SUPPORTERS of the David Lean cinema are again taking their "alternative" film shows into the community.

The Save the Cinema campaign, which holds regular film seasons in the Spread Eagle pub in Katharine Street, Croydon, has joined forced with the Shirley Community Centre Association for a film evening on Saturday, February 16.

Starting at 7pm it will feature a rare screening of the 1987 Norwegian film Pathfinder, which is set around the year 1,000 and centres on a teenaged boy who survives an attack on his community by a warring tribe.

The Norwegian theme will also be evident in the welcoming glasses of gløgg – traditional mulled wine – served at the start of the evening.

Seats can be booked by e-mailing msiudek@yahoo.co.uk or telephoning 020 8688 6673.

Admission is free but donations for the campaign would be appreciated.

Adrian Winchester, the chairman of the campaign, said: "We are delighted that our membership is constantly increasing and more people are attending our screenings, but the maximum we can accommodate at the Spread Eagle is about 50, so it's a relief to have occasional events in larger venues."

He added that support for the screenings showed there is "undiminished enthusiasm" for a reopened David Lean cinema.

The cinema in the Clocktower complex in Katharine Street was closed in April last year as part of the council's cuts programme.

FIRST Capital Connect has had its franchise to run Thameslink rail services extended for a further 28 weeks after its present contract ends in September.

As well as announcing the extension, the Department for Transport (DfT) has also said that as part of a franchising reorganisation it is looking to award a short-term contract for up to two years shortly after the end of the 28 weeks.

The longer-term aim will be to award a seven-year contract.

First Capital Connect has expressed an interest in bidding for the new contracts.

Locally, Thameslink provides services to Brighton, Bedford and Luton Airport from East Croydon and to Bedford and Luton Airport from Sutton.

First Capital Connect managing director Neal Lawson said: "Passenger satisfaction has improved during our time in charge, some elements by up to 17 per cent, despite carrying 14 million more people a year.

"We have added 29 per cent more seats on the Thameslink route at the busiest times of the day through extra trains and longer services."

He added that the company looked forward to working closely with the DfT and industry partners to provide more much-needed new capacity and route improvements as efficiently as possible.

A PLEDGE to take action to end mental health discrimination has been taken by Croydon Council.

Sue Baker, the director of the national awareness campaign Time To Change, attended the pledge-signing on Wednesday last week, hosted by Hear Us, a local mental health charity funded by the council and Croydon Primary Care Trust.

The pledge commits the council to leading the way in the borough to tackle stigmas around mental illness and promote understanding.

Mental health problems affect one in four people and in Croydon as many as 84,000 may be directly affected at any one time.

Councillor Margaret Mead, cabinet member for adult services and health, said: "Mental illness can affect all of us at some point and discrimination can wreck people's lives.

"People with mental health problems often feel they have to hide it, for fear of how others might react.

"It doesn't have to be this way, which is why I am signing this pledge on behalf of the council, to show we are committed to talking about mental health to help promote understanding and tackle any stigmas."

POLICE are hunting two teens who fled after crashing a stolen pick-up truck in Hilliers Lane, Beddington on Wednesday.

The vehicle flipped on its side after colliding with a wall and the youths, thought to be aged around 16 or 17, were seen running away towards Guy Road.

A police spokesman said yesterday (Thursday) that no arrests had yet been made.

A GENEROUS businessman has donated a scooter to replace one stolen from its owner's New Addington house.

Barrie Semark, owner of Barrie's Mobility Service in Homestead Way, delivered the smart, green model to Steven Hancock on Wednesday.

Mr Hancock's scooter, given to him by his mother after he broke his foot, was stolen in the early hours of January 16, as reported in the Advertiser.

It was found beyond repair in Milne Park.

Mr Semark said: "When I read the story I said to my wife 'I have got to help that chap out if I can.' So I had a look around to see what I had, and sorted that out.

"When I hear of these things, it just winds me up."

Mr Hancock, 56, said: "It is lovely, a brilliant scooter – we could not believe it.

