CROYDON'S £200,000 fairness commission will provide "value for money" and make a "real difference", its newly appointed chairman has said.

The council has asked Bishop of Croydon Jonathan Clark to head the inquiry into whether public services could be fairer.

The Right Reverend Clark said he had agreed to fulfil the voluntary role because the commission was a "great opportunity to start to tell a different story about Croydon".

Council leader Tony Newman said the Bishop was a widely respected figure whose appointment would reassure people the process would be independent.

A panel including members of the public, private and voluntary organisations - dubbed 'Ambassadors for Fairness' - will carry out a year-long "listening exercise" before a final report is produced in January 2016.

The process has been dubbed a waste of money by the Conservative opposition but Cllr Newman says £200,000 is a small amount to pay for a "once in a lifetime opportunity to ensure fairness underpins council decisions".

The Bishop told the Advertiser he would not have become involved if he thought the commission would be ignored.

"I was honoured to be asked because it's going to be an important piece of work," he said.

"If it does what it is supposed to it will focus the energies, not just of the council but a whole range of partners, around what our needs and opportunities are.

"Some fairness commissions have made a real difference and others have been left on the shelf. I wouldn't be involved if I didn't think it could make a real difference."

He added that spending £200,000 on the commission was "the council's decision".

"It's not for me to refuse to be part of it for that reason," he explained.

"I think there's an opportunity to get value for money. That's why I am involved.

"Now the decision has been made it's all the more important the investment does reap a reward for the people of Croydon and that's what I am going to try and help it to do."

The Bishop will now help select the panel of ambassadors before the process begins early next year.

He believes his position in the Church could help the commission reach out to the borough's diverse communities.

"I am equally committed to all the different parts of the community that make up Croydon," he said.

"I don't have an axe to grind for any one particular area or group.

"I hope I can represent the common interest we're trying to find for all of us."

Cllr Newman said: "I'm thrilled [the Bishop] has agreed to do it. It's clear he commands a lot of respect across the community, including people who wouldn't normally describe themselves as particularly religious.

"He seems to have the background and the personality that reaches out to many people. It's quite clear he would be his own person and be able to bring others into the process."

Hamida Ali, a Labour councillor for Woodside, has been appointed vice chairman of the commission. 

It will involve a series of public meetings across the borough where the panel will hear evidence from expert witnesses, residents and community groups.

The commission will not have any legal powers but will "strongly guide and influence" council policy, Cllr Newman has previously told the Advertiser.

COLUMNIST Alex White explains how the Liverpool game once again showed why the Crystal Palace fans are the best around...

YET again, the Palace faithful surpassed their expectations with an outstanding display in front of the Sky cameras last weekend.

When you think it is almost impossible to improve our support, we showed we could. The crowd once again proved their importance and influence on the team as they carried the side through to an unforgettable victory against the giants that are Liverpool. Forget the form of the Merseyside club; any victory against them shouldn't be underplayed.

At 1-0 down after just two minutes, it would have been easy for the fans to get on the back of the players and manager but as ever, we stuck by and showed belief in them. It proved how much the encouragement we give to the players pays off and they showed they wanted to repay the fans for their incredible support.

Crystal Palace is a very special club. There seems to be a wonderful bond with owners, fans, staff and players and that connection is what makes us unique. I don't think as fans we would ever swap that for anything. You could offer us as much silverware and money but the most important thing for us is we keep our identity and what we stand for.

My full praise goes to Yannick Bolasie after his performance, I have been rather critical in recent weeks of Yala but on Sunday he rolled his sleeves up and showed his form of last season.

Yannick demonstrated just what an exciting and influential player he can be. His form this year has been poor and one excellent performance in ten games isn't good enough, but I am hoping this can be a springboard to reaching his previous self. It just shows what a bit of confidence can do.

It was a perfect game for Bolasie, he had played brilliantly and scored in midweek for his country and was then put up against one of the worst full-backs in the league.

The decision to start with Dwight Gayle was one that paid off. His goal was a great reaction finish and showed he is ready to play at this level once again. It seemed harsh on the outside to drop Frazier Campbell who I think has been brilliant since joining and is harshly criticised at times, but ultimately was a decision that paid off. I would also like to pay credit to a player who splits the fans views;

Marouane Chamakh was absolutely outstanding and linked up brilliantly with Dwight – that could be an interesting duo going forward.

We go into Swansea a great deal more positive and if we play like that we will get a result.

THE last Croydon Advertiser of November hits the shelves tomorrow - where has the time gone?

We lead on the tragic killing of Shaun McSweeny and also feature the court case of a pair  brothers accused of stabbing two teenagers at the Whitgift Centre back in January.

There's also the delightful tale of 91-year-old Reginald Young, an engineer who built the top secret machines used at Bletchley Park to decipher German Enigma codes. He is now trying to find a colleague he believes also lives in the Croydon area.

Page 3 is given over to an interview with Darth Vader (of course it is). More specifically, the actor Dave Prowse - who tells us about his life living in Addiscombe, the return of the Green Cross Code man and his one-word review of the Star Wars prequels (a clue, it's not complimentary)

In our go! leisure section, look out for a rundown of ice rinks in the area and our guide to the 10 hottest toys on sale in Croydon this Christmas.

Our sport section is dominated by all things Crystal Palace - especially the fall-out from the famous win over Liverpool - plus a preview of the weekend's clash with Swansea.

Also, you can find out why an elderly darts player who never gets the tram was issued with a fine for fare-dodging.

The paper is priced 80p and for sale in all good, bad and mediocre shops.

THE former Allders building in Croydon town centre was evacuated this afternoon following a suspected gas leak.

London Fire Brigade sent three engines and other specialist vehicles to what is now Croydon Village Outlet after being called to reports of a fire alarm at 1.38pm today (Thursday).

Around 100 people were led away from the building which was then cordoned off by the police.

Fire fighters wearing breathing apparatus investigated the basement of the building but found no elevated levels of gas, a spokesman said. 

They left the scene at 4.50pm and handed back control to the building manager. 

Croydon Village Outlet, which is in administration, is due to be relaunched tomorrow morning as Zervo after a takeover by businessman Clive Coombes. 

RESIDENTS who are rubbish at recycling could soon get a knock on the door from a council officer – or their neighbour – who will put them right.

The council said the plan will help address falling recycling rates, after figures published by Defra showed the amount of waste the borough reuses dropped by 2.1 per cent in 2013/14.

Stuart Collins, cabinet member for Clean and Green Croydon, said that staff would inspect people's bins to see who is failing to do their bit for the environment before giving them advice on the doorstep.

He told the Advertiser that councillors and public volunteers, dubbed "street champions", would be given training to hand out tips as well.

"What we need is a big education exercise because it's quite clear that, in some areas, people just don't get it," he said. "They're putting all the wrong stuff in their recycling bins and filling up too many black bags for landfill. We've tried putting leaflets through doors but no one is reading them – it's time to try something different.

"If someone comes up to me and says we can't do it because it's 'nanny state' I would say it's not, because council tax payers foot the bill."

Cllr Collins said the 170 street champions would be encouraged to give advice to their neighbours.

"We're not going to push them to do it but if they do want have a chat with their neighbours then they can do so with a bit of authority," he explained.

"There's a health and safety aspect to it so I wouldn't encourage them to do it to someone they don't already know.

"But, if you're the sort of person who gets on really well with your neighbours, you can say hello to them and say: 'Did you know your recycling goes in that bin over there'."

Last week the Advertiser revealed the council planned to restore weekly black bin collections in areas worst-affected by fly-tipping. Cllr Collins also plans to combine recycling into a single bin, rather than separate boxes for plastics and cardboard.

His latest idea could perhaps prove the most controversial but the enthusiastic politician, who declared to the Advertiser this week "I live and breathe bins", believes it is necessary.

"I don't think taking pride in your community is 'snooping'," he said.

"The people are doing this just don't care. The only way the authorities can change their minds is to do a campaign like this."

YANNICK Bolasie says Palace have enough to cope with him and Mile Jedinak in January, when both play for their countries in international tournaments.

Bolasie is set to take part in the African Cup of Nations, while Jedinak will skipper Australia on home soil in the Asian Cup, kicking off on Friday, January 9.

"Getting two goals for my country recently was special and also qualifying for the African Cup of Nations," he told the Advertiser.

"It now means I might not be here to play for Palace in January but it is a tournament I was to play in as well.

"Let's not forget that the squad is good enough to cope."

For the full interview with Bolasie, don't miss Friday's Croydon Advertiser.

By Mark Ritson (Twitter @MR_LWMedia)

A CHILD abductor who "preyed" on a vulnerable 14-year-old girl and kept her away from her family has been jailed for 18 months.

Junior Juba, 26, of Kidderminster Road, Croydon, was convicted of child abduction by a jury at Croydon Crown Court on Tuesday, November 25.

Police investigating the case of the missing 14-year-old, who disappeared on June 1 this year, were given a note from her room with the name 'Aone Mula' on it, with a mobile phone number registered to Juba.

They also discovered that Juba had set up a Facebook account with the same pseudonym.

On June 5, officers went to Juba's flat and though he initially denied having met or seen the girl, they found her in a communal stairwell.

They found items belonging to the girl in his flat and evidence she had been there and Juba was arrested at the scene.

Though the girl refused to speak with officers or make allegations against Juba, police charged him with child abduction the next day.

Acting Detective Sergeant Dominic Doyle, from Croydon CID, who investigated the case said: " Juba preyed on an extremely vulnerable young girl and kept her away from her parents and the people who care for her.

"The judge said that he had little doubt Juba was grooming her and that he had shown no remorse for his actions or their impact on the young girl involved."

Detective Chief Inspector Sian Thomas, from Croydon CID, said: "The safety of young people, and particularly those that are most vulnerable, is one of our top priorities. We've recently launched Operation Makesafe in Croydon to encourage people who work in the borough and come into contact with young people to report anything that might be of concern to police.

Juba was also given a five-year sexual offences prevention order.

A RETIRED firefighter has been charged with beating his adopted son to death.

Dad-of-one Shaun McSweeny, 24, was found in the back of a car with head injuries in Evelyn Street, near Deptford Wharf shortly before 3am last Friday morning and was pronounced dead at the scene.

A post-mortem examination determined he was killed following a blunt force to the head.

Police, who responded to a call saying a man was trying to put a body in the Thames, said Shaun was killed in Thornton Heath.

Retired firefighter Colin McSweeny, 58, of Parry Road, South Norwood, appeared at the Old Bailey on Tuesday charged with his adopted son's murder.

He has been remanded in custody and a provisional date for his trial was set for June 1 with a plea and case management hearing due on February 10.

A woman in Thornton Heath – who the Advertiser understands to be Shaun's adoptive mother – was also arrested on Friday on suspicion of murder and has been released on bail to return to a south London police station in the middle of December.

Shocked friends of Shaun, who worked for Autoglass, paid tribute to the single father outside Bromley Magistrates' Court on Saturday last week, just hours after finding out the news of his killing.

A friend who had known Shaun for five years, but asked not to be named, said: "He was a top bloke who had raised a little one almost by himself. He was just the nicest bloke you could ever meet and he was always up for a laugh."

Shaun, who went to All Saints CofE Primary School, in Upper Beulah Hill, and studied construction at Croydon College, won a custody battle for his daughter Ruby, 5, a few years ago.

It is believed they both lived with his adoptive parents and Shaun had a girlfriend, Laura Stacey O'Donnell.

Shaun's brother also paid tribute to him on Facebook, saying: "I love you so much bruv wish I had seen and spent more time with my little brother.

"I miss you more than anything in the world and was looking forward to seeing you on the 6th.

"You are always in our hearts always and forever you will never be forgotten. I'm glad my little boy is named after you we miss you loads and I can't wait until we are all together again."

Ms O' Donnell has changed the profile picture on her Facebook page – which includes photos from the couple's recent first family holiday with Ruby to Spain – to a photo of Shaun.

Friends have expressed their sympathy, with Victoria Barnard saying: "I can't even imagine how you are feeling but want you to know you have support whenever you need it."

