Seven-home development at 13 Harewood Road, South Croydon

What was proposed

The application sought seven homes: a three-storey block of flats, two detached houses, access, parking, refuse storage and landscaping.

“PLANNING COMMITTEE AGENDA 30 April 2026 PART 6: Planning Applications for Decision Item 6.2 1.0 SUMMARY OF APPLICATION DETAILS Ref: 25/04001/FUL Location: Harewood Road, South Croydon, CR2 7AT. Ward: South Croydon Description: Erection of a three-storey block of flats together with two detached two-storey houses; formation of accessway, provision of car and cycle parking, refuse storage and soft landscaping.”

“Number of car parking spaces Number of cycle parking spaces 8 on site car parking spaces 12 on site cycle parking spaces…”

Officer report

The site and surroundings

The vacant site on Harewood Road previously contained a demolished three-storey residential property and has poor public transport accessibility.

“The application site is located on the eastern side of Harewood Road. The site historically contained a three-storey detached large residential property, which has recently been demolished.”

“The site has the following site constraints: o The site has Public Transport Accessibility Level (PTAL) rating of 0 (poor). o South Croydon Railway station is approximately a 12 min walk from the site. The nearest bus stop is on Croham Road, approximately 8 min walk from the site. o The site is within Flood Zone 1 as defined by the Environment Agency. The site itself is modelled as being at very low risk of surface water flooding.”

Officer report

Objections and responses

Nine valid objections raised concerns including overdevelopment, character, privacy, water, stability and construction impacts; officers addressed these matters in their assessment.

“One further objection was received, but the claimed sender has stated that it was submitted fraudulently and not by them. It has therefore been considered not to be a valid objection. However, for completeness the points raised are addressed in the body of the report in any event.”

“Neighbouring properties stability, damage from construction. Dust/air pollution from construction. These matters are sufficiently addressed through other legislative controls, such as the Party Wall Act and the Noise Act. In addition, construction impacts will be mitigated as far as reasonably practicable through the imposition of appropriate planning conditions.”

Officer report

Who spoke

The principal planning officer presented the application, while a speaker objected and Councillor Denton addressed the committee as ward councillor.

Committee concerns

Members raised concerns about overdevelopment and the rear dwellings, the site layout and safety, including the lack of a clearly defined footpath.

“The motion to GRANT the application was taken to a vote and fell with five members voting in favour, five members voting against and no abstentions. The chair used his casting vote against the motion.”

“Councillor Neal proposed a motion to refuse the application on three grounds: (1) Overdevelopment of the site, including concerns regarding the positioning of the rear dwellings, arising from the size and layout of the building, in particular its L-shaped form; (2) Concerns relating to the internal layout of the site and associated safety issues, specifically the absence of a clearly defined footpath; and (3) The absence of a legal agreement to secure the planning…”

Minutes

How members voted

The approval motion failed after a tied vote, with the chair voting against; a tied refusal vote was carried by the chair’s casting vote.

“The motion to REFUSE the application was taken to a vote and carried with five members voting in favour and five members voting against and no members abstaining. The chair used his casting vote for the motion.”

Minutes

The decision

The committee refused the application for the proposed development at 13 Harewood Road.

“The Committee RESOLVED to REFUSE the application for 13 Harewood Road, South Croydon, CR2 7AT”

Minutes