A 13-storey tower in Croydon could be demolished to make way for nearly 400 homes, but councillors were torn when the plan was discussed.

On Thursday, November 7, Croydon Council’s Planning Committee met to discuss a pre-application submitted to redevelop the Regina Road estate.

Sarah Chisholm, Head of Quantity Surveying and Project Management, Neill Campbell, a partner of Architecture BPTW, and Hanna Williamson, an associate for Farrer Huxley presented their plans to the Planning Committee to demolish the 13-storey tower on Regina Road and replace them with 300 homes in six blocks and a community space.

Sarah Chisholm said: “The need to redevelop this site was due to the poor condition of the existing blocks on the site and the fact those two tower blocks of 1960s construction have reached the end of their lifetime.”

The applicants noted that 118 residents of Regina Road were happy with the redevelopment while 16 were unhappy.

This meant 88.1 per cent of all Regina Road residents supported the application compared to the 11.9 per cent who didn’t.

There have been concerns that many of the features of Regina Road would be lost, such as the trees and roads connecting the other dwellings, but the applicants assured everyone that this would be “retained”.

The application stated: “Existing trees will be celebrated with additional street tree plantings to create a green street, linking local amenities along Regina Road to a landscape-led masterplan.”

The plan in the first phase is to deliver 178 one-bedroom homes, 74 two-bedroom homes, and 73 three-bedroom homes before the second phase delivers the intended 380 in total.

The applicants are also committed to “bring back the villa feel”.

Neill Campbell said: “The existing homes at Regina Road are no longer fit for purpose and are not wheelchair friendly.

“We are providing a mix of housing that meets the needs of existing residents with one-to-four-bedroom homes.

“We are also proposing a community use so we can start to explore a community space this is under design development and we want to make sure it is flexible and easy to use and can take advantage of the community open space.”

The applicants were optimistic that the plans would bring many benefits to Croydon, but some councillors weren’t so convinced.

Cllr Sean Fitzsimons said: “I have a lot of sympathy for the proposal of the six sites.

“My experience when we are trying to create communities with existing residents and other people buying into it and having everyone in separated tower blocks for shared owners and private owners create a sort of ‘us and them’ experience.”

He added: “With tower blocks, you lose the opportunity to have homes on the ground floor.

"I am particularly keen to understand how you will be able to create wheelchair-accessible homes and family homes through the courtyard approach.”

Cllr Ian Parker acknowledged the residents’ almost unanimous wish to demolish the building, but said he has “a number of concerns about the design”.

He called the proposal “unimaginative” and “characterless” and “bland”.

Cllr Parker said: “I am sure there are ways that those blocks can be broken.

“Can we see a variation in the colour of the blocks?

“There are too many red bricks.

“The monotony needs relieving somehow.

“I am sure you will give these ideas some thought.”

Cllr Parker also pointed out that the previous residents struggled with issues of mould and asked the applicants how they would prevent this.

There were also concerns over how the building could prevent the ongoing crime issues in Croydon.

He asked: “Will a resident on a cold November night feel safe with the lighting that will be provided?

“There’s huge potential here and I think certain steps can be taken to make it better.”

Cllr Helen Redfern also pointed out that a specific area on the site is used by “boys and young men” and how a vulnerable woman would feel safe if she was walking there late at night.

Chairman Cllr Michael Neal acknowledged that the development is still in the early stages and knew that these details will be discussed in future meetings.

Cllr Humayun Kabir asked what kind of community spaces will be provided by the developers.

Sarah Chisholm answered: “At this stage, we are providing a community space that will be a modest room environment which is a flexible space within the facilities.

“The intention of that is to be used by the local community and introduce that integration.”

She added that the details on how people will access the space will come along later as “we continue to have the design develop”.

Cllr Clive Fraser, however, was pretty happy with the proposal, saying “I do think it is a good design.”

Chairman Neel thanked the applicants for their presentation and confirmed that the pre-application would be discussed in further meetings.

Councillors will now consider whether to receive the pre-application officially.

If they do, a second council meeting, expected to be held in the New Year, will be held, where members of the public will be able to express their support or objections to this proposal.

If approved, the public will be able to view the planning application on the Croydon Council website in its entirety.