CROYDON South MP Richard Ottaway has defended his friend Andrew Mitchell, after he lost his libel action against a police officer and The Sun newspaper in the so-called 'plebgate' scandal. A High Court judge ruled on Thursday that Tory MP Mr Mitchell did use the word pleb during a heated exchange with police officer PC Toby Rowland at the gates of Downing Street in 2012. The former international development secretary now faces a £3 million legal bill and his reputation is in tatters. But Mr Ottaway went on TV on Thursday night, to defend his close ally - citing his charity work, among other things. He told Channel Four News: "Andrew has been through hell and back. Mr Rowland has been through hell and back. "It is a tragedy for Andrew Mitchell and his wife. I think he should be allowed to get on with his life."

The planned relaunch of the ex-Allders store in Croydon has been delayed this morning due to yesterday's reports of a suspected gas leak.

The store, most recently trading as Croydon Village Outlet, was due to relaunch today at 10.00am under the new Zervo banner, following a takeover by businessman Clive Coombes. 

However, a statement from Zervo issued this morning said proceedings would be pushed back to start at 11.00am due to a halt in yesterday's preparations.

Around 100 people were led away from the store yesterday afternoon, but no elevated levels of gas were found and no-one was injured.

A CARELESS burglar who was identified after he left his glasses in the house he broke into in Shirley has been jailed.

Christopher Stephen Henry, 51, of no fixed abode was jailed for two and a half years at the Central Criminal Court last week after pleading guilty to burglary.

The court heard that on Sunday March 23, the victim and her family had gone out for a walk and locked all windows and doors of their home in Wickham Road.

When they returned, they did not notice any signs of forced entry.

However, whilst the family was in the living room, one of the family members checked upstairs after hearing creaking floorboards in one of the bedrooms.

He found Henry lying on the floor in one of the bedrooms, trying to hide.

The victim immediately confronted him and tried to prevent him from leaving, but Henry managed to run away.

After checking the bedroom, the victims realised that four gold rings worth approximately £5,000 plus £80 cash had been stolen.

Police attending the scene found a pair of glasses in the bedroom where Henry had been hiding.

The glasses did not belong to any of the victims and Henry's DNA was found on them after they were sent for forensic examination.

Police made extensive inquiries to track him down and he was eventually arrested on July 25, after officers tried to stop him in Ecclesbourne Road, Thornton Heath.

He failed to stop and tried to drive away, crashing into another car.

He was subsequently arrested.

Henry was charged on July 26 with burglary and failing to provide a sample for a drug test.

Detective constable Officer Billy Clough from Croydon CID, who was in charge of the case, said: "Henry was caught by his victims and left his glasses at the scene which helped us to establish his identity.

"He is a recidivist burglar and I am satisfied with the results of our investigation".

GOALKEEPER Lewis Price admitted it was an "easy decision" to leave Crystal Palace to sign for Crawley Town and is keen to extend his stay between the Reds stick beyond the end of his current loan deal.

Price's loan in Sussex runs out just before Christmas and while the 30-year-old keeper has fitted straight in at Crawley, heralding the "fantastic" team spirit, he admits his future depends on the fight for the number one shirt at Selhurst Park.

"I don't know if I've a future at Palace and the discussions haven't really been here nor there," Price, whose Eagles' contract runs out at the end of the season, said.

"I want to play football, Jules [Speroni] is the one with the shirt but I think Wayne [Hennessey] needs to go and play football as well now. I honestly don't know what's going to happen there.

"The other side of it for me is that if Palace didn't want to renew my contract and an option came up then I would seriously consider it because I'm getting to the age now where I want to play more games.

"I'm at Crawley until the Port Vale game if they wanted to extend it, it would definitely be something I'd be interested in.

"I've only been here a week but it's a great set of lads and fantastic spirit, which is a big thing when you come into a football club and you're the new face.

"To have had so many new players in the summer and then four months into the season, Crawley have a gelled team and a great spirit, that's fantastic. It makes you want to stay, if the option was ever there."

Before Saturday, the custodian had not played since keeping a clean sheet in Mansfield Town's win over Bristol Rovers in May but it did not show.

"It sounds a long time," Price admitted. "It's been a frustrating time but it was nice to get out and play a game of football again.

"If I'm honest I did feel a little bit rusty but so long as I didn't look it. It's tough because nothing matches playing competitive games but when I'm not playing I try to train a lot harder than if I was playing regularly. But also I try to imagine as if I was training for a game that weekend even though I know I'm not."

