The Borough

Everything about Croydon shouts potential.

The borough is experiencing one of the most dynamic regeneration and growth periods ever seen by any city in the UK. Currently some £3.6bn has been committed, with much more in the development pipeline. We now have excellent connections to the south coast, central London and major international transport hubs such as Gatