HADRA Newsletter - Spring 2021

HADRA NEWSLETTER SPRING 2021

Hartley & District Residents’ Association

Protecting and Advancing the Common Interests of the Area

Newsletter of the

Protecting

www.hadra.org

Hartley and

and Advan District Residents’ cing the Common Association Interests of the

Autumn 2005

TRAFFIC ACCI IN HART DENT DANGER LEY DOWN

HADRA IS 50!

Area

The numbe the risk of r of cars parking on who uses a serious accident. both sides of the the safer parkin road. HADRA hasIt is a problem for road at the bottom the immed of g. When raised this get their iate reside Hartley Down is situation views. Once the proposed plan increasing nts, the emerg adopted is receive with the Council and there ency a few years again, Hartley and they d we shall Down’s Council to have agreed services and anyonis ago. Reside be e nts’ Assoc traffic gives rise consulting with to prepar will be car plan more parkin the reside e iations and for g spaces parks for nts most a plan for other local concern following near our commuters affected stations. the road-c organisation living elsewh In the meant NUISANCE alming schemto s ere. ime we shall will have to keep PHONE CALL e have to accept pressing the S (COLD CALL that our roads EGM 7 TH S) Are you getting Dec. 2005 a lot of compa to get you To be held 7:30pm SAFER NIGH nies trying to at 52 Hartley gas or electric change your supplie To vote on T TRAVEL an increa Hill r of ity or a INITIATIVE supplier? se in subscription Croydon has If the answer new telephone fees been picked not alone. is yes, new you are Even if you transpo to pilot they still make travellinrt marshal initiativ a COUL seem to get are ex-directory, g in and around e to there is The by-pas SDON BY-PASS Borough something your number, but the safer s seems you can unwanted to be progres ing well in July, Croydo at night. Launch do telephone ed n has sales calls. about by June and is due to be comple sContact the London's Telephone first marsha set up one of next year. ted vice (TPS). up points Preference lled Although What is TPS? to help membe taxi pickSerHochtief opt out registe public get do not know It is a central plan to have home quickly rs of the of a an openin register their r whereby individu The pick-up and safely. the Coulsd g ceremo als can ny, on Reside town centre point is located in ited sales wish not to receive nts` Associ unsolic- tions think it the and market outside the abrary in Kather would be calls. It is main Liappropriate a legal require ing telephone have one. ine street ates Some to panies do and ment that from 10 p.m. opernot com- been put forward suggestions have to 4 a.m. day and Saturd bers registe make such calls on Fri, such as to num- down the red on the out the summe ay nights, through a walk road legislation TPS. The was introdu original do so, accom by those who wish r, with the eventually It has subseq hope of it ced to panied by becoming uently been in May 1999. procession a band, or feature. now the of a Situated in a permanent updated and relevant official openin vintage cars, or and monito a well legislation Privacy and an red by CCTV lit area g by a is in pervised and suRegulations Electronic (EC Directivthe other useful sugges celebrity. Any by 2003. Who shals, the high visibility taxi tions would e) appreciated.

The term martaxi stop can registe be individu vides a safe not only at their residen al includes consum r? profor the publiclate-night environment ers and, except tial address, sole traders should boost and taxi drivers in Scotlan Lawyer requi How long but the Counci to stamp will it take d, partnerships. l’s efforts red by out tive? Once to becom shals provide taxi touts. The e HADRA marIf you are tered it will a number has been effechelp for the access local become effectiv registhe HADRAa solicitor living Is there any taxis and public to e in 28 and offer in mini-cabs willing to area and would be No, it’s free charge for registe days. home safely.advice about getting offer advice ring? to registe Association, r on the TPS. You can registe to A new compa we should the come you ct travel via the Interne r via post, Teleph welinformation leaflet with one or with us. getting in touch about The Teleph t. Contact: getting safely is availab one Prefere rarely needs The association le in clubs, home DMA House nce Service restaurants legal advice pubs, it would and other 70 Margar , but be It night contain good et Street spots. s informa to know we could London W1W that tion about buses that call on night when require run from 8SS someone Telephone: tre and the the town d. Contac cen0845 Chairman Internet: www.tp 070 0707 through the times of trains that on 020 8660 t the run 1185 sonline.org.uk Also a map night from Croydo n. that indicate bus stops s where are located If residents telephone and useful numbers. need to

contact the asso E-mail. Our ciation address is hadra@bl they can now do so via ueyonder .co.uk