And given the keeper went from sitting in the stands at Selhurst Park to pulling on a Crawley Town shirt with just five days' notice, it wasn't a bad approach to take.

"I didn't know about the loan until last Monday," he said. "You just never know so if you haven't been training properly and doing things right you aren't going to be prepared and the person who would lose out in that situation would be me.

"I train like I'm playing. It helps that I kind of enjoy it; it's not a bad job, let's be honest."

A NEW leisure centre and swimming pool for New Addington is to be the first phase of Central Parade's regeneration – and building work could start next year.

The council has confirmed it wants to build a new leisure centre as an immediate priority. It is hoped work, pending consultation and planning permission, could start by the end of 2015.

The new facility will be built on Central Parade, but the current outdated leisure centre will remain open while the building work takes place.

Councillor Alison Butler, cabinet member for homes and regeneration, said: "We have been discussing the regeneration plans for Central Parade and we have decided to build this first.

"Clearly we have spent a lot of time in New Addington during the election campaign and there was a strong view they wanted the council to come and deliver.

"We think it is really important we deliver something for the people of New Addington first."

Cllr Butler said the project would be funded by the money made from homes built on the estate in years to come.

The council is looking for suitable sites around Central Parade for housing projects, which will include council, mixed tenure and private schemes. It is also looking at building on Fishers Farm recycling centre.

Cllr Butler added: "We are looking to use the brownfield land because it overlooks a lot of green and open sites and would be a good location for a housing scheme.

"The recycling centre is also currently very close to residential areas and cars line up in the morning to drop off their stuff, which isn't great for the people living in that area."

Cllr Butler said she hoped the construction of the new leisure centre would take no longer than two years, but could not yet commit to a cost for the scheme.

Usher at Croydon Crown Court ordering clothes on Amazon as judge sums up #BlackFriday

— Gareth Davies (@Gareth_Davies09) November 28, 2014

Black Friday, and first thing I see when I get into work is a poster asking for Croydon local food parcel contributions #upsidedownworld

— Nickolas Lambrianou (@nlambrianou) November 28, 2014

the fact that I'm working on Black Friday in croydon high street is enough to make me call in sick

— a ✨ (@a_elx) November 27, 2014

Just went past Game's #BlackFriday Sale at the WhitGift Centre in Croydon, Orderly queues with police looking on.

— Elsie Boat (@EBDecanter) November 28, 2014

What genius thought going in to the middle of Croydon on Black Friday would be a good idea. Oh yeah that would be me

— Livvy Cooper (@CooperLivvy) November 28, 2014

Black Friday?? F**k off with these stupid Americanisms.

— Jon Ellacott (@jon_ellacott) November 28, 2014

A CASE at Croydon Crown Court was held up this morning - because a barrister injured himself by walking into a lamppost.

The solicitor was left red-faced and bloody-nosed in equal measure, after the incident this morning - as explained by our chief reporter Gareth Davies on Twitter.

Trial in Croydon delayed briefly after barrister arrives late because he walked into a lamppost waving to a neighbour while on way to court

— Gareth Davies (@Gareth_Davies09) November 28, 2014

Barrister, pointing to a bump on his forehead, told judge he had to sit down for half an hour after walking into lamppost

— Gareth Davies (@Gareth_Davies09) November 28, 2014

The barrister, Giles Newell, pointed to a bruise on his head, as he tried to explain his late arrival to the Recorder Judge Kenneth Hamer. 

He said: "Embarrassingly - and you can see on my head - I walked into a lamppost while waving to one of my neighbours this morning. After it happened I had to have a sit down for half an hour."

Fortunately for Mr Newell the judge made light of the incident, even though it delayed his summing up of the trial of two teenage brothers, accused of stabbing two other teenagers at the Whitgift Centre in January.

British Transport Police (BTP) officers are searching for a man they want to speak to after assault at Crystal Palace railway station.

On Sunday evening, November 2 a man assaulted a 33-year-old woman outside the station, grabbing her face and trying to drag her into an unlit area. He then caught the same bus as her and continued to intimidate her before getting off.

