Category: Environment

Healthy School Streets Consultation

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Healthy School Streets – Have Your Say

Croydon Council would like to hear what you think about plans to introduce six new Healthy School Streets in Croydon.

Following the introduction of 40 Healthy School Streets across the borough, the Council have been working with schools to understand where there is an interest in introducing a new scheme, but before doing so, the Council are keen to hear your views.

The schools being considered are:

  • Applegarth Academy, Addington CR0 9DL
  • Beulah Road Infant and Nursery, Thornton Heath CR7 8NJ
  • Harris Primary Academy Purley Way, South Croydon CR0 4FE
  • John Wood Primary School, Croydon CR0 6JA
  • Riddlesdown Collegiate, Purley CR8 1EX
  • Rowdown Primary School, New Addington CR0 0EG

What are Healthy School Streets?

Healthy School Streets help pupils to have safer, healthier journeys to and from school, by restricting the roads outside the school during school drop-off and pick-up times.

This encourages parents and pupils to leave the car at home more often for the school run, and instead choose more sustainable and active means of travel, such as walking, cycling, or scooting. Healthy School Streets benefit residents by decreasing motor traffic in their neighbourhood during busy pick-up and drop-off hours – reducing congestion, noise, and air pollution.

Benefits of Healthy School Streets:

  • Safer school journeys for pupils
  • Make it easier to choose sustainable travel like walking and cycling
  • Cleaner and less polluted streets
  • Improve our air quality
  • Encourage active travel, helping to promote healthy lifestyles

How do I get involved?

Before making a decision on the future of these schemes we want to hear from local residents and drivers who use the roads on the proposals.

Take the consultation survey between Wednesday 8 May and Tuesday 28 May to give your views.

The Council encourage everyone to provide their views, this includes pupils, parents and school staff.

For any scheme specific enquiries or if you require the consultation information in a different format contact Croydon Council on 020 8726 6000, 9am – 4pm Monday – Friday, or email: healthyschoolstreets@croydon.gov.uk

Note: when contacting Croydon Council via email you must enter the scheme specific reference in the subject line.

What happens next?

Feedback will be used to develop recommendations that will be reported to Cabinet, It will then decide on the future of the schemes.

If approved, further consultation will be held on the Healthy School Streets during the summer.

Power for People – A Good Year

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This year our Community Energy Revolution campaign made excellent progress, thanks to the many who helped at key moments. As we look forward to next year, here is what we achieved in 2023:

1. Thousands of you wrote to your MPs…

If you were one of the many who got in touch with their MP, a massive thank you. It kept the momentum up in Parliament and in constituencies

2. …and we helped many of you respond to their emails.

MPs’ emails can be long and highly technical. We helped you respond to and, when necessary, refute their points. This often shifted an MP’s stance, helped bring many new MPs on board and kept supportive MPs engaged.

3. A majority of MPs in the House of Commons now back new community energy enabling measures.

Our collective efforts have led to this impressive milestone. 326 MPs from all major parties now publicly support the Local Electricity Bill: our proposed law that would empower community energy groups to sell their clean power directly to local people.

4. We won two legislative votes in the House of Lords…

On two separate occasions, we beat the Government whip to see our proposals to help community energy projects included in Government legislation. These victories helped secure new supportive measures from Government.

5. …and got community energy to the top of the agenda at several debates in Parliament.

At several debates this year on energy legislation, community energy was the most featured topic. Given the sector’s current size, this is an outstanding achievement and demonstrates the strength of our collective power.

6. We secured a new £10 million fund for community projects across England…

Our collective advocacy for community energy led to the Government introducing the first new fund to help community energy projects in over six years.

7. ….and we got the Government to promise a consultation on removing the barriers blocking community energy sector growth.

This is a new avenue to achieve reforms to help community energy thrive. When the consultation opens, we will be asking everyone to submit responses to ensure that we can make the most of this excellent opportunity. Again, we will be here to help.

8. Government Ministers are responding more favourably.

This year saw a shift in how the Government treats community energy. For many years they have declined to take action to help create growth in local renewable energy generation. Now, community energy is a subject they are ever more questioned and challenged on in Parliament and they have started to act to empower it.

All the above is testament to our determined collective persistence. We can carry this momentum into the new year as we continue the push for reforms to enable community energy to thrive.

Thank you for making this a good year and I wish you a happy and restful festive break.

Rupert Meadows
Campaigner

Find out more at the Power for People website.