Hartley & District Residents’ Association was founded in 1970. It originally covered 17 roads and about 1,000 homes, but over the years development and boundary changes have boosted these numbers to 28 and 1,200 respectively, although some of the roads in the Reedham area have their own residents’ association. Our main objective, in accordance with our Constitution, is “to advance and protect the common interests of the residents and to improve the amenities of the district”.

HADRA acts as a kind of ’watchdog’ but relies on all residents to report changes and developments which could adversely affect the area in some way. The organisation is recognised by the Council and our local Councillors become involved when necessary and often attend monthly Committee meetings.

HADRA is funded by subscriptions of just £3 per household, per annum and occasional advertising revenue from local businesses.

TO PAY YOUR SUBSCRIPTION The easiest way to pay your subscription is to set up an annual standing order. We have recently moved our bank account so please note the new details: Account name: HADRA, Sort Code: 23 05 80 (Metro Bank), Account number: 41022558. Please quote your postcode and flat/house number in the reference. You can of course use the same details to make a one-off payment. Alternatively, cash and cheques made payable to HADRA can be delivered to 52 Hartley Hill; please remember to include your name and address. If you have any queries about your subscription, please email treasurer@hadra.org. We are also very grateful for any donations.

LAUNCH OF NEW WEBSITE The HADRA Committee is delighted to announce the launch of our brand-new website, which can now be viewed at www.HADRA.org. Please take a moment to have a look.

The structure of the site has been completely reordered in a way that we hope makes it more userfriendly, whilst also being more easily accessible via mobile devices.

You’ll find a list of useful frequently asked questions hadra.org/key-info/; planning news specific to your road (click on any news item at hadra.org/category/ planning/ to see a list of roads on the right hand side on a desktop or at the bottom of the screen on a mobile device); items of interest about local history hadra.org/local-history/; and much more.

The Committee intends to regularly add items of interest, particularly in relation to planning, and review other content, as required. Some areas of the site remain in development, so if you have any items that you’d like to be considered for addition, do please send them to editor@hadra.org. We’d also love to hear your general feedback on the new site.

If you don’t receive our monthly eBlast, please follow the link on the homepage of the new website to sign up.

HADRA SPRING 2021 | 1

ODE TO OLD COULSDON Whilst looking through some old archives recently, we came across this poem, written by HADRA resident Diane Johansen and published in a 2006 edition of the Hartley News. 15 years on, the situation certainly isn’t any better and is arguably considerably worse!

Ode to Old Coulsdon

COULSDON ROCKS

If you’ve ever come across a brightly decorated stone whilst out-and-about, you’ll be forgiven for greeting it with some surprise! You probably stumbled across an intentionally created and placed piece of art by local residents, many of them children.

Facebook page indicating where it was found. You are welcome to then either keep the rock safe or hide it again for someone else to find.

Residents are also more than welcome to add their own rocks “Coulsdon Rocks” aims to bring a little to Coulsdon. They can be as fun and magic to the local area. If colourful and imaginative as you you happen across one of the rocks, like, but there are a few simple please take a photo of it and then rules to remember: post the image to the Coulsdon Rocks • • • • • • •

Be mindful where you hide your rocks. Always respect businesses and private property.

Buy your rocks, don’t take from the beach.

Please bear in mind that this will involve children so please ensure that all designs are suitable for all ages.

Decorate your rock with pens, crayons, paints or nail varnish, and don’t forget to make it weatherproof. Clear varnish or nail polish work best.

Write “Please post my pic on the Coulsdon Rocks Facebook page” on the back of your rock.

If you want to, you can initial your rock to make it easier to spot on the Facebook page once it’s been found.

Have fun!

For those of you who fancy venturing further afield, there is a bigger and more active South Croydon Rocks Facebook group.

