This section gives information about local services – from shopping to getting rid of rubbish. It will be particularly helpful for newcomers to the area but we hope that other residents too will find it useful.
WHERE?
Food and household shopping
The Kiosk Convenience Store in Chichester Road has a wide range of groceries and papers etc. It sells stamps and delivers newspapers daily. Open 7.00am – 8.30pm Monday – Saturday (closes at 6.00pm on Sundays). The nearest supermarket is Sainsbury’s in the Whitgift Centre or Lidl in Church Street. There is also a smaller Sainsburys store in George Street which opens 6.00am-11.00pm every day and one nearer the station open till 11.00pm daily.
Do-it-yourself
For making minor repairs to your property Croydon DIY opposite the Church Street tram stop or the shop above the escalators in the Whitgift Centre which stocks an amazing selection of things . For bigger projects, try B & Q or IKEA off Purley Way.
Money
Nearest cash machines are at East Croydon station at the left hand side of the entrance. Beware – they charge for cash withdrawals. The nearest bank is the Co-operative Bank on George Street, down from the station. It has an ATM as does the small Sainsburys on George Street by the roundabout.
Parks
Nearest parks are Park Hill Recreation Ground (get to it from Chichester Road – look for the Water Tower) and Lloyd Park (get to it from the other end of Chichester Road – turn right into Park Hill Rise and keep walking south.)
Pharmacies
Nearest pharmacy is Osbon (St Clare) in George Street (between Wendy’s and McDonald’s) open 8.30am – 6.30pm (Mon-Fri) 9.00am – 5pm (Sat).
Schools
For information how to apply for a place in a State school in Croydon, go to the ‘Schools Admission’ section on the Croydon Council website – www.croydon.gov.uk. For information about admissions to fee paying schools, go to the school’s website.
WHEN?
Buses
Services 64 and 433 which link Park Hill Road and East Croydon station run every 10 minutes during the week and at longer intervals at other times such as Sundays. (At East Croydon, there are frequent rail services to London and a range of other bus services – X26 provides a link to London Airport Heathrow.). The 64 provides a useful service to Croydon University Hospital.
Parking
Street parking is free after 5.00pm and before 9.00am Monday-Saturday and on Sundays. You may park on single yellow lines at those times provided you don’t block other road users. At other times you may park only in parking bays with meters. You can get an annual parking permit from the Council – apply on-line at www.croydon.gov.uk. Don’t park at any time on double yellow lines or red route lines.
HOW TO?
Find a doctor
Local practices are: East Croydon Medical Centre, 59 Addiscombe Road CR0 6SD (it hopes to return in June to its rebuilt building there from exile in Edridge Road); Friends Road Medical Practice, Friends Road CR0 1ED; or Birdhurst Medical Practice, Birdhurst Avenue CR2 7DX. You will need to register at one of these practices before you can get treatment there. If you are not registered or need urgent help out of hours, go to the 24 telephone NHS helpline on 111. They will advise you where you should go to get treatment, whether you need to go to hospital, to see a GP or go to a pharmacy and if necessary will make arrangements for you.
Contact police and fire
For emergencies only, phone 999 for police, fire and ambulance. For non-urgent calls to the police, phone 101. To contact the local police team, phone the Safer Neighbourhood team on 07920 233887 but do not use this to report crime as it is not always manned.
Find a Church
St Matthew’s (Church of England) is in Chichester Road. Many local activities take place there as well as religious services. For other denominations and faiths, check websites.
Deal with the rubbish
A complicated business. There are different arrangements for houses and maisonettes, and walk-up flats. If your rubbish is not collected, phone 020 8726 6200 or report on-line at www.croydon.gov.uk .
Houses
Rubbish has to be separated into: food; paper and cardboard; recyclable items such as plastics, tins and glass; and other household waste. Food waste is collected every week in a black box. Paper and cardboard are collected every two weeks (in a bin with a blue lid or occasionally in a blue box). Recyclable items (plastics, tins, glass) are collected every two weeks (in a bin with black lid or maybe in a green box). Any other household waste is collected separately every two weeks. Collections are usually on the same day of the week.
For dates of collection, go to www.croydon.gov.uk and then ‘Environment’ and ‘Waste Recycling’. Put in your address and post code and this should open a page giving dates for all the collections for your property.
You must put your boxes out the night before the collection at the edge of your property. If you need new bins, contact the Council on 020 8726 6200 or report on-line as above.
If you have large items to dispose of, take them to the Council dumps in Factory Lane CR0 3RL or at Purley Oaks CR8 1DL. Both are open seven days a week. Check opening times on the Council website under ‘recycling centres’. You will need to get a permit the first time you go – the website tells you what this involves. The Council will also collect items such as domestic appliances and furniture for a charge (from £31 for 1-3 items upwards). Phone 020 8726 6200 and arrange a time. You will have to put the item to be collected out on the edge of your property. Garden waste is collected separately year round but there is a charge (from £65 upwards). You need to enrol on-line: go to ‘Croydon council garden waste’ on Google.
Walk-up flats
Rubbish is put in a storage area. You will need to separate your rubbish into three: food (collected each week); recyclables such as glass and paper; and other things which can’t be recycled (these are collected every two weeks). Put the different things in the separate bins in the storage area.
________________________________________________________________________________________
This note has been prepared by Park Hill Residents Association which represents the people of Park Hill and updated May 23 2023. We can’t cover everything here – there is a lot we could say for instance about places to eat and entertainment. If you have questions which this note hasn’t answered, contact us via the website or email info@phra.org.uk and we shall do our best to answer them.
