Lucindas dress shop Croydon fears future over flooding

Flash floods in Purley over the last few months, which left cars and bins overturned, have left business owners fearing for their futures.

Lucindas women’s clothing boutique has been a fixture of Purley for the past 40 years.

According to 75-year-old owner Mary Coughlan, the family-run business has survived recessions and become the longest-running family business in the town centre of the Croydon neighbourhood.

Lucindas occupies a central point on Russell Hill Parade and its distinctive signage on the side of the shop has become familiar to locals and passers-by.

However, its very location at the bottom of Purley valley places the business in a uniquely difficult position.

In the years since opening, Lucindas has constantly had to deal with floodwater surges, which build up into a ‘reservoir’ behind her shop.

Once the flooding eventually subsides, Mary is often left with ruined stock and a courtyard of ‘stinking waste’ and rats.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Mary told how this problem keeps her up at night and now threatens a business which has brought people into Purley for years.

She said: “When the heavens open and we have a real monsoon, we don’t have a hope then. We have a bottleneck at the back of the shop, and without fail it comes down like the rapids and builds up like a little reservoir.”

From the frontage and inside the boutique, the thought of dirty floodwater seems miles away.

However, beyond the glamorous shop floor, you are met with a bundle of rags and sandbags piled up at the back door of the shop.

Mary said: “We have to put these sandbags down, even in the day, just in case there’s a flash flood.

“It’s extraordinary and you can’t imagine it when it’s not raining. We’ve had the tide mark up to here [she points to a spot halfway up the wall]. How it happens god only knows.”

The courtyard behind the shops on Russell Hill Road is private land and is shared by several businesses.

However, by being at the end of the parade of the shops, Lucindas takes the brunt of the rainwater.

According to Mary, recent floods have seen the water penetrate the shop and ruin racks of expensive clothing. “Everything from cashmere jumpers to expensive wedding gowns were ruined,” she told the LDRS.

Matters are made worse by the recurrence of commercial bins toppling over in the flood surge and spilling their contents into the water.

This further contaminates the water and leaves debris like pizza boxes, nappies and bottles floating around the back of the shop.

When the water finally drains out of the drain and custom-made drains Mary’s team has had to build in a wall next to the shop, the courtyard is left with silt, sludge and debris across the floor.

Mary said: “It’s stinking and the rubbish from bins disintegrates and fills up the soakaway.”

Rats have also been attracted to the area as a result of the fallen debris, to the point where some local businesses have employed a dedicated rat catcher. The LDRS even saw several rats outside the premises during a recent visit to the shop.

While the rat catcher has brought down the infestation, Mary says the root cause of the floods remains unaddressed and believes Croydon Council and other organisations must start to take some responsibility. She told the LDRS how she has always had to ‘clear up the mess’ even though she has had no part to play in the flood build-up.

During a recent meeting Mary had with Croydon Council, its contractors FM Conway and Transport for London (TfL), Mary says the council said she could have support following a flash flood. This was supposed to take the form of an emergency number she could call, but she said that when she did try to use this number no help was forthcoming.

She and local Conservative councillor Samir Dwesar, who has worked with her on the flooding issue, believe the council has an important role to play in flood prevention and the protection of local businesses. They believe the council should also take more of a role given the number of council tenants living in flats above the parade of shops, who also stand to be affected.

While Mary has often been able to rely on community members and staff at Lucindas to clear up after a flood, she says this is increasingly hard to do. She now wants the council to support her to help clean up after floods.

She said: “I have paid business rates there all these years, it isn’t fair and we are contributing to the community. The least the council can do is put in a team whilst the bigger flood work is happening.”

Mary says she is willing to pay to clear the main drain behind the shop, but insists that most of the problem begins uphill with the lack of cleared drains and gullies.

Cllr Dwesar told the LDRS how TfL, which manages the A23 red route where much of the rainwater descends from, also bears some responsibility for the flood damage.

He told the LDRS: “TfL must take responsibility for the promises it made to me last year, with swift action needed on gully upgrades, trial holes, gully sensors and increased monitoring.

"Flooding affects much of Purley and Woodcote, but the back of the Russell Hill Parade of shops and the Foxley Lane area are real hotspots.”

Much of Purley town centre is deemed to have a high surface water flood risk. Earlier this year, the roundabout area saw flooding so bad, Mary said ‘you could sail a big boat in the Tesco underpass’.

However, cllr Dwesar told the LDRS that it’s small businesses like Lucindas who suffer the most as they don’t have the manpower and funds to keep themselves afloat.

He told the LDRS: “I feel sorry for hardworking business owners like Mary Coughlan of Lucindas whose shocking pictures and videos of flooding incidents and their aftermath speak for themselves.

“It is vital that Mary and local residents are provided with appropriate support when they are severely impacted. As soon as the rain comes along I think of Mary, I just know something bad is going to happen.”

Dllr Dwesar, who is part of the Tory-led council, added: “I’m pleased that the council has added Foxley Lane to its flood alleviation programme and committed to increasing gully cleaning locally.

"It is also welcome news that surveys of all the drains in this area are currently being undertaken.”

While Purley has received some flood support, both Cllr Dwesar and Mary feel the recent boom in residential housing around the town centre will only exacerbate the problem.

Lucindas sits right next to a particularly contentious future development site, known as the 17-storey Purley Skyscraper, which was approved by the planning inspectorate in 2020 but has since laid dormant.

If this tower is eventually, Mary fears the floo water that currently drains into the empty site will be further boxed into her courtyard, leading to more damage.

She said: “Once this 17-storey goes up, there’s going to be a solid wall from the top all the way down. We will be surrounded by a wall and will be hemmed in even further.”

Cllr Dwesar told the LDRS: “Unfortunately, efforts to improve flood mitigation aren’t helped by the significant increase in new developments locally.

"I’m therefore hoping council officers find a proportion of the financial contributions that developers are required to contribute for flood defence efforts.”

Croydon Council were approached for comment but failed to respond in time for publication.

A TfL spokesperson said: “We apologise to those affected by the flooding issue in Purley town centre.

"We’re working closely with the London Borough of Croydon, FM Conway and Thames Water to address the flooding risks and improve road and drainage systems in that area, whilst working around the challenge of the site being at the bottom of a hill.

“We have successfully reduced the severity and frequency of flooding incidents over the last few years due to a number of interventions, which includes a more regular cleaning regime.

"Further works are planned, which cover trialling sensors to monitor water levels, repairs to pipes and new water run-off systems that are less likely to be blocked.”