A housing company launched by Croydon Council has put in planning permission to turn a former Thornton Heath care home in to flats.

The proposals before planners which are recommended for approval is to demolish Cheriton House at 20 Chipstead Avenue and provide 27 affordable homes.

In June 2016, Croydon Council’s Cabinet approved the transfer of sites to be disposed to Brick by Brick and Cheriton House was included.

In an unusual arrangement, Brick by Brick, a private independent development company, with just one sole shareholder – was set up to build new homes on under-utilised publicly owned land.  Development profits will be returned to the council as shareholder and recycled to fund council activities.

Brick by Brick, was conceived to stem the homelessness crisis with plans to build up to 1,000 new homes by 2019.

Cheriton House was built in 1973, as a care home for the elderly but has been empty for seven years and the proposal is to replace it with a four storey building comprising of 20 one bedroom and 4 two bedroom flats.

Three of these will be wheelchair adaptable and the ground floor flats will have generous gardens and balconies, says the application. A second three storey block will provide three further one bedroom apartments with the complex overall occupied by 58 adults and children.

Newman Francis, community engagement specialists, were employed to consult will local people aboutthe plans and received comments including: “Thornton Heath is already overcrowded…. 27 houses is too many in such a narrow road.”

Parking was also a ‘huge concern’ as the scheme provides just six spaces three of which are for disabled use.

The proposed development could generate a potential demand for 22 parking spaces, it says in the planning documents. In response Pitman Tozer Architects, … say they: “have understood the parking pressure the development will have on the area and will be encouraging future residents to cycle rather than drive.”