BTP said the incident happened at 8.25pm on the pathway outside the main entrance of the station.

The victim, from Ilford, was going through the main booking hall at Crystal Palace railway station.

A man accused her of knocking into a child he was travelling with as she passed through the gated ticket barrier to exit the station.

He became abusive towards her, shouting at and threatening her.

The woman asked the man to stop abusing her before she turned away and walked out of the station.

But he followed her as she walked towards Crystal Palace Station Road to catch a bus to West Croydon.

The man grabbed the woman from behind. He gripped her face and tried to drag her into a darkened area of the footpath

The woman called out to an unknown member of the public and asked her to call the police.

The young child, who was with the man and witnessed the assault, alerted the member of staff on duty inside the booking hall.

The man then let go of the woman and she ran towards the bus stop to get away. She got on the replacement bus service and was followed by the man and the young child, who also boarded the bus.

The man continued to intimidate the woman and finally left the bus about six stops from Crystal Palace.

Investigating officer PC Michael Smith said: "This incident has left the victim extremely shaken and scared. I urge anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident and who may have witnessed this assault to come forward with any information. We are very keen to speak to the man in the CCTV image as he may hold vital information to this incident."

Anyone with information should call British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40, or text 61016, quoting reference BSUB/ B11 of 27/11/14 . Information can also be passed anonymously to independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

SURREY County Cricket Club will not play any games at Whitgift School in the 2105 season.

Fixtures announced on Friday revealed Surrey would play most of their matches at The Oval, save for the games in Guildford in June and August.

The Whitgift Cricket Festival traditionally featured a four-day and one-day or T20 county match, but Surrey haven't played at the South Croydon school since 2011.

Full Surrey CC 2015 fixture list:

APRIL:

19-22 – Glamorgan – LV=CC (A)

26-29 – Essex – LV=CC (H)

MAY:

10-13 – Leicestershire – LV=CC (H)

15 – Glamorgan – T20 Blast (H)

16 – Essex – T20 Blast (A)

18-21 – Northamptonshire – LV=CC (A)

24-27 – Kent – LV=CC – (A – Beckenham)

29 – Kent – T20 Blast – (A – Beckenham)

31 – June 3 – Lancashire (H)

JUNE:

5 – Essex – T20 Blast (H)

7-10 – Leicestershire – LV=CC (A)

12 – Somerset – T20 Blast (A)

14 – Sussex – T20 Blast (A)

15-18 – Glamorgan – LV=CC (H – Guildford)

19 – Kent – T20 Blast (H)

21-24 – Derbyshire – LV=CC (A)

26 – Glamorgan – T20 Blast (A)

27-30 – Gloucestershire – LV=CC (H)

JULY:

1 – Gloucestershire – T20 Blast (H)

3 – Middlesex – T20 Blast (H)

10 – Hampshire – T20 Blast (A)

13-16 – Kent – LV=CC (H)

17 – Somerset – T20 Blast (H)

23 – Middlesex – T20 Blast (A)

24 – Sussex – T20 Blast (H)

26 – Leicestershire – One Day Cup (A)

27 – Northamptonshire – One Day Cup (H)

29 – Yorkshire – One Day Cup (H)

31 – Durham – One Day Cup (A)

AUGUST:

2 – Derbyshire – One Day Cup (H – Guildford)

4 – Worcestershire – One Day Cup (H)

7-10 – Essex – LV=CC (A – Colchester)

12-15 – T20 Blast Quarter Finals

17 – Somerset – One Day Cup (A)

18 – Gloucestershire – One Day Cup (A)

21-24 – Gloucestershire – LV=CC (A)

25-27 – One Day Cup Quarter Final

29-30 – T20 Blast Finals Day

SEPT:

1-4 – Derbyshire – LV=CC (H)

6-7 – One Day Cup Semi Finals

14-17 – Lancashire – LV=CC (A)

19 – One Day Cup Final

22-25 – Northamptonshire – LV=CC (H)

A CAMPAIGNER has applied to the Court of Appeal for permission to appeal against a high court judge's decision to uphold planning permission for the Beddington Farmlands incinerator.

The application comes after a judge refused Green Party activist Shasha Khan leave to appeal her decision to reject his legal challenge against the Beddington Lane incinerator, saying he has "no realistic prospect of success".

