Croydon’s North End to receive over £6 million investment

Croydon’s North End is to benefit from a package of improvement measures Croydon Council is set to agree with developers Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW).

The upcoming changes will focus on improving safety, security and cleaning. This will involve removing the Wellesley Road subway and replacing it with a surface level crossing. There will be a series of exciting cultural events and some of the landmark Allders building will be brought back into use with new shops and food offers.

The regeneration of the town centre is a priority for Executive Mayor Jason Perry, as set out in the Mayor’s Business Plan. Mayor Perry has been working closely with URW to bring forward the redevelopment of the Whitgift & Centrale shopping centres and secure much-needed improvements for everyone who lives, works and visits the town centre.

A paper going to Cabinet in September detailed the £6 million package of measures Croydon Council is proposing to agree with URW, which are to be delivered through a combination of development activities and funding payments to the Council, to compensate for the delay in the planned redevelopment of the shopping centre.

The funding will bring a welcome boost to local shops, restaurants and other businesses, and the cultural activities will build on the legacy of Croydon’s year as London Borough of Culture.

The areas of focus are:

• North End activities – pop-ups, installations and performances to create a vibrant and varied shopping and leisure experience in the town centre and help to reduce antisocial behaviour.

• Allders – URW will revitalise elements of Croydon’s historic department store with new food offers and shops for the community on the ground floor.

• Safety, security and cleaning – a programme of initiatives aimed at reducing crime and antisocial behaviour.

• Public engagement – the lease of the space in the Whitgift Centre to Croydon Urban Room, a hub for exhibitions, workshops and events all about the town centre regeneration.

• Connectivity – a contribution towards the design and build of a level crossing across Wellesley Road, near Lansdowne Road and the closure of the subway in this location.

Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon, said: “The Council is using all its powers to drive forward our town centre regeneration, from bidding for external funding, to doing everything we can to encourage and bring forward the redevelopment of the Whitgift Centre and other key town centre sites.

“This £6 million of funding from the Council’s agreement with URW will bring immediate improvements to North End, whilst we work with them to shape the longer term plans for the town centre, that will make it a vibrant, successful place of which we can all be proud.”