"I went to show my mother and she was overjoyed.

"I want to say, thank you so, so much."

CROYDON dancers brought a celebrity judge to tears as they became the first performers with Down's syndrome to reach the semi-finals of a TV talent contest.

Dance For Joy won unanimous praise on Sky One's Got To Dance with their classical performance, which was backed by Susan Boyle's rendition of I Dreamed A Dream.

A dewy-eyed Aston Merrygold – singer in pop group JLS – said: "That was truly, truly moving. I am just so impressed and thank you so much for bringing these lovely young people to our stage."

The group will now perform live at Sunday evening's semi-final, with their future in the competition dependent on a public vote.

Dance For Joy, who formed at the Allessendre Special Needs Dance School in Battersea 20 years ago, include David Simpson from New Addington, Martin Wright from Shirley, Rebecca Blackwell from Thornton Heath and Barry Bacon from Shirley.

David's mother Lorraine, 58, said she was immensely proud of her son, who used to attend Nicholas School in Purley.

"It was very emotional to watch. I was ecstatic when they got through," she told the Advertiser.

"It is really good to show that people with special needs can do things like anybody else."

"I don't know whether they'll get through to the next round or not, but I'm just so proud of all of them."

David, 36, who lives with his mother in Castle Hill Avenue, said: "It is very exciting. I have been dancing for 20 years."

But he would not reveal what the group had in store for Sunday's showdown, saying: "It's a secret."

Got To Dance, presented by Davina McCall, is currently in its fourth series.

Taking a similar formula to shows such as Britain's Got Talent and the X Factor, acts perform in front of a panel of judges comprising Pussycat Doll Kimberley Wyatt, dance star Ashley Banjo and JLS's Aston.

Following a series of semi-final shows the final ten acts will appear live on stage at Kensington Olympia on March 17 for the chance of winning a £250,000 cash prize.

Got To Dance is on Sky One at 6pm on Sunday.

The 14-year-old, not seen since she disappeared after school on November 8, was found in Croydon on Tuesday and taken to Croydon Police Station.

She had lost weight, her hair had been cut off but – most importantly – she was safe.

Mother Lisa Pratt told the Advertiser she first knew her daughter was alive after a brief telephone conversation last Thursday.

She said: "When she went missing it was the end of the world really, and now she's back. It's been so strange; when they told me she had been found I was just shaking.

"It all started last week when we got a call from a random number just after 1am on Thursday morning. It was Shelley, and she was only on the phone for five seconds but she said 'I love you mum, I'm OK' and then the phone went dead.

"I think it was a cry for help because she knows how to make a number private but she didn't. We Googled the number and saw it had come from a pay phone in Soho."

Shelley Pratt's family had to move out while murder police dug up garden Then on Tuesday, at 2pm, Shelley was spotted in Croydon and taken to the police station. She is said to have lost a lot of weight and cut her hair off, but is still her usual "feisty self", according to father Tony.

He said: "She obviously wanted to be found because she hasn't been walking around Croydon before, she knew she'd get found here.

"I'm just so happy, I just want to give her a hug.

"I do want to know what happened and where she's been, but I'll give her time to open up.

"All I want to do right now is get her home and give her a hug and a kiss and tell her I love her, but I can't do that until they check where she's been, if she's hurt, or if any other girls are in danger."

As the Advertiser went to press yesterday (Thursday) Shelley was still in the care of social services, being checked over for any lingering physical or mental scars from her disappearance.

Mrs Pratt said she hoped Shelley would be back at the family home, in Crowther Road, South Norwood, soon.

The Pratts would not celebrate Christmas with Shelley gone.

They have kept their Christmas lights up outside the house, but refused to switch them on until their daughter is back and ready to open her presents, which have been kept wrapped up.

The days since her disappearance have been spent driving around and looking for her, encouraging neighbours and shops to display missing posters, appealing for more information.

Now, the lights are on and the family cannot wait to have Shelley back home.

