Businessman's call to Croydon Council for lifeline to save Broad Green

Fabion Emmanuel, 45, is imploring the council to step in and use radical legislation to acquire dormant buildings for the benefit of local businesses.

Mr Emmanuel said: “My main concern is the livelihood of local business owners who have seen their businesses almost choked to death by parking restrictions.

“While their businesses are slowly dying two buildings have been lying empty for years, one of which could hold 20 or more cars for the shoppers who come here from all over London.”

Businesses in the local area have said they have been suffering for the past two years with both the parking restrictions placed on the road as well as increasing business rates.

Ananadaver Surendran, 36, is the owner of EV Entertainment in London Road. His business looks out onto the derelict, burnt out shell of the former Half Moon Pub site.

Mr Surendran said: “Day by day business is going down. We have customers that come from all over the south of England who just don’t come here any more because of the parking. The meters are expensive and the passing trade doesn’t stop because of the CCTV camera they installed. It was first meant to be there to detect crime but all it does is catch people parking illegally.”

Kamba Jeyakumar, owner of Best Foods, also on London Road, said: “After 6pm it becomes a ghost town around here.

“There have been so many incidents down here than people are just scared to shop here after dark. The area needs more security and parking for the people who do come down here.”

A Croydon Council spokesman said: “A decision on two applications has yet to be made. The schemes propose shop and community uses on the ground floor, with flats on the upper floors.

“One of the applications has gone to appeal, with a decision expected from the Planning Inspectorate in the autumn; the other is still being considered.”

Are you scared to walk around Broad Green? Let us know what you think of the London Road area below