RESIDENTS living near Crystal Palace’s training ground have described the “chaos” the facilities cause in the local area.
Locals to the Premier League club’s training pitches are sick of the constant traffic and are worried about accidents happening in the future.
The Palace first team and their academy squads use the grounds which cover a whopping 50 acres just off Copers Cope Road in Beckenham.
Anthony, who has lived on the south-east London street for 14 years, complained of “arguing” and traffic issues when speaking to News Shopper.
The 54-year-old, who didn’t give a surname, said: “The facility is good and the people who work there are nice but there is a big problem with the traffic.
“For most of us that is the biggest issue because when that is bad it’s absolute chaos.
“There are horns honking and people arguing. Kids are always running across the street to get to their parents.
“It is really dangerous. When there is a tournament on all the parents gather outside my door.”
Anthony also told of “non-stop construction” at the training ground causing noise disturbances for himself and his neighbours.
Anthony isn’t the only resident that has grown tired of cars from the training ground causing problems either.
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Carol Sulivan, who has lived on the street for 25 years, claimed she didn’t use to be able to park on her own driveway before parking restrictions were put in place by the local council.
However, she is still unhappy with the amount of cars piling up on the street and is worried about young children and wildlife as a result of the road becoming “a racetrack”.
She fumed: “The parents park on either side of the road in big SUVs to drop their kids off and people can’t see anything.
“This road is a racetrack. I really worry about the youngsters. I have objected to them before because I am really worried about the local wildlife.
“The road is often part of a bus route, and the buses find it really hard to get down here.
“I just wish the club would let parents use their car park so they wouldn’t have to come out here.”
The cars aren’t just causing annoyance, but could lead to accidents in the future too.
You get wannabe boy racers. Dogs and cats have been killed along here.
There have been some really horrific accidents.
Howard Kanini
And one local, Howard Kanini, has explained that “horrific accidents” have already occurred with pets being killed by reckless driving.
The decorating consultant, who has worked on a number of the houses on the road, told News Shopper: “It is just constant. It is all a nuisance. The council has taken away a lot of parking bays.
“You get wannabe boy racers. Dogs and cats have been killed along here.
“There have been some really horrific accidents.”
Those living on the road have also expressed concern over plans to erect new floodlights for the training facilities.
As if no parking, dangerous driving and exessive noise wasn’t enough – the residents are now worried about light pollution keeping them up at night.
The new floodlights, which Crystal Palace claim would only be used to illuminate their training pitches, will stand at some 21-metres tall.
Locals have united in their displeasure at the approved plans for the the lights with concerns about bedroom windows facing towards the pitches at night.
A spokesperson from the Eagles has said: “We communicate directly with Copers Cope Road residents through a WhatsApp group and respond promptly to any concerns as we take our responsibilities to be a good neighbour very seriously.
“We manage any traffic or parking issues pro-actively and can reassure residents that floodlights will only illuminate the pitches.
“We are proud of our role in the community, having invested more than £30 million in world-class Academy facilities for boys and girls, which also provide significant local community and charitable use through the Palace for Life Foundation.
“The final construction phase of the site is under way, and we believe our investment has improved the aesthetics and security of the site immeasurably, which was previously very run-down and used by multiple businesses with no security, no traffic management and poor upkeep.”
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