Closure of Stites Hill Road to cut off Old Coulsdon for a month

There is widespread concern among Old Coulsdon residents about a set of road closures scheduled for later this month, which a residents’ association predicts will bring residents to a standstill or force them to take long detours on any journey .

Not by roads: Council closes Stites Hill Road during roadworks on Coulsdon Road

Croydon Council plans to close Stites Hill Road at the same time as Coulsdon Road for what it describes as “traffic management”.

Old Coulsdon Residents’ Association lobbied Croydon Mayor Jason Perry, their MP, Hampstead’s Chris Philp and Transport for London for an alternative solution. “No one seems to be listening,” OCRA said in a final plea on social media last night.

This road closure (there are others in the area) is planned to last a full month, from July 25th to August 25th.

According to Croydon Council, the closure of Stites Hill Road is “to help manage traffic for drainage works on Coulsdon Road”.

But the residents’ association tweeted: “Great concern from residents facing long detours. There has been no communication from council with residents or OCRA.”

It is the second time in six months that there has been significant disruption to roads and bus routes between Coulsdon and Caterham as cash-strapped Croydon council tries to improve drainage and make the area near Coulsdon Common more flood resistant.

In April, work began alongside Coulsdon Common with the aim of improving soakaways which had become ineffective, leading to deep, long-lasting puddles and flooding on the busy road.

I don’t listen: part-time mayor Jason Perry

But as the excavation subsided, the positioning of utility pipes meant that new drainage measures could not be undertaken. The work was abandoned, the holes filled and plans were made for contractors to return to the site to complete the work in the summer school holidays.

Now the time has come for that delayed work, but with the council’s proposed further road closure, it has raised real concerns of worse disruption than previously endured.

Meanwhile, another set of road closures began this week in Coulsdon on Placehouse Lane, just south of Grange Park, a road that normally links Coulsdon Road with Tollers Lane.

Placehouse Lane is closed for three weeks for sewerage and surface water works.

Bus route 60 is diverted as a result. Towards Old Coulsdon, route 60 will terminate at stop 466 by the bakers.

When the Coulsdon Common works start later this month, route 466 will terminate at Old Coulsdon, with some buses continuing to Caterham via Hooley and Merstham.

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