By Community Correspondent, Owen Tonks

Purley traders are upset at a recent campaign which is likely to bring free parking to Coulsdon town centre.

A petition of more than 1000 letters and emails has been submitted to Croydon Council’s Traffic Management Committee requesting free short-stay parking in the centre of Coulsdon for shoppers.

This has angered Purley traders who feel that they would benefit more. Ferrin Alie of florist Louise of Purley recently told the Purley News: “It’s killing me for sure. It’s touch and go whether I’ll be able to survive. We see some people driving around twice and if they can’t get somewhere to park they just drive off.”

The scheme in Coulsdon would allow visitors to park in the Brighton Road, free of charge, for up to an hour and for up to 30 minutes elsewhere in the town. There is no such scheme under consideration for Purley.

Christine Beverley, a resident of Purley, said: “Since the early 90s when Tesco opened, Purley has changed so much. So many businesses have closed because of the competition from Tesco and the lack of parking. If Croydon Council wants to improve Purley, they will have to improve parking to encourage people to use the smaller businesses so that shops can stay open.”

The opinion of traders and the public is that the council is doing nothing to help Purley and that the decision to introduce the parking scheme in Coulsdon is therefore unfair.