“Oh, it’s progress, indeed,” said the man in the hat As the flint walls came tumbling down And there in their stead stood a thin wooden board In an incongruous cheap shade of brown.

“Oh, it’s progress, indeed”, said the man in the hat As the roof tiles from rafters were torn, And the beams that had proudly held walls with their might Were now tossed, bruised, battered and sawn.

“Oh, it’s progress, indeed”, said the man in the hat As the flowers and grass turned to mire, And the tarmac van hovered to spew out its load And encompass the garden with fire “Oh, it’s progress, indeed”, said the man in the hat “Why, the house that they sold housed just four.

See, they’ve done a good deed and their pockets are full; Don’t worry, they’ve broken no law.”

“Oh, it’s progress, indeed”, said the man in the hat But I looked at the future and cried For the village I loved as it was, is no more And the place I remember has died.”

Diane Johansen 2 | HADRA SPRING 2021

COULSDON ART TRAIL Over the last few years, a number of attempts have been made by various residents and traders’ groups to put some local street art in Coulsdon town centre to make the town centre more interesting and attractive to local residents and visitors alike. Unfortunately, most of the initiatives were unsuccessful due to a multitude of reasons.

Last year, Charles King, the Chair of East Coulsdon Residents’ Association (ECRA) with the help of Lewis White, a local landscape architect, put together a project to place small finials (that satisfied Croydon Council’s requirements) on top of the existing nine finger posts in Coulsdon.

These finials commemorate the history of Coulsdon and Smitham Bottom and were selected from a list of suggestions that were put together from a public consultation by Pauline Payne when she was secretary of ECRA. The first three chosen were:

Cuthraed the Saxon warrior 648 AD whom Coulsdon is named after

By Pizza Express opposite Waitrose ECRA would like to complete all nine finger posts and are now in the process of fundraising for the remaining six. If you would like to make a donation, please make contact via the ECRA Facebook page or by email to info@eastcoulsdon.co.uk

The Greater Yellow Rattle, a rare wild plant that grows on Farthing Downs and Happy Valley Opposite Lion Green Road

Cricket Stumps Surrey versus East Grinstead an early Cricket match on Lion Green in 1739 Opposite the Library where Lion Green was

These have been paid for by East Coulsdon Residents’ Association, Friends of Farthing Downs & Happy Valley, and generous local individuals.

Future finials would include: Emmeline Pankhurst who in 1911 spoke at the Smitham Parish Hall; Logie Baird’s first transatlantic TV transmission from Coulsdon to New York in 1928; The Red Lion Pub from 1680-2003.

ECRA would like to thank Croydon Council and Marshalls Landscape for their help and assistance.

By Charles King HADRA SPRING 2021 | 3

WALK THIS MAY

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Walking is simple, free and one of the easiest ways to get more active, lose weight and become healthier. Many residents have discovered new local walks as part of their daily exercise during the Covid-19 lockdowns. We’d like to draw your attention to a free app called GoJauntly, which will not only help you discover new walks, but also enables users to upload and share their own favourite walks.

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Did you know that May is National Walking Month?

It’s the perfect opportunity to get outside, start moving and raise money for charities such as the British Heart Foundation. You can find more information at www.awarenessdays. com/awareness-dayscalendar/national-walkingmonth-2021.

For tips and hints including how to make the most of your walking time, getting back into walking and the “Couch to 5K Challenge”, visit www.nhs.uk/live-well/ exercise/walking-for-health/.

COULSDON MANOR GOLF COURSE Although owned by Croydon Council, the land including the golf course is leased to the hotel under a private contract. There are two public footpaths that may be used by non-golfers (see map). Do remember to take care and look out for players, and be respectful of their game.

Negotiations are taking place between residents’ associations, councillors, golf club members and hotel management to see if we can agree public rights of way around the perimeter of the golf course.

4 | HADRA SPRING 2021

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Designed and produced by Smarter Reach. www.smarterreach.co.uk

One feature we particularly like about the GoJauntly app is the “greenest route” function. This allows you to put in your destination and it will automatically calculate the most pleasant route for you… worth trying some alternatives to walking along the Brighton Road! And don’t worry about it adding too much to your journey time… the app will calculate that for you too!