PLANS which would involve the demolition of the council's Taberner House headquarters have been given their first public airing.
The scheme, which is part of the Croydon Urban Regeneration project, run jointly by Croydon Council and John Laing, would result in the 19-storey tower in Fell Road, Croydon, being demolished to make way for four new blocks.
The tallest would have 30 floors, two other buildings would have eight storeys, and the smallest would have six. Together, the new blocks would provide around 440 homes, with 1,600 square metres of commercial space on the ground floor.
New open space would be created in between the buildings, although ten trees in the adjoining Queen's Gardens would be lost as the new buildings encroach further into the present open space.
The main tower is ten storeys higher than originally envisaged but a report to the committee from planning officers suggested that this would have no extra impact on heritage buildings such as the nearby town hall or on views across the site.
A pre-application presentation has been made to the council's strategic planning committee.
Committee chairman Cllr David Osland said after the meeting: "Nobody raised any questions about the height of the main tower."
But he said members were concerned about the loss of trees in Queen's Gardens and wanted to ensure the courtyard was open to the public and not restricted to residents.
There was also concern that the number of three-bedroom homes in the development was, according to developers, not likely to exceed ten per cent; half of the total laid down for developments within the central Croydon Opportunity Area.