Mrs Pratt said: "I couldn't believe it when I found out. Our police liaison officer called me, she asked me if I was sitting down.

"Then she just said 'We've got her, we've got her'. I was shaking, I couldn't believe it. Tony and I just rang everyone.

"We turned the Christmas lights on, we took all the missing posters down. We called her school, we told my son's nursery, all the other kids' mums were so happy for me.

"When we told our mums they were just crying."

Mr Pratt said: "We had so many visitors when we turned the lights on because they knew what it meant; the neighbours knew it meant she was back.

"I know when she's home, she might just go up to her room, she might not want to tell us anything at first, she might be different. But I'm going to give her that time."

The family now intend to celebrate their daughter's return with a party once she has settled back in to family life.

Mr Pratt said: "We're going to have a big celebration, a party, but make sure she's OK first.

"My brother just had a baby so she gets to meet her new cousin and it's the first anniversary of my dad passing away this week, so we're so happy she's home for that.

"The police have told us she is still her feisty self, which is brilliant. We don't want her to have changed.

"When they told us she'd had her hair cut we were shocked.

"Her hair was her pride and joy; she wouldn't even get it trimmed. We know someone must have made her do it.

"If she looks that different I could have passed her 100 times in the street while out looking for her and not realised.

"I'm just so happy she's home."

A PROMINENT West Croydon takeaway has denied drumsticks are in decline, insisting this week: "Chicken Cottage is as popular as ever."

The assurance came as it emerged bookmaker Paddy Power was poised to take over the fast food joint's London Road branch.

A spokesman for the chicken chain said: "Our franchiser found the overheads in the London Road premises were quite high, so he has decided to look for a location elsewhere.

"Chicken Cottage is still as popular as ever, proven by our new shop in London Road, Norbury."

News of the betting shop's gambling licence application angered local Labour leader Tony Newman, who has long spoken out about the perils of readily available gambling.

"This is yet another example of how takeaways and betting shops are taking over our local districts," he said.

"We are in danger of that area, as well as other high streets in Croydon, becoming one long line of betting shops and takeaways. This is why we have got to see some of the investment from Hammersmith and Westfield going into the Croydon districts as well as the centre of the borough.

"I'm sure the council will say there is nothing they can do about it but there is. They can take a proactive stance. We have to make Croydon's streets family-friendly, and chicken shops and betting shops won't do that."

Mohammed Siddiqi, a worker at Amabala Sweet Shop, in London Road, was also not keen on plans for a bookmakers.

"We have had a lot of trouble from people that go to betting shops around here so I don't think this is a good idea at all," he said.

"We've had a lot of problems with people fighting outside the betting shops in the past and there are just too many of them around here. There are also too many takeaway restaurants and it would be nice to have a bit of diversity in the area. We have had very bad experiences with betting shops, so this news is not pleasing."

But Bharat Shah, who co-owns Jays Electrical Wholesales, in London Road, said: "In my opinion as long as it is done well and has a nice interior and is looked after it shouldn't be a problem.

"I don't personally think we have enough of those sorts of shops down our end of the road, and Paddy Power is a respectable company so it should be fine.

"As the store is about 200 yards away from mine I'm hoping that if there is any trouble it won't affect my business. As long as they are good and responsible it should be fine."

Paddy Power was not available for comment.

A VULNERABLE widow abandoned for nine days without food, water or medication while her Sutton care agency was under investigation has died in hospital.

Gloria Foster, 81, was left in her Banstead home without her daily carers after police and the UK Border Agency raided the company that looked after her and arrested staff members.

The pensioner was taken to Epsom Hospital suffering from starvation and dehydration but died on Monday. An investigation was launched immediately.

Reigate MP Crispin Blunt described Gloria Foster's ordeal as horrific.

He added: "I am very sorry to hear that Mrs Foster has sadly passed away. Clearly there are questions to answer, and I would expect a comprehensive investigation between all of the agencies involved.