Judge Justice Patterson upheld Sutton Council's decision to grant planning permission to the £1 billion incinerator following a two-day hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in October.

Following the ruling, issued earlier this month, Mr Khan sought permission to appeal, a request Justice Patterson refused on November 21.

Explaining the decision, she wrote: "There is no realistic prospect of success or other compelling reason for a grant of permission."

But yesterday an application for permission to appeal this decision was filed on behalf of Mr Khan by his solicitors, Richard Buxton Environmental & Public Law.

The grounds for appeal lie in the judge's approach to the waste policies governing the use of the Beddington site and the assessment of whether very special circumstances exist to justify the harm caused by the proposed development.

The Court of Appeal will now decide whether to grant permission to appeal, a process which could take several weeks.

Mr Khan said: "I met with residents, conservationists and the Beddington Farmlands Bird Group on Tuesday [November 25]. Those present encouraged me to fight on and apply directly to the Court of Appeal. It was something I was actually quite keen to do.

"Naturally, to continue, funds are needed to keep the fight going, and I hope I can count on supporters to donate to the campaign once again."

Mr Khan added that Richard Buxton solicitors are representing him after Sue Willman of solicitors Deighton Pierce Glynn had to stop because of the tight deadlines for submission.

Ms Willman said Richard Buxton have a "long, proud record" of securing environmental justice.

"This case proves that there is no level playing field for access to justice in environmental cases, even where the outcome is as important as this case is for the welfare of the local community," she added.

Adrienne Copithorne, partner at Richard Buxton, said the company were pleased to take on the case.

He said: "It has been a difficult journey to get to this stage but the issues at stake warrant the continued efforts. We admire Mr Khan's tenacity and that of his supporters."

The incinerator, if built, would replace an existing landfill site and burn 275,000 tonnes of rubbish each year.

It is being set up by the South London Waste Partnership, an agreement between Croydon, Sutton, Kingston and Merton councils. 

COLUMNIST Robert Sutherland looks back on the glory of Liverpool - and ahead to this weekend's game at Swansea...

THERE are times when I feel angry at Crystal Palace. At their performances. At their tactics. At the mistakes made and at the players who make them.

Five defeats in six games gave that anger a great environment to grow – defeats are hard to take and when a few errors lead to them, they're even harder to accept.

But even in times like those, there's reason to be balanced. The performances that saw Palace lose to Hull, Chelsea, Sunderland and Man Utd and that saw us lose two points against West Brom weren't awful.

The Sunderland game was perhaps the poorest of the bunch, but in all of the games we played, we weren't outclassed and didn't look like we were out of our depth. We made costly errors and, against both Sunderland and United, failed to really get ourselves into gear. But they weren't intrinsically awful performances.

And there were also mitigating circumstances. Missing players contributed to the difficulty – our first-choice backline has barely played together in recent months, and after Damien Delaney's injury this week, that's likely to be the case once more.

The same goes for our midfield, which suffered from a lack of Joe Ledley and James McArthur in fleeting spells. While the squad could do with a greater quality of depth, you can't prepare for the number of injuries we suffered last month.

This in turn brings me to the Liverpool performance. In it, Palace played a side that most supporters would have picked. It's exactly the same squad that Neil Warnock would have assembled. The result, which came after heroic performances from every member of the team, was a fair one. It was a result that could, and should, have been replicated in previous matches.

The Liverpool result proved that, with our strongest squad available, we're capable of challenging the best (and the worst) of sides. What it should do is give the players the impetus to keep fighting. It should also give critical supporters a chance to review their own opinions and consider whether they were entirely justified.

Swansea City will provide a tougher challenge. But with the resolve shown against Liverpool, a win is possible.

Given that most of us were expecting a defeat to Liverpool, why not? 

GEEKS everywhere are giddy with excitement this afternoon, as the trailer for the latest Star Wars film has been released.

Take a look below and get excited (if you like Star Wars, that is)

The film, which reunites original stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher, is due for release in December 2015. 

Meanwhile, click here for our rather timely interview with Dave Prowse, aka Darth Vader, and find out why he thinks the Star Wars prequels were 'cobblers'