Croydon Gateway - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

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

Croydon

Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...

in South London

South London

South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...

. It is part of the major 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 scheme. It has been subject to substantial public debate which has featured in the national media.

Croydon is the principal office district in South London, having been rebuilt on a large scale in the 1960s, but much of the office stock is now dated. The "Croydon Gateway" site, a former railway goods yard, represents the largest single development opportunity in the district.

The Stanhope Schroders Scheme: Ruskin Square

The site owner's plan has been prepared by the developer, Stanhope, and their financial backers, Schroders; the scheme includes 560 homes with 50% affordable housing, office buildings, a replacement Warehouse Theatre

Warehouse Theatre

The Warehouse Theatre is a professional producing theatre with one hundred seats in the centre of the London Borough of Croydon, south London, England based in an oak-beamed former cement Victorian warehouse...

and an urban park. There would be a landmark 29-storey skyscraper

Skyscraper

A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...

which would front on to George Street, next to East Croydon Station.

Norman Foster's

Foster and Partners

Foster + Partners is an architectural firm based in London. The practice is led by its founder and Chairman, Norman Foster, and has constructed many high-profile glass-and-steel buildings....

firm are the principal architects of the scheme.

The Failed Arrowcroft / London Borough of Croydon Scheme

The London Borough of Croydon actively supported an alternative proposal, developed in partnership with property company Arrowcroft, which would involve the construction of a 12,500-seat indoor arena, named the Croydon Arena, as well as 59,234 m² of offices and 874 homes—including affordable housing. Unlike the Stanhope scheme, this proposal received the full backing from Croydon Council, then went to a public inquiry after being 'called in' by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. It also required compulsory purchase of the site. The Council made a Compulsory Purchase Order to assemble the land required and the objections to which were considered at the same public inquiry. The public inquiry took place between September and November 2007. The Secretary of State rejected the CPO and Planning Permission in July 2008.

Planning Permission and CPO Rejected

Croydon Arena was a proposed arena part of the Croydon Gateway re-generation scheme in the south London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

district of Croydon

Croydon

Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...

. The site is next to East Croydon station

East Croydon station

East Croydon station is a railway station and tram stop in Croydon, 10.35 miles south of London Bridge in Travelcard Zone 5. It is the largest and busiest station in Croydon and the busiest in London outside Travelcard Zone 1 in terms of the number of passengers entering and exiting...

and has been in the ownership of the rival development Ruskin Square. Development website: Ruskin Square

The Arena scheme was backed by Croydon Council with developer partner Arrowcroft. The matter was the subject of a public inquiry

Public inquiry

A Tribunal of Inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government body in Common Law countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland or Canada. Such a public inquiry differs from a Royal Commission in that a public inquiry accepts evidence and conducts its hearings in a more...

that took place from September to November 2007.

The full decision rejecting the Planning Application and the Compulsory Purchase Order was issued on the 31 July 2008 and the 6 August 2008. The full documentation can be found at the public inquiry website

Site progress

Throughout September to November 2005, the last office block located on the site, Wettern House

Wettern House

Wettern House was a former high rise building next to East Croydon station in Croydon. Originally built in 1963, two years before the County Borough of Croydon disbanded into the London Borough of Croydon, it was demolished in November 2005 to make way for Ruskin Square and Croydon Gateway. Before...

, was slowly demolished under a protective wrapper to protect the rail infrastructure and surrounding buildings.

Between February and April 2006, the site was cleared of all occupiers (car parks and car rental, etc.) with the exception of the Warehouse Theatre

Warehouse Theatre

, with new hoardings now marking the boundaries of the main site. Stanhope Schroders now own large parcels of land to the north of the main site as well as office blocks in Croydon's central business district.

July and August 2007 saw the company Mace appointed as site managers by Stanhope. Further clearance works (enabling works) are now underway. Final designs of all buildings are being worked up by Foster + partners prior to foundations being dug this Autumn.

During September 2007, a new branding for the development took shape and all hoardings were brought up to standard ready for the commencement of works. Meanwhile, Croydon Council was under significant pressure to agree the final 'technical' planning conditions (such as the lighting scheme, drainage etc.) to enable the Stanhope Scheme to commence its construction phase. On 12 September 2007, Stanhope announced that the scheme would be renamed Ruskin Square.

In October 2007, Croydon council continued to sit on the release of the final planning obligations on the Ruskin Square development. It is not known if the delay was connected to the public inquiry / Arrowcroft.

On 2 June 2006, Stanhope and Schroders were granted formal planning permission for their proposed Gateway scheme. Ms Ruth Kelly

Ruth Kelly

Ruth Maria Kelly is a British Labour Party politician of Irish descent who was the Member of Parliament for Bolton West from 1997 until she stood down in 2010...

, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government

Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government

The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, is a Cabinet position heading the UK's Department for Communities and Local Government....

endorsed the report of the local planning inspector and granted permission. The planning inspector Keith Durrant said of the scheme:
The new Conservative administration which took over in Croydon in May 2006 endorsed competing Arrowcroft project, which enabled the Compulsory Purchase Order by which the Council planned to acquire the site to enable its development with Arrowcroft to proceed, to be made in January 2007. The CPO was dealt with separately from the issue of compensation, which will assess the compensation value of the site to be paid, potentially in proceedings in the Lands Tribunal if the order is confirmed. The gap in value is currently around £50Million. Arrowcroft assumed a purchase price of £25Million and Stanhope nearer £80Million as a selling price. Nevertheless, assumptions had to be made about the value of the site, and this was based on the value for development since Stanhope have secured permission. Looking at the Croydon property market, this is the largest piece of land in a single ownership in Croydon. Recent sales suggested a land value higher than the Arrowcroft estimate.

Construction

October 2008 - January 2009. Stanhope review their scheme to bring it up to date for current market requirements. Once this stage has been completed, work is expected on site for phase 1 including the park, an office block, housing and the new Warehouse Theatre.
March 2011. Workers have started phase 1.

External links

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