"I would certainly not like to pre-judge any more of the narrative before it is formally established. Monday's desperately sad developments can only increase the salience of that need."

Officers from the UK Border Agency and Metropolitan Police raided the Upper Mulgrave Road offices of Carefirst24 on January 15. They arrested four people on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to assist foreign nationals. They were bailed until April.

Speaking immediately after the raid, Detective Inspector Sarah Rees said: "This morning's operation was a good example of the Met Police in Sutton and the UK Border Agency working closely together to protect elderly and vulnerable people and to keep them safe."

The Surrey Safeguarding Adults Board will now be carrying out an urgent review of Gloria Foster's case.

County council spokeswoman Joy Ridley said: "We're very sad to hear about Mrs Foster's death and our thoughts are with her family and friends at this difficult time.

"The safety of vulnerable adults is our top priority, which is why this tragic event is already being urgently looked at by the Surrey Safeguarding Adults Board."

A Surrey Police spokesman said: "We were made aware of concerns surrounding the care of an elderly lady from Banstead. The concerns were raised by hospital staff providing treatment to the woman in her 80s at the end of January.

"Officers from the Public Protection Investigation Unit at Surrey Police carried out inquiries and it was deemed that the Surrey Safeguarding Adults Board would be the appropriate agency to investigate further."

No one from Carefirst24 answered calls for a comment.

IT'S third versus fourth this evening as Palace make the short trip around the M25 to face an in-form Watford side just one point ahead of them in the Championship.

And despite the game featuring live on Sky Sports, the Eagles have sold out their away allocation, with many fans looking at snapping up any spare tickets available.

Ian Holloway's men picked up their first victory last Saturday over Charlton Athletic since their 3-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on New Year's Day, with Glenn Murray back in the goals to take his tally to 25 in all competitions so far this season.

The Eagles were boosted by the transfer deadline day loan signings of Kevin Phillips and Stephen Dobbie, who both made a big impact after coming on against the Addicks, and they will be pushing for a start at Vicarage Road.

Mile Jedinak is rated 50/50 after a successful operation following a broken eye socket, with Holloway and assistant boss Keith Millen revealing the skipper may have to wear a protective face mask.

If the Australian does miss out, it will give another chance to the likes of Alex Marrow and Stuart O'Keefe to protect the back four, while the other position is likely to go to Jacob Butterfield or Jonathan Williams.

The latter has impressed in recent matches after coming on as a substitute while we are yet to see the best of Butterfield just yet, so it is a nice dilemma for Holloway to have.

But the boss may decide to include Phillips from the start alongside Murray, which means that one of those midfielders will miss out, with Wilfried Zaha and Yannick Bolasie starting on both flanks.

The game comes a little too soon for the likes of Joel Ward and Darcy Blake, who are both back in training after injury, but Jazz Richards has impressed in his two games on loan so far.

Jonathan Parr was dropped for the Charlton game, but he will be hoping to return at the expense of Dean Moxey at left-back.

Veteran forward Phillips started his professional career at Watford after being snapped up from non-league outfit Baldock Town back in 1994 and insists it is always nice to go back there to see a few old faces. "I always look forward to going back to Vicarage Road and I always get a warm reception there," he said.

"That's where it all started for me nearly 20 years ago, but it will be a tough match because they're on a good run at the moment and playing some excellent football.

"But I believe I can score goals and the manager knows what I can do."

Good news for Palace is that Watford's red hot striker Matej Vydra will miss the game after being called up to the Czech Republic squad.

The 20-year-old, one of eight players on loan from Italian club Udinese, has been in blistering form lately with seven goals in his last five games to take his season tally to 19.

But he isn't the only one as the Hornets may have up to another eight squad members unavailable due to international commitments.

Daniel Pudil has also been called up to the Czech Republic squad to face Turkey in a friendly, while Joel Ekstrand is with the Sweden squad.

Defender Nyron Nosworthy was called-up by Jamaica, while Republic of Ireland U21 duo Sean Murray and Connor Smith were both called up against the Netherlands on Wednesday night.

