Roads in Croydon. Pic: TFL

A consultation has been launched into a new £85 million road-scheme set to pass through Croydon.

The consultation, launched last week, will run until March 15. If the proposal goes ahead, it could help cut journey times and meet the increase in demand driven by growth in the local population.

Croydon’s Council are putting around £20 million into the scheme. However, a number of Croydon homes and a popular public park in South Croydon could be at risk if the roads were to be given the go ahead.

Green Party candidate for Croydon South constituency, Peter Underwood, said: “The Green Party is against the project. It will bring more chaos. Building more roads is not the way to reduce the traffic.”

“It will attract more people to drive into Croydon. We need to improve public transport and be aware of the issue of air pollution.”

Mr Underwood highlighted one of the main problems as the project being proposed “before opposition”. He said: “Nobody asked the people what they want…The benefit is not for the residents.”

The scheme puts forward two different proposals for the A23/A232 junction in Fiveways. The first is a road, cycle and pedestrian bridge connecting the A232 between Croydon Road and Duppas Hill Road. The consultation is also proposing widening the A23 where it crosses the railway by Waddon station and making Epsom Road wider to accommodate two-way traffic.

Croydon Labour Councillor and cabinet member for environment and transport, Kathy Bee, told EastLondonLines: “Some of the properties in the area will be affected.”

“But at the moment it is a difficult junction, horrible for cyclists and pedestrians with congestion and poor air quality.”

Ms Bee said that TFL will be “responsible for the final design”.

Locals will have to wait until autumn 2015 for a consultation report, but work is not expected to begin until winter 2018/19.