Croydon residents have called for ‘community use’ of the Wandle Park café after fears that the council’s plans to reopen it next year will fail.
The café houses the park’s only public toilets and previously acted as a community hub before it was closed during lockdown.
The café, once a lively hub for visitors enjoying a cup of tea or coffee, has been shuttered to the public since the pandemic. The purpose-built café cost £3.5million of council and national lottery money, but its use has been sporadic due to the departure of its previous two tenants.
Its closure has meant that Croydon’s most central park has now been without a community hub for a number of years, leading many in the community to feel that the park has become ‘less of a place to stay and play’. Simon Jones lives nearby and has been involved with it for a number of years as a ‘Friend of Wandle Park’.
While he admitted he was the only surviving member of the former Friends group, he insisted that the cafe’s continued closure was holding back the future potential of Croydon’s central green space. He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “The group are trying to get in and run the place as a community.
“We are aware there is a candidate in the pipeline, but if that falls through like it has done in the past, this could go on forever. What we’re saying is we want access to the café and its amenities in the meantime.”
Alongside a café, storage and an event space that can be hired out, the closure of the building has deprived the local community of the only public toilets in the park. Residents have felt this absence greatly, and they have seen a dramatic drop in public toilets across the borough.
Mr Jones added: “The toilets are a major issue, and whoever has the lease runs the toilet. There are a lot of people here in the summer. There used to be a block of toilets in the park, but they were knocked down. As we know, public toilets are usually the first thing to go as Croydon Council is not obligated to provide toilets.”
Despite previous promises to reopen this year, Croydon Council kept the café shut due to issues with its roof. Previous attempts were also squandered when a new operator pulled out of plans to take it over. However, these issues are now resolved, and the council hopes to have a new tenant in the café by Spring 2025.
Mr Jones was joined by other community members outside the shuttered café last weekend in a show of support for the cafe’s reopening and greater inclusion of local residents. While the cafe’s reopening remained a priority to them, many were insistent that the café be affordable and reflective of the needs of the local area.
Mr Jones said: “The first tenants were really enthusiastic and put a lot of effort into it. They wanted to make money out of the café, but this part of the borough is generally poorer. People in parks in Wandsworth wouldn’t think of spending £10 on a coffee and cake. A lot of people can’t afford that here.”
The café also adjoins the Wandle Park community garden, where residents can grow fruit and vegetables in a handful of brightly decorated planters. Chaba, a keen gardening enthusiast, hopes the cafe’s reopening will attract more people who will learn to grow seasonal vegetables. He said: “Children need to come here to learn, it’s about education.”
Waddon’s Labour councillors Rowenna Davis and Ellily Ponnuthurai have been active in pushing for the café’s reopening since lockdown and were responsible for the community event last Saturday (December 14). They told the LDRS: “It’s devastating having our café closed. A total waste of space to have it sitting here shut up for years when it should be bringing in joy and business.
“How can the Mayor say he wants Croydon to be open for business when he can’t even open his own café. The community has proved they can run it, even if he can’t. It’s amazing to see everyone come together and share cake and a hot drink in this beautiful treasure of a park, especially with the fairy lights twinkling.
“Hats off to the residents who made this happen. They have Labour’s backing 100 per cent.”
A spokesperson for Croydon Council said: “We are working to protect and preserve our green spaces and parks, as part of our priority to create a cleaner and safer borough. We know that our residents and visitors to Wandle Park want to see the café re-opened so they can enjoy the community facility and feel safer.
“The café has been closed longer than expected due to delays during the tendering process for a new café operator. This included a prospective operator cancelling during the process. We are committed to getting this facility re-opened for the benefit of locals and visitors. We are speaking to prospective, local operators and aim to have one in place to enable the café to reopen in the spring.”