Nathaniel Chalobah may take part despite being part of the England U21 squad on Tuesday, while Italian midfielder Cristian Battocchio has also been away on international duty.

However, goalscoring midfielder Almen Abdi, as featured by Advertiser Sport as Watford's dangerman, is expected to start with Troy Deeney and Fernando Forestieri in attack.

And former Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia has brought a wealth of experience at the back and is set to start in between the sticks, with former Palace stopper Fitz Hall in the heart of the defence.

If Palace can grab all three points, they will jump into second in the Championship for a few hours at least, with the likes of Leicester City and Hull City in action tomorrow.

And that's all before another tough game against sixth-placed Middlesbrough next Saturday.

LEGAL & General have been given the go ahead to transform Nestlé's former Croydon headquarters into flats.
The financial services company received planning permission for its St George's House scheme last night (Thursday).
St George's House has been empty since Nestlé left Croydon - taking with it 840 jobs - last September.
Now the building will be converted from office space into 288 new homes, though only 23 – 7.9 per cent – will be classed as affordable. 
Legal & General says its St George's House scheme will deliver a "new iconic feature for Croydon's skyline".
Charlie Walker, director at Legal & General Property, said: "Last night's decision marks an important step forward for Croydon and is a strong testament to the hard work we have put in over the past year to ensuring our proposals not only complement the existing qualities of the borough but contribute to its wider regeneration, enhancing its position as a desirable residential location.
"We believe that not only will this scheme deliver much needed high quality residential accommodation to the very centre of town, but should bring a new lease of life to the area by significantly improving the public realm, creating a more accessible and attractive civic space for residents and visitors to enjoy."
Jason Perry, cabinet member for planning, regeneration and transport, said: "This exciting plan matches the council's vision for transforming the town centre into a place to live as well as to work, shop and socialise.
"It's a significant leap forward in the council's strategy for regenerating the town centre, refreshing its 1960s streetscape and boosting the economic growth of the borough." 
Legal & Generals plans include community and retail space at ground level and a roof top garden area.
There will also be 160 car parking and 313 secure cycle spaces and a café on the corner of Park Street and Park Lane.
The planning committee granted permission to the scheme less than seven months after being presented with the pre-application enquiry.
Today's announcement made no mention of when the conversion will be completed.
Approval of the scheme follows last month's announcement of a £1 billion joint venture between retail giants Westfield and Hammerson to redevelop the Whitgift Centre.

I think he'll crunch you and you'll know you've been hit, but he would never, ever dream of that sort of thing at Huddersfield Town last Wednesday.

I totally believe, totally and utterly, really strongly, that that collision didn't need to be like that.

I tried to speak to the referee and unfortunately it ended up in a massive melee afterwards. But I was fuming.

Mile is severely injured, and Huddersfield can argue back, but the way it was ended was just so hideous from an opposition.

Only Keith Southern (pictured right) from their team came in and asked how he was.

He is one of the most fantastic people I've ever known in my life and I asked him to come and look at my captain.

He was absolutely devastated and I told him what I felt. I also told him what was said to my captain by the fella that did it.

I was expecting the player who did it to come and ask how a fellow professional is, just to say 'sorry' or 'I didn't mean that'.

That didn't happen, so I'm absolutely disgusted by that.

I went to the referee and showed him my captain's face and asked him how possibly, on earth, could this happen while he's refereeing a game, that he didn't see it, his assistants didn't see it and his other official didn't see it.

I asked him, with the greatest respect, 'how are you possibly good enough to officiate in a game like this if you didn't see it'? I don't think I was being rude or wrong, I had every right to ask how it could possibly happen, and that my whole squad saw it.

My captain stated it happened, he was on the floor, they played on, so no one is taking responsibility.

For me, this is what life is all about. You either like me or loathe me, I don't care, I try to take responsibility for actions or words.

