Croydon Partnership told to make £4m improvements to town centre

By Tara O’Connor, Local Democracy Reporter

The company behind the stalled redevelopment of Croydon town centre has been told to make £4m of improvements to the high street.

More than three years ago the Croydon Partnership, the joint venture in charge which combines Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield and Hammerson, said it would drop plans for a £1.5bn super mall.

Despite the delay, a council report said the partnership would only start work on a masterplan in 2023, after which a new planning application is expected to be submitted.

Now, Croydon council will use a clause in a land transfer agreement to get the company to make £4m of improvements to North End. The agreement was entered into in 2014.

The move was given the green light at a Croydon cabinet meeting on Wednesday night.

The meeting heard from chairwoman of scrutiny, Councillor Rowenna Davis, who said: “I’m sure we can all agree that the town centre is more than an investment portfolio for developers, but a home and the root of our community and its economic life.

“Scrutiny will continue to question and challenge all partners working in this area in the interest of rebuilding a vibrant town centre.”

Over the past 12 months, the council has been in discussions with the partnership on the next steps for the run-down town centre.

The former Allders building is expected to be transformed into an immersive cinema experience. This was supposed to open at the end of 2022, but is still yet to launch.

The council report said the building had now been cleared, after being empty since 2019, and was “capable of occupation by the public”.

The Mayor of Croydon, Jason Perry, said: “Driving forward the regeneration of Croydon town centre is a key priority for me.

“We are now working closely with the Croydon Partnership to unlock £4 million of funding for improvements in North End.”

Pictured top: North End, the main high street in Croydon (Picture: Tara O’Connor)