Wednesday 9th June 2010

(13 years, 11 months ago)

Petitions
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The Petition of the supporters of Croydon FC,
Declares that there have been talks with Croydon Council for many years about providing security of tenure for Croydon FC at the Arena, South Norwood, as well as talks about the destruction of the playing fields to the south of the Arena as a result of their use as a place to dump spill from the construction of Croydon Tramlink, and that no progress has been made with these talks.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to ask Croydon Council to bring the discussions with Croydon FC to a positive conclusion for both parties and for the South Norwood community.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Mr Andrew Pelling, Official Report, 7 April 2010; Vol. 508, c. 41P.]
[P000826]
Observations from the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport:
The issue regarding Croydon FC’s tenure at the Arena, South Norwood is a matter that should be resolved by the Local Authority and Croydon FC. Government cannot get involved in the local decision making process.
In respect of the playing fields situated to the south of the Arena, under planning guidance, local authorities are required to protect all open space which communities need. For this reason, the dumping of spill from the nearby Tramlink development should be dealt with as a priority by the local authority.