Croydon Expo
Encyclopedia
London Borough of Croydon
The London Borough of Croydon is a London borough in South London, England and is part of Outer London. It covers an area of and is the largest London borough by population. It is the southernmost borough of London. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name...
, UK to demonstrate the £2bn of development projects planned for Croydon in the next 10 years . It is part of the Croydon Vision 2020
Croydon Vision 2020
Croydon Vision 2020 is a regeneration programme by the London Borough of Croydon for the centre of Croydon in South London. The original study was carried out in 1999 by EDAW and is being taken forward through the Local Development Framework process...
regeneration programme. The council-backed scheme is hoping to interest investors to fund part of the regeneration projects around Croydon. It is hoped that the developments included in the expo will help establish Croydon as "London's Third City" (Croydon has applied for city status twice but failed. If it had succeeded, the borough would have become the City of Croydon, like the City of Westminster
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
.)
The projects include all areas of Croydon that are expected to be redeveloped by 2012. These include Purley
Purley, London
Purley is a place in the London Borough of Croydon, England. It is a suburban development situated 11.7 miles south of Charing Cross.The name derives from "pirlea", which means 'Peartree lea'. Purley has a population of about 72,000....
, where the current swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
on the High Street is set to close. This would allow scope for a more comprehensive High Street regeneration scheme that would help to bring new community investment to the district centre. A new "Super Library", which would offer learning and training, is expected to open after the pool closure, as is a new swimming complex in Coulsdon
Coulsdon
Coulsdon is a town on the southernmost boundary of the London Borough of Croydon. It is surrounded by the Metropolitan Green Belt of the Farthing Down, Coulsdon Common and Kenley Common...
. The facility is being considered by Croydon Council as part of its contribution to the Olympics.
Another leisure facility could be opened in Waddon
Waddon
Waddon is a place in the London Borough of Croydon, to the south west of central Croydon on the borders of the London Borough of Sutton. Waddon has an older area with 19th century properties, some even older, close to central Croydon. Further south is a large estate of Council-owned homes and a...
, and the old New Addington Pool could be redeveloped to coincide with the opening of South Norwood Leisure Centre
South Norwood Leisure Centre
South Norwood Leisure Centre is a leisure centre located on Portland Road in South Norwood, Croydon, London. The centre has recently gone through a refurbishment process which has seen it closed for more than a year and a half. It contains a 25m sized swimming pool with seating for spectators...
as part of the new New Addington.
The New Addington regeneration will be in the town centre on Central Parade and will include a brand new Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
, along with a new larger library and leisure facility. Other new facilities to be provided will be a Joint Services Centre, community centre, changing village, exercise gym and dance studio along with treatment room and a multi-purpose room. There will also be a new café and a car park, a health centre, kiosk, maisonettes, and 300 residential units.
The Expo presented other notable developments such as Park Place
Park Place (Croydon)
Park Place was a shopping centre which had been expected to open in Croydon, England by 2011, although this date has been pushed back and building has not started. It is part of the Croydon Vision 2020 re-generation scheme...
Shopping Centre. On 6 March 2007 the Secretary of State confirmed the use of a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) to acquire the remaining land for the development. This was a major milestone for the scheme and allowed Minerva and Lend Lease to gain vacant possession, in readiness for the start of demolition and main construction works.
Park Place has been granted detailed planning permission by the London Borough of Croydon
London Borough of Croydon
The London Borough of Croydon is a London borough in South London, England and is part of Outer London. It covers an area of and is the largest London borough by population. It is the southernmost borough of London. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name...
. When completed it will provide 900000 sq ft (83,612.7 m²) of accommodation, comprising mainly retail space and restaurants. A key component of the retail space is the provision of a new full-range department store. John Lewis
John Lewis (department store)
-Recent developments:In June 2004, John Lewis announced plans to open its first store in Northern Ireland at the Sprucefield Park development, the province's largest out of town shopping centre, located outside Lisburn and from Belfast. The application was approved in June 2005 and the opening of...
has previously confirmed a requirement for 240000 sq ft (22,296.7 m²) for Croydon and a regional store of this size can only be accommodated on the Park Place site. Other places with interest include Gap, Habitat
Habitat (retailer)
Habitat Retail Ltd. is a retailer of household furnishings in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, and has franchised outlets in other countries. Founded in 1964 by Terence Conran, it was sold by the IKANO Group, owned by the Kamprad family, in December 2009 to Hilco, a restructuring...
and Borders.
Designed by architects RTKL, the scheme will provide both the large retail units and the necessary mall environment needed to establish Croydon as a Top 10 retail destination within the UK, and the largest and most efficient centre within South London .
The second main feature of the Expo, the Croydon Gateway
Croydon Gateway
Ruskin Square is the name given to a project to redevelop a block of land between East Croydon railway station and the existing town centre of Croydon in South London. It is part of the major Croydon Vision 2020 regeneration scheme...
, has proved the most expensive. The cabinet member for finance and regeneration, Councillor Tim Pollard, said that:
The expo took place from the 9th to the 12th of May in the Whitgift Centre
Whitgift Centre
The Whitgift Centre is a large shopping centre and office development in the centre of Croydon, London, opened in stages between 1968 and 1970. The centre currently comprises of retail space and was the largest covered shopping development in Greater London until the opening of Westfield London at...
and Centrale Shopping Centre. It was also displayed in the Croydon Clocktower
Croydon Clocktower
Croydon Clocktower on Katharine Street in Croydon is an arts centre in London, England. It contains the Museum of Croydon, the Riesco Gallery with a collection of Chinese pottery and ceramics, the David Lean Cinema, the Braithwaite Hall used for concerts and conferences, and a café and bar...
on the 17th of May.
See also
- Park PlacePark Place (Croydon)Park Place was a shopping centre which had been expected to open in Croydon, England by 2011, although this date has been pushed back and building has not started. It is part of the Croydon Vision 2020 re-generation scheme...
- Croydon GatewayCroydon GatewayRuskin Square is the name given to a project to redevelop a block of land between East Croydon railway station and the existing town centre of Croydon in South London. It is part of the major Croydon Vision 2020 regeneration scheme...
- London Borough of CroydonLondon Borough of CroydonThe London Borough of Croydon is a London borough in South London, England and is part of Outer London. It covers an area of and is the largest London borough by population. It is the southernmost borough of London. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name...
- TramlinkTramlinkTramlink is a tramway system in south London in the United Kingdom which began operation in May 2000...