197 Northwood Road Thornton Heath CR7 8HX

1. 1.The proposed development would require all 8 occupiers to use a single kitchen which is likely to result in conflicts between residents. The internal cycle store would be accessed from the main entrance corridor to the property which is likely to create dirt and debris in this communal area. Unit 2 has its only window opening onto the communal bin store which is likely to cause disturbance to the occupier as well as odour pollution. Living conditions for future occupiers would therefore be unacceptable and the application conflicts with Policies SP4 and DM10 of the Croydon Local Plan 2018, Policy D6 of the London Plan 2021, and the Houses in Multiple Occupation Standards (LB of Croydon) 2015.
2. 2.The parking surveys submitted with the application show very high parking stress in the local area which is also in a location with very poor access to public transport. The increased occupancy proposed is likely to increase parking stress in the locality further which in turn could result in harm to the safety and efficiency of the highway network through increased parking congestion, poor visibility and forms of anti-social parking. The development is therefore contrary to Policies T4 and T6 of the London Plan 2021 and Polices SP8, DM29 and DM30 of the Croydon Local Plan 2018.
3. 3.There is limited space within the site frontage for the proposed bin store, which would unduly dominate this area as a large and obtrusive feature in the street scene, harming the appearance of the site and wider area. The development would therefore conflict with Policy D3 of the London Plan (2021), Policies SP4, DM10 and DM13 of the Croydon Local Plan (2018) and The Council's Waste and Recycling in Planning Policy Document (2015 as updated 2025).
4. 4.The proposed internal cycle storage area is contrived and would not be easily useable for future residents due to the limited access width from the shared communal corridor. The development would therefore fail to promote sustainable means of travel in conflict with Policies DM29 and DM30 of the Local Plan (2018) and Policies T2 and T5 of London Plan (2021).

From the council's decision notice.

Postcode

CR7 8HX

Application type

Full planning permission

Scale / size

Small

Date validated

21 November 2025

Consultation expiry

29 December 2025

Consultation start

3 December 2025

Neighbour consultation start

3 December 2025

Neighbour consultation end

26 December 2025

Target decision date

16 January 2026

Decision issued

16 January 2026

Agent

Vitco planning

Agent address

21 Leweston Place London, N16 6RJ

Statutory period

56 days

Site notice start

8 December 2025

Site notice end

29 December 2025

Planning Portal ID

PP-14332407

Comments

0

Documents

17

Constraints

8