Abandoned cars have made quiet road 'look like a breakers' yard'

RESIDENTS SAY PARKING SPACES ARE BEING TAKEN UP AND COUNCIL IS NOT DEALING WITH THE ISSUE

- By HARRISON GALLIVEN Local democracy reporter

FRUSTRATED residents along a Croydon street say their road has “become a breakers’ yard” for abandoned cars after claiming Croydon Council failed to act for nearly a decade.

Despite clearing similar sites across the borough, locals feel the council's neglect of their street “sums up Croydon Council”.

Kilmartin Avenue in Norbury, just off the busy London Road linking Croydon with Streatham and inner London, looks like a typical quiet residential street lined with large semi-detached houses. However, a closer look reveals curbs lined with abandoned cars, some being worked on by mechanics in the street.

Many of these vehicles take up valuable on-street parking normally used by residents and visitors. Most of the activity, especially at the top of the road, comes from the garage at 1124-1126 London Road.

This garage and the behaviour it attracts have caused frustration among residents for the past decade.

Sue Wavell, who has lived on the road for 36 years, said: “It used to be beautiful here,” but that this long-running issue had “ruined it”.

Another long-time resident near the garage shares that view, saying they have had to live their lives around the cars for years. He said: “It is just a general blight on the neighbourhood. It’s made the place look like a breakers’ yard.”

Neighbours claim the garage, reportedly run by a man named Dennis, regularly parks old or damaged vehicles along the street, taking up scarce residential parking.

Kilmartin Avenue has no yellow lines and is also home to several small local businesses that rely on available parking.

Residents told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that they often find themselves blocked in by rundown cars they claim are linked to the garage. While the vehicles are usually moved after residents approach Dennis, this is not always the case.