Until this game gets back to that, the whole thing is back to a horrendous mess. It's getting greedier and greedier and more and more money.

I said to the Huddersfield chairman 'how can you be celebrating when my captain looks like that'?

If it was an accident, I felt he should have apologised. I played football for around 700 games, I'm short and I've got a big nose, which broke five times. I can honestly say every one of those was a fair challenge.

One of my players has got a broken nose and a fractured cheekbone, and he got up as fast as he could.

You have a duty to your fellow professionals to respect them.

Is elbowing someone in the face what we want to win a game? Where does it stop? And four officials can't see it? Well, they're not good enough then. How many more do you need?

Or is it about us as managers disciplining players who step out of line? When we were brought up, we were disciplined by the older players and that's what we need to get back.

We're supposed to be playing a wonderful game, and at the end of the day, integrity is far more important than any score.

To me, it's how you play the game and how you get results, especially after what happened last week to Mile.

AN OLYMPIC swimmer led more than 100 fundraisers who took to the water to get Purley Swimathon 2013 under way.

Adam Whitehead, who swam for Great Britain for ten years and competed in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, joined around 150 swimmers across 30 teams who were cheered on by spectators at Purley pool.

The opening session on Saturday afternoon, which saw more than 4,000 lengths swam in five hours for charity, has already raised thousands of pounds.

Organisers are hoping to smash last year's fundraising record of £25,000 by at least £2,000. Several more teams were due to compete last night (Thursday) in a roaring finale to this year's aquatic extravaganza, organised annually by Purley Rotary Club.

Rotary member Ken Trench said: "We had a record crowd which was great. It made a great evening more memorable for so many people to come along."

Swimmers of all ages, from children aged five to pensioners, joined in the fundraiser's kick-off, with sponsored organisations ranging from local adoption charity Cabrini to charities for Alzheimer's.

• More pictures from the Purley Swimathon 2013

Adam Whitehead, who completed lengths within "seconds", according to Mr Spencer, is also a former Commonwealth champion who won gold in 2002 for the 100m breaststroke. He also won gold in the 1998 European Championships.

Mr Trench added: "It's not every day an Olympic swimmer comes to Purley pool."

Also among the swimmers were three generations of the Tubb family. Bill Tubb, 75, led the brigade made up of sons Andrew and Richard and daughters Elizabeth and Emma, with the youngest his six-year-old grandchild.

The Purley family, who splashed through 120 lengths, were hoping to raise £800 for the Reedham Trust. The fundraising ritual brings family members from as far afield as Cornwall.

Palace were 1-0 down against our local rivals Charlton and were lucky at that. We were playing the kind of stuff nightmares are made of – aimless football with no team cohesion. No sign of the mighty juggernaut that was Palace from earlier in the campaign.

We were so dire as to even draw a few boos from the more disgruntled and Ian Holloway admitted to getting "a bit of stick" from the fans.

The stick comes with the territory when you're in the position of responsibility Ollie is. Our new manager has changed the way that Palace play and that has coincided with this recent run of poor form.

Until the second half got underway, that is. A cobbled-together midfield three made way and new 'boy' Kevin Phillips took to the field.

What a signing he's looking already. His movement around the final third really shook Charlton up and allowed the Eagles to start playing ball. Stephen Dobbie, on loan from... you know who... also impressed.

But it took the introduction of Jonny Williams in midfield to start pulling some strings and Palace looked almost back in business.

The pass-and-move combination play and this talk of Holloway's own brand of total football looked to finally click; Phillips creating the space, Murray exploiting it and Joniesta running the show. What a turnaround.

Damien Delaney, taking over captain duties with Mile Jedinak nursing a broken face and Paddy McCarthy still missing, gave a speech in the dressing room at half-time, urging the boys to kick on and get back to winning ways.

After seeing what those three points meant to the team, he could have inspired us to go on and do just that.

"GET it right" was the message from Coulsdon this week as plans for the regeneration of the town went public.

