Churchyard part of deal to build 161 homes

9:44am Wednesday 2nd April 2008

Comments (12)   Have your say »

AN ANCIENT churchyard which became a wildlife haven after it closed six years ago is to get a new lease of life.

But the price Crayford people will pay for the extension to the St Paulinus churchyard, in Perry Street, will be 161 new flats on nearby fields.

Developer City and Docklands Perry Street Ltd has "gifted" the land for the extension to the churchyard.

This was after receiving planning permission to build three blocks of flats on open land further along Perry Street.

The housing development was supported by Crayford councillors at the planning control sub-committee, but opposed by the residents whose homes are next to the development site, and the town forum.

No-one was available from the company to say whether the church would have got the new graveyard site if the plans for the homes had been refused.

City and Docklands Perry Street intends to build three blocks of flats on a three-acre field next to Victoria Scott Court, a sheltered housing scheme in Perry Street.

The development will consist of 81 one- bedroom, 62 two-bedroom, eight three- bedroom, two four-bedroom and eight studio flats, 47 of which will be affordable homes.

Emma Sampson, speaking on behalf of the residents of the neighbouring Ashurst Close, said one of the blocks would be just a few feet away from her home.

She claimed the development was too big, would change the open character of the area and bring even more traffic onto Perry Street.

Ms Sampson also claimed not all the residents had been told about the plans and many felt they had not had an opportunity to express their views.

Ian Lindon from the Crayford Forum said its members were unhappy the blocks would be three storeys high and Perry Street has no direct bus route.

The agent for the developer, Barry Stanford, said the new homes would "round off the development in Perry Street and create a strong boundary with the rest of the surrounding fields which are Metropolitan Open Space".

Crayford councillor Melvin Seymour said the town needed more quality accommodation and the development would benefit the wider community.

He said the council was trying to obtain bus routes along Perry Street.

Cllr Seymour added: "This development, attached to the graveyard plans, will benefit Crayford for a number of years to come."

Fellow Crayford councillor Howard Marriner also backed the development but said a lights-controlled pedestrian crossing in Perry Street was "imperative".

Councillor John Fuller agreed with residents' concerns about the traffic in Perry Street, claiming it was often at a standstill when football matches were being played at nearby Crayford Arrows.

He said he would like to see more two-storey houses to blend in with existing homes.

Councillor John Eastaugh said he was surprised to see flats being built in that location, but the plans were approved by eight votes to four.

As part of its proposals, the developer also bought a 2.2-acre field next to St Paulinus, which is currently used to graze horses.

City and Docklands Perry Street now plans to hand this over to the church, so it can reopen the churchyard for burials.

The church was built in 1100, and the closure of the churchyard in 2002 because it was full was a blow to the town.

Since then, it has been turned into a wildlife-friendly living churchyard project.

Crayford councillor Geraldene Lucia-Hennes was named by Cllr Seymour as the driving force behind the deal to get the churchyard reopened.