Council and democracy

Extra investment for New Addington and Fieldway

Croydon Council has earmarked over £250,000 for a number of regeneration projects and improvements in New Addington and Fieldway that local residents have said they want to see.

Hundreds of residents and local business people have told the council what they want for their area. These views were captured during a community planning weekend last year, and are being fed into the council's Local Development Framework - the document which sets out the council's priorities for development in the borough.

In the meantime, the council has been successful in securing extra investment in order to kick-start a number of community projects. Many of these projects are unique to New Addington and are being developed because they specifically address the issues that matter most to the local community - crime, clean streets, parks and open spaces and education.

The funding has been allocated to support projects which will:

• Improve safety and deal with antisocial behaviour, drunkenness, drug dealing and vandalism;
• Improve streets and the environment and encourage community clean ups;
• Introduce new activities for young people;
• Encourage tenant participation and communication within the community;
• Train local people to become health champions and work on local projects to improve health.

Cllr Gavin Barwell, cabinet member for safety and cohesion, said: "I am delighted that we have been able to secure this new funding for New Addington and Fieldway, which will help deliver practical solutions to the problems local people say they are facing. People in New Addington and Fieldway often feel their area gets overlooked. We are determined to ensure that this is not the case. We have listened to residents' concerns about jobs, the environment, opportunities for young people, housing and antisocial behaviour and this extra funding will enable us to work with them to address those concerns."