfacing work between 43 and 56 Welcomes Road on 8th August.
The newly done surface has stood up well to the subsequent heavy rain.
A further stretch was done on 21st August, extending the newly surfaced are from around no. 41 to nearly the junction with Zigzag Road.
REPLICA SPITFIRE – BAR – MODEL FLYING AIRCRAFT – HOT FOOD
ICE CREAMS – FAMILY GAMES – LIVE MUSIC
After a gap of three years the Kenley Airfield Friends Group is back on the Portcullis field for 2019’s Heritage Day on Sunday September 8th – noon until 4pm.
Experience what it was like to be a fighter pilot by sitting in the cockpit of a replica Spitfire. Up in the air the Caterham and District Model Aircraft Flying Club will be demonstrating their flying skills with displays of remote controlled aircraft throughout the afternoon.
There’s plenty to keep the whole family entertained with live music, hot food, trade and craft stands, guided history walks, traditional amusements, Pimms tent and a dog show.
RAFA will be selling tea and home-made cakes and the bar in the Portcullis Club will be open to everyone. The club is well worth a visit as it is home to the Kenley and Caterham branch of RAFA and is full of memorabilia and interesting artefacts to do with flying and being part of the RAF.
Kenley Airfield Friends’ Group will be welcoming new members in their tent, and existing members can renew their membership. Enter their raffle herewith the first prize being a trip in a glider generously donated by Surrey Hills Gliding Club who are based on the airfield.
For more information email info@kafg.org.uk or go to www.kafg.org.uk
The next and last update on the Kenley Community Plan will be held at the Kenley Memorial Hall on September 11th at 3:00pm until 7:00pm.
A meeting was held on 30th July by the Council team with an update on the initial results of the transport survey. This survey was carried out by WSP, commissioned by the Council to assess transport and highways infrastructure in the Kenley area. The work included a baseline survey of parking demand, pedestrian movements and traffic flows to assess the capacity of highway and transport networks to accommodate growth and understand what additional infrastructure and interventions will be required.
Although significant work still needs to be done, including modelling the impact of cumulative development, there are some early suggestions on the ways road layouts and markings could be improved and the roads made safer for pedestrians.
The online survey and map can be found at https://kenleycommunitymap.commonplace.is/ although submissions are now closed.
For contact details and to find out more please visit: www.croydon.gov.uk/kenleycommunity
The new WURA newsletter was delivered to residents this weekend. Look out for your copy!
Over the last few days (July 6th to 11th) there has been an upsurge in criminal activity in the WURA zone. This includes breaking into cars and breaking and entering a house with an alarm system by smashing a window. Do not leave valuables in your car, lock it and make sure that if you are out, that your house windows and doors are secure and your alarm system armed. These crimes took place between midnight and roughly 4am and included a fly-tip in Uplands Road.
