Minutes 2nd May 2006

Minutes of Meeting on 2nd May 2006

CRYSTAL PALACE & NORWOOD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
HELD AT 1ST FLOOR, LORENZO'S RESTAURANT, WESTOW HILL

1. Present
Honorary Chairman - Mervyn Hing - Silk Route Dry Cleaners
Honorary Secretary - Andrew Parfitt - resident
Peter Austin - The Norwood Society
Banny Baksh - director
Kevin Carleton-Reeves - transport consultant
John Ellner - Joanna's
Geoffrey Gibbs - Gibsons
John Greatrex - Great Exhibitions Ltd.
Sue Nagle - Triangle Traders
Sharon Parry-Baldwin - Town Centre Manager
John Payne - Crystal Palace Community Association (CPCA)

2. Apologies
Dr Nigel Harris - The Railway Consultancy Ltd.
Kennex Kanagarajnam - Pizza Express
Dr Amit Patel - South Norwood Chiropractic Centre

3. Minutes of Previous Meeting

The minutes of the 4 April meeting were seconded by John Ellner and formally adopted.

It was agreed that Mervyn Hing will circulate the minutes of future meetings as soon as they are compiled.

4. Matters Arising

none

5. Church Road: Residential Properties and Proposed Improvements

At the invitation of Mervyn, Banny Baksh presented his proposals for improvement to the properties at Nos. 77-89 Church Road. He envisaged restoring the original features of the seven commercial premises to the left of Alma Place and creating six new one-bed flats for rent above the buildings, thereby unifying the roofline. He had already spoken to Bromley and would welcome the views of the Chamber before formally submitting his plans to them.

John Payne and Peter Austin made clear that any views which they expressed on this item were in a personal capacity, and did not necessarily represent the views of the CPCA or The Norwood Society.

Other members present welcomed the proposals in principle. They were concerned, however, that the design and prospective tenants of the flats needed to be in keeping with the nature of the Conservation Area. One suggestion was that adding "Juliet balconies" to the flats would help increase their rental value. Mervyn thanked Banny for haven taken the time to come to the meeting, and encouraged him to have follow-up discussions with appropriate members.

6. One-Way System: Survey

Mervyn apologised for the survey being incomplete, owing to factors beyond his control, but said that he intended to complete it this week. The survey would then be sent to Croydon councillors and/or the local press.

7. Morrison's site: New Supermarket

Sharon Parry-Baldwin said that Sainsbury's press agent had provided a paper copy of a news release dated 24 April which confirmed that they had bought the former Morrison's site on a 25-year lease. Further news would follow in the next couple of weeks or so, and Sainsbury's would need to apply for planning permission, licensing and so on.

Geoffrey Gibbs said that it was important that the availability of parking was well signed. He added that contract parking on the upper levels of the indoor car park would be useful for the staff and customers of local businesses. Sharon noted that the outside parking area would remain available for the public and said that she would be discussing a "pay-and-stay" scheme for part of the indoor area with Sainsbury's.

Mervyn said that there was an indication of an end-July opening date for the new supermarket, but that this was not yet definite.

Geoffrey suggested that Sainsbury's should be invited to speak to the Chamber of Commerce about their plans and to attend future meetings. Sharon agreed - she was talking to the company, who will contact local groups once they have appointed a manager for the Upper Norwood store.



8. Any Other Business

Parking

There was concern that parking remained inadequate in the Triangle. The increase in the day-time parking limit from 30 minutes to 1 hour, due to take effect in mid-May, was of little benefit to restaurants, which were a major contributor to the area through their bringing in customers for local shops. John Ellner added that businesses should avoid excessive use of parking bays for their own vehicles - so as to free up space for customers to park. Sue Nagle said that the Chamber should still lobby for parking at the Triangle Gate.

Future direction of the Chamber

John Ellner emphasised the importance of the Chamber keeping its focus on the commercial interests of its members. It was a business organisation and should not be unduly swayed by other influences. In particular, he was concerned that there had been a lost opportunity for positive development at the Triangle Gate.

Geoffrey agreed. He noted that the area had great untapped potential, and was set to change with the arrival of the East London Line. Whether or not that potential was realised for local businesses relied upon factors such as the Chamber speaking effectively for commercial interests. For instance there was an urgent need for adequate car parking. Sharon stressed the need for a collective business voice in the Triangle. She noted that if a majority of businesses supported the initiative, the area could apply to become a Business Improvement District.

The meeting ended at 8.30 p.m.

Date of next meeting: Tuesday 6th June at 6.45 for 7 p.m., Lorenzo's Restaurant