The council is being urged to ensure its masterplan for the town takes full advantage of opportunities for new investment in the town – not least Barratt's plans for redeveloping the Cane Hill site – but not at the expense of existing residents and small businesses.

The draft masterplan is due to be approved for public consultation at a meeting of the council's cabinet on Monday.

Its aims include identifying key opportunity sites such as the Lion Green Road car park and the former Red Lion pub site, now owned by supermarket Aldi, which offer chances for new retail, housing, leisure and commercial developments plus new jobs.

There have been suggestions that the Lion Green Road site could be used to provide Coulsdon with a much-needed second supermarket.

The plan also looks at improving the town's environment by creating new public spaces, introducing street trees and improving public transport, pedestrian and cycle links between the centre and the Cane Hill development.

Councillor Jason Perry, the council's cabinet member for planning, regeneration and transport, said the plan was about revitalising the town and "setting the scene for putting Coulsdon back into the good times".

He said: "This vision for Coulsdon is realistic, deliverable and exciting."

Cllr Perry stressed that Barratt's plans, which include building 650 new homes and 70,000 sq ft of space for commercial and leisure use, would play a vital role in the overall regeneration.

But he said: "What we don't want is a development which is separate from the town.

"It needs to be a benefit all round."

That was a sentiment echoed by Charles King, chairman of East Coulsdon Residents' Association, who said: "We are looking for a proper regeneration of Coulsdon, including Cane Hill, a development which we want to complement the town, not be in competition with it."

Mr King said residents did want to see a bigger supermarket run by one of the "top four" in the town.

He said: "But it has to benefit the rest of the community and businesses in the centre.

"We don't want people driving into somewhere like Lion Green Road doing their shopping and just driving off."

He also wanted to see the provision of new leisure facilities such as a skate park for youngsters to form part of the plan.

Mr King said: "Overall, I think that everybody thinks this masterplan could be really positive for Coulsdon, provided they get it right."

Alan Harris, whose family have run Coulsdon Home Hardware in Chipstead Valley Road since 1954, said: "What would help businesses no end would be houses on Cane Hill being built close enough to the town centre to allow people to walk to the shops that are here.

"If they are too far away and people drive, they could be just as likely to go to another town."

He added a new supermarket on Lion Green Road could benefit the centre, provided it was designed to allow easy access to the existing shops.

TWO housing projects which will deliver more than 260 new town centre homes are being given a financial kick-start.

The money comes from the Government-backed Get Britain Building fund administered by the Homes and Communities Agency.

The loans are designed to help housing developments, which may have stalled, get back on track.

Under the terms of the loans, work on chosen developments must be judged to have started by the end of March this year and be completed by the end of March 2015.

The loans announced this week will see Stanhope/Schroders Croydon Gateway Limited Partnership receive £3.7 million, enabling it to push ahead with the first phase of 163 homes on its Ruskin Square site next to East Croydon station.

A total of £4.5 million is being offered to the Durkan Group for its scheme to build 98 flats on the corner of Scarbrook Road and Wandle Road.

Planning permission was granted at the end of 2009.

A council spokesman said: "The bids were successful because of the collaborative approach between the council and the developers, which has demonstrated the ability and commitment of the parties to meet key funding, planning and construction requirements, including the completion of the schemes before March 2015."

Councillor Jason Perry, the council's cabinet member for planning, regeneration and transport, said: "This is excellent news, which not only shows the construction industry's confidence in Croydon, but also promotes the borough's importance as a place for employment opportunities and economic growth.

"It comes just days after the announcement by Hammerson and Westfield Shoppingtowns Ltd that they have joined forces to put in a £1 billion bid to redevelop our town centre shopping malls."

He added: "Croydon is re-asserting itself as the main destination in the south, outside of central London, for investment."

Ian Mason, fund director at Schroders, said: "We are delighted that Ruskin Square has been approved by the Homes and Communities Agency for £3.7 million funding. We have not yet submitted a planning application for the first phase of housing at Ruskin Square but we hope to be able to do so shortly."