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Starting at BoxPark Croydon, this popular fixture in the Develop Croydon events calendar commenced with introductions from Chair of the Develop Croydon Forum and Partner at SHW Richard Plant; Heather Cheesbrough from Croydon Council; Develop Croydon’s Bonnie Stephensmith and Vanessa Clark of Chase Sinclair Clark. 

 

“The new mayor is committed to the town centre regeneration” commented Heather Cheesbrough, Director of Planning and Sustainable Regeneration at Croydon Council. “The opportunities are there, but we need to feed the pipeline. We want to help you.” 

 

In what is truly an unprecedented period of economic regeneration for the borough, guests were welcomed at several landmark developments, with a walking tour of the new 1,250,000 sq ft Ruskin Square site – home to HMRC – commencing the tour.  

 

A coach tour followed, highlighting Croydon’s exponential growth through a number of residential and commercial developments starting at No. 5 Sydenham Road and Canterbury House/Criterion Capital which were both completed under the Permitted Development Scheme; Superdrug’s HQ and 10 Sydenham Road, home to Mott McDonald, the largest private occupier in Croydon. 

 

The tour continued along Wellesley Road where the scale of opportunity is very evident, before heading up towards Croydon College, which, following extensive refurbishment, now offers huge opportunities to over 13,000 students.  

 

Croydon’s cultural and creative scenes have also been the linchpin in the borough’s approach to regeneration, demonstrated last week when the tour took guests by the newly refurbished Fairfield Halls. The Fairfield masterplan will also see some 421 homes, shops, new open public space and improved pedestrian access come to fruition, cementing the town’s commitment to better local connectivity. And, Croydon was recently awarded the London borough of culture 2023 – a significant milestone in the borough’s recovery, offering investors a huge amount of potential to capitalise on.  

The tour then looped back towards East Croydon, taking in several residential and commercial offerings, including the affordable Pocket Living development, the iconic One Croydon – known locally as the ‘50p building’ – the extensive Morello Quarter on Cherry Orchard Road and The Island by Regency Homes.  

 

The tour continued through West Croydon – one of the most interesting investment sites in Croydon. With a unique transport interchange that sees the Overground tube, tram, train and bus station all come together – there’s little wonder London Square’s exciting contemporary development of residential apartments and homes call this vibrant corner of Croydon home when it launches next week.   

 

Not to be forgotten is Croydon’s industrial and logistics economy, based in and around the Purley Way, which is a big focus for Croydon’s economic renewal. Investors were given the opportunity to visit the new Prologis Park site on Beddington Lane, spanning an impressive 220,000 sq ft across six units.  

 

The market for industrial space has never been greater – fuelled by the growing need for last mile logistics brought on by the growth in e-commerce delivery. Retailers including Amazon, Argos, Fruitful and Tropic skincare are just some of the big names occupying space in the region.  

 The coach brought attendees back towards the town centre, where Vanessa and Richard highlighted more of the town’s rich mix of new and potential developments opportunities from the Queen’s Quarter and Delta Point, through to UK Border Agency occupied Lunar and Apollo House and the iconic Saffron Square development.   

 

After a quick stop for coffee at popular West Croydon community spot Matthew’s Yard, the group headed on foot along Croydon’s town centre, where Croydon BID CEO Matthew Sims discussed the high street’s need for regeneration and the “lasting legacy” he hoped the London Borough of Culture 2023 would leave on Croydon.  

 

“I love Croydon” remarked Mr Sims. “The opportunities here are endless. We are open and ready to work with landlords and developers to make it happen”.  

Recently acquired by Secret Cinema founder Fabien Riggall to become an arts and entertainment space, the group passed the now vacant site of the iconic Allders department store, before being invited into the historic Whitgift Almshouses on the corner of George Street. Built in 1596 by Archbishop John Whitgift as a hospital and school, (with permission from Queen Elizabeth I) the building today serves as residential care. The John Whitgift foundation also use land and assets set aside by their founder to generate income that is put back into the community.    

 

The tour continued back up towards East Croydon station, passing Tide Construction’s Ten Degrees development, the world’s tallest modular building, and their second (still taller!) scheme behind, before concluding for lunch at one of Croydon’s newly refurbished, Grade A office spaces, Corinthian House.   

 

Croydon has long presented itself as an attractive prospect for investment, thanks to its connectivity to London and the availability of affordable home and office spaces. With the shift in business practices and the desire for a better work life balance since the pandemic, Croydon has never been a more attractive prospect for living and working. 

 

If you would like to join the next guided investor tour, please get in touch to register your interest at: https://developcroydon.com/events/