The former Rose & Young showroom in Croydon Road, Caterham. Photograph by Andy Parr
Rose & Young ...
I moved here to Caterham in 1997, but had been coming here to visit my famly since the 1980s. I'm appalled that Rose & Young has been left as an eyesore for so many years. I agree entirely with Gordon Frith in 'Readers' Letters' (Nov. Ed)- not to vote for any of the the councillors until we see some sort of action, though I know that nothing will transpire from ordinary people, trying to put forward their point of view. On a similar subject, how long will the Adult Education Centre be left to deteriorate; such a lovely building.
I also went to a meeting some 3-4 years ago regarding Soper Hall, which has no further developments either and obviously will soon be dilapidated. Why doesn't Peter Ainsworth or any others for Liberal or Labour do anything regarding these places I've mentioned?
R.Legg, Caterham Valley.
... the saga goes on
The saga of the site seems to go on and on without any solution. We hear so many rumours but nothing so far other than the stubbornness of the owner of the site. Is the land up for sale or has it been "land banked" until prices go even higher? We need a consortium to put their heads and their money together to invest in the land and put it to good use.
Caterham desperately needs more shop premises to encourage more high street shops to have small branches here. The idea of trying to encourage shoppers to shop locally is to have more well known shops especially along the Valley, which would have a knock on effect to those already established there. This would encourage those who park in Morrisons car park to venture out of the precinct and see what a choice of other interesting shops there are in Caterham.
Please Mr Owner/s of the Rose and Young site, see sense please sell us back the land - we need it so that Caterham can become a more comprehensive shopping area like it used to be - how long do you plan this 'saga' to go on for?
Maureen Jeffery, Caterham.
Rose & Young - the Council's response
I refer to Gordon Frith's letter in your November edition about the Rose & Young site.`
I share the concerns of local residents and businesses about the building's appearance, but the site is privately owned. As such, the Council has limited scope for solving the problem and has decided it cannot risk millions of pounds of taxpayers' money to acquire the site on a speculative basis.
The Council has invited the owners to discuss 'the car park plan', but they have not responded. In the absence of the owners' consent, this particular initiative could cost the Council in the region of £2m. Speculative and risky expenditure on this scale would exhaust our reserves - something I could not justify to council tax payers for the sake of improving one single site. The issue has been debated by councillors and we have taken the decision not to pursue the proposal.
An initiative with adequate financial backing from other sources remains the only realistic solution. The Council did grant planning permission for offices to the owners back in 2003, but I assume they did not find it economically viable to proceed. However, as a planning authority, we are keen to enable a sustainable scheme and remain available to advise and encourage any prospective developers who have ideas for the site.
While this response will bring little comfort to your readers, I hope it clarifies the situation. The Council cannot act as a property speculator, by acquiring a site which risks so much public money.
Councillor Martin Fisher Chairman, Tandridge District Council's Resources Committee.
R.A.F Association
I was very interested in Peter Simpson's letter concerning the National Service R.A.F Association, in your November issue; I have been aware of its existence for quite some time. However, a branch of the Royal Air Forces Association has existed in the area since 1947, the Kenley & Caterham branch. As the word 'forces' implies, we cater for serving and ex- Service personnel of the U.K, Commonwealth and ex-pats. Being adjacent to the former R.A.F Station, Kenley, we once had a fairly large membershp. When the R.A.F vacated Kenley in 1977, our branch set up our H.Q. on the station, in the Portcullis Club. It does seem to our members that a large proportion of the local population are unaware of our existence, and others have little or no idea of our function and what the R.A.F.A. represents. We welcome new members, as well as 'Associates'. Anyone interested can obtain more information by calling 'Mike' Roach, on 0208 668 3408 (Branch Chairman) and 'Bert' Fane on 01883 347595 (Club Chairman and Membership Secretary).
Ken Sayers (Standard Bearer), Caterham.
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