Member Article

Iconic Cane Hill site set for major Barratt Homes development

An abandoned 205 acre site that was previously home to Cane Hill psychiatric hospital is set to be transformed into nearly 700 new homes in Croydon.

The Deputy Mayor of Housing and Land Richard Blakeway today marked the beginning of construction at Cane Hill Park, in partnership with Barratt Homes.

Cane Hill Park will provide up to 675 new homes, of which 25 per cent are deemed “affordable” as well as a new ‘urban centre’ for Croydon.

The development includes 3,000 square metres of office space, the retention and refurbishment of three locally-listed historic buildings, new access and connections with Coulsdon Town Centre, and new public open space.

It is expected that the project will create approximately 1,300 construction jobs. The new homes are designed with energy-efficiency in mind and will include rooftop solar panels as well as an innovative waste-water heat recovery system to reduce their ecological footprint.

London’s Deputy Mayor for Housing and Land, Richard Blakeway, said: “The transformation of this massive site into hundreds of new homes, new employment space, green areas and health facilities is a superb example of how previously empty public land can be put to the best possible use. Cane Hill will make a lasting difference to Croydon and Coulsdon Town, and projects like it are key additions to London’s housing supply.”

The hillside site is a ten minute walk from Coulsdon South Station and is a key component of Croydon Council’s aspiration to revitalise Coulsdon Town Centre. The developer will contribute £1.25m to Croydon Council and TfL for the provision of new bus routes or extension of existing ones, as well as an increase in frequency of buses running between Cane Hill Park and Coulsdon Town centre.

Barratt Homes regional managing director Gary Ennis said: “We are delighted to get started on Cane Hill. On top of the much-needed new homes and regeneration for Coulsdon, the development will support thousands of jobs for local people, including apprenticeships and traineeships and those within the supply chain locally.

“We will also be providing millions of pounds of investment for local transport infrastructure and services like health and education. Getting to this point has been a result of a very successful partnership with Croydon Council, the Mayor of London and the local community. It’s a partnership we aim to build upon continue over the coming months and years.”

Cane Hill Park forms a key part of the Mayor of London’s commitment to dispose of all public land in his ownership by the end of his mayoral term in 2016. At present, 98 per cent of his land has been released.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .