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Starting at TBXH in Sunley House, key decision-makers, local businesses and investors were treated to a lovely breakfast and networking session with introductions from Katharine Glass, Director, Develop Croydon; Bonnie Ross, Associate Director, Develop Croydon; Vanessa Clark, Managing Partner, Chase Sinclair Clark; and Richard Pillow, Development Consultancy Director, SHW.

 

Katharine Glass said: “Together, we seek to promote the regeneration of the borough as a place to live, work and enjoy leisure.

 

“Croydon has always been a place of grand plans… but now we have plans that are fit for purpose, and most importantly they are becoming a reality at a surprising rate. Today, we aim to showcase Croydon’s most iconic landmarks and regeneration developments.”

Then, off we went. We walked up Bedford Road and onto Dingwall Road towards George Street, the tour passed Bart & Taylor’s newest venue, Trickle, which will be opening this summer, marking their third Croydon establishment.

 

Further up the road, the tour was able to see the new 2,390 sq ft letting on the ground floor in AMP House for BFT, the global fitness company. Ahead, attendees saw volumetric developer Tide’s landmark development – College Road – comprising two buildings: a 50-storey BTR development with 817 one-bed and studio apartments, and a 35-storey building providing 120 affordable homes. The 50-storey, 163-metre building, also claims Europe’s tallest volumetric modular tower title and is the largest co-living asset class scheme to have been approved by the Greater London Authority.

 

Until now the ‘Europe’s tallest volumetric modular tower’ record was held by another of Tide’s developments, neighbouring Ten Degrees, which includes a 135-metre tower and was completed in 2020.

 

Heading next to Ruskin Square, next to East Croydon Station, attendees viewed various noteworthy buildings like Mosaic East (owned by Feldberg Capital), Ruskin 1 (acquired by HM Revenue & Customs for £115 million in January), Ruskin 2 and Ruskin 3 – where Schroders and Stanhope recently secured planning approval for a 14-storey office tower to provide 290,000 sq. ft of office space alongside retail provision.

 

 

Delegates then boarded the coach outside the Superdrug HQ, passing many more residential and commercial developments supporting local demands, including Menta’s developments on Cherry Orchard Road (Morello Quarter) and the 1960s complex, Zodiac Court, which is being transformed into new homes and amenity spaces. In recent news, Croydon council confirmed planning consent to revamp the hard-landscaped forecourt at Zodiac into a new garden for the area — co-designed with the local people who will be using it. 

 

The tour then visited the Beddington Industrial Area with Alex Gale, Senior Partner, SHW providing experienced commentary on how Croydon is utilising its 6m sq. ft of space. He shared that the industrial market is focused on storage and distribution and last-mile internet delivery – some companies in the area include Argos, Fruitful Office and Tropic Skincare.

 

Croydon’s Purley Way followed – a huge industrial and logistics hub, it is home to major retailers including Amazon, Costco, IKEA, Curry’s and a newly opened M&S.

The coach then brought attendees back towards the town centre, with Vanessa and Richard showcasing more of the town’s unique developments stopping at London Square for light refreshments.

 

At London Square’s development, we were greeted by Kate McLure, Regional Sales Manager South London, who spoke about the new homes on sale and provided exclusive early access to the new duplex penthouse show home which boasted amazing views of the borough and beyond.

 

Following this, the group headed through the busy Croydon town centre high street to a highly anticipated stop at the new Croydon Urban Room, a space to talk about the future of the North End Quarter and wider town centre to develop clear priorities for a plan to steer the town centre’s recovery. Attendees were delighted to be among the first to see the new space pre-launch. 

 

The tour was then treated to a visit to the historic Whitgift Almshouses. Attendees were able to sneak a peek at some historical artefacts and the on-site chapel.

The tour then drew to a close with lunch and networking at Fern, located on the ground floor Ten Degrees, sponsored by IO by HFCL. We heard about their efforts to empower educators through HFCL’s cloud-driven access solutions through a chat with Andrew Westerman, Vice President, International Sales, Mike Best, Country Manager UK & Ireland, and Che Smith, CTO, Kenton Group. 

 

Croydon’s excellent connectivity to central London and Gatwick Airport, combined with affordable spaces, a growing population, and a strong investment pipeline, makes it an attractive place to live and work.

 

The next investor tour will take place on the 18 September, if you would like to join please contact eepelle@wlcreative.org.uk to register your interest.