25-storey block of flats to replace Croydon’s Citiscape building

By Tara O’Connor, Local Democracy Reporter

Plans for a new 25-storey block of flats in Croydon town centre have been given the green light.

The new flats will replace the Citiscape block, which was built 20 years ago but which has been caught up in the cladding scandal in recent years.

Potentially dangerous cladding was identified on the building, at the junction of Drummond Road and Keeley Road, in 2017, with residents facing huge bills.

In 2019, Barratt Homes covered the costs to remove the cladding but uncovered serious structural concerns, and residents were moved out while the work took place.

Two years later, Barratt bought back all 95 homes at market value, and made the decision to redevelop the building to partially fund the buyback costs.

On Thursday, Croydon’s planning committee approved plans for the 11-storey building to be torn down to make way for a two blocks of 144 flats, the tallest of which will be 25 storeys.

Instead of the existing two basement parking levels for 72 cars, there will be four blue badge spaces and 250 cycle spaces for residents.

Overall, 22 of the 144 flats will be offered at affordable rent or as shared ownership. Barratt Homes said it would not be viable to provide more than 16 per cent of affordable housing.

The plans include communal roof terraces and a courtyard at the centre of the development. This includes seating areas and play spaces.

A Croydon council report said: “The application scheme and submission has been born out of managing the best way to overcome fire cladding issues discovered by the applicant on the existing building.”

It adds the development would introduce a “significant” number of new homes in a place that is “appropriate for a tall building”.

Barratt Homes’s planning statement said: “We have demonstrated that the development responds directly to this opportunity by creating new market and affordable homes and new public realm improvements on a highly-sustainable brownfield site.

“The proposals would fulfil policy aspirations to create a new high-quality development in Croydon Metropolitan Centre.”

Pictured top: A CGI of the development from the junction of Frith Road and Drummond Road (Picture: Barratt London)