Croydon Council criticized over fire-hit visitor center

Residents living near a south London park have claimed they are being “ignored” by a council over the reopening of a fire-damaged visitor centre.

They say Croydon Council promised to reopen the South Norwood Country Park visitor center but this has not happened, four years after the fire caused it to close.

The Friends of South Norwood Country Park (FSNCP) have been working to reopen the center for the past few years, as they see it as a vital community resource, and have gained 3,000 signatures on a petition.

A council spokesperson said work stalled due to financial difficulties and the mayor would “continue to work with the community to get this facility restored.”

FSNCP member and South Norwood resident Lucy Hopkins told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) of the group’s struggles to get the center reopened.

She said: “We’ve got a really engaged community around the country park and we’ve been pressuring Croydon Council for a long, long time to give us our facility back.”

Before its closure during the first lockdown of 2020, the center hosted educational classes for nearby schools and acted as a base for conservation volunteers who worked to protect the park’s biodiversity.

It was also home to the park’s only public toilets.

Ms Hopkins added: “From a personal point of view it’s really important. My kids’ schools are a couple of streets away and they aren’t able to do any forest schooling or any sort of meaningful outdoor learning because the facility is not there any more.”

She said it was used by various volunteer and conservation groups as well as the organizers of the local Parkrun.

Hopes the center could reopen were boosted last year thanks in part to support from local Labor councilor Amy Foster and Croydon Central MP Sarah Jones.

Their campaign eventually caught the attention of Croydon’s mayor, Jason Perry, who visited the site in December.

However, according to Ms Hopkins, support from the council has been sought since this promising start.

Ms Foster, councilor for the nearby Woodside ward, said it was “disappointing” that work on the center had not happened and “once again, lines of communication with the council have gone silent”.

A spokesperson for Croydon Council said: “The mayor and council officers met with residents at the park in February and we will continue to work with the community to get this facility restored for the benefit of locals and visitors.”