TWO major planning applications for Coulsdon are being put on hold while developers reconsider plans for surrounding roads and parking, following public outcry.
Developers are looking in particular at the possibility of an access road from the A23 on the south side of Coulsdon onto the planned 650-plus new homes in Cane Hill.
The move follows massive public pressure on the council for that option, prompting council leader Mike Fisher to promise, at a public meeting in October, that it would be explored.
As well as the application from Barratt Homes for Cane Hill, CCURV, the council's partnership with developer John Laing, has applied to turn the car park in Lion Green Road into a supermarket with parking.
In an e-mail to residents' groups last week, the council's director of planning, Mike Kiely, said: "These matters have been discussed with Barratts and CCURV and additional work is being undertaken between the respective highway consultants, Transport for London and the council.
"It is expected that this will be reflected in changes to the Transport Appraisal for both applications and, with respect to the Cane Hill development, the Environmental Assessment.
"When this additional material is available a further consultation on both applications will be undertaken in the usual manner."
The move has been welcomed in Coulsdon, where concerned local residents recently distributed some 5,000 leaflets to homes around town drawing attention to the proposals.
Local resident and traffic adviser Peter Morgan said: "This does not mean that we are promised changes, such as a southern access to the A23 for Cane Hill, and more parking and a widened Lion Green Road for the car park scheme.
"This does, however, represent a huge step forward."
He added: "The key thing is that anyone who has views on either scheme should continue to be alert and lobby the council and councillors to get the changes they want."
Mr Kiely added the applications would be reported to the council's planning committee once all the processes were complete, but no date had been set for that yet.
The decision to re-explore traffic plans follows the council's withdrawal last month of the Coulsdon Masterplan, following a legal challenge from Chipstead residents.
A council spokesman said: "The content of the masterplan, and the background studies which informed it, were not the subject matter of the legal challenge and therefore these can still be referred to and relied upon by the council in determining planning applications."
