A major investor may pull out of Croydon if the planning committee rejects its £500million development deal next week.

Planning officers have recommended the committee reject Menta’s Cherry Orchard Road development.

Craig Marks from Menta previously warned major developers may leave the borough if the council rules against big planning applications.

He was speaking in January after strong local opposition threatened Menta’s ambitious skyscraper scheme.

Now, council planners have raised doubts about the development because of the height of the skyscrapers and questions over the provision of affordable housing.

Questions were also raised about the level of public transport during and after the development.

Mr Marks said: “Given the lengthy pre-application and consultation process, and what we understood to be an agreement that the application would not be determined until the East Croydon Masterplan initiative, of which we are a part, has been completed, we are surprised and disappointed that the Council has tabled our application for consideration at this meeting and furthermore has seen fit to present it to the committee with a recommendation for refusal, despite the positive endorsement of the GLA.

“The GLAs view was that ‘The principle (of the scheme)...... is acceptable in strategic planning policy terms. The scheme achieves a high quality architectural design that will aid Croydon Council's ambitions to regenerate this area of Croydon.’ “We now need to give very careful consideration to the reasons given by the council for its failure to support the application at this late stage, before we determine how to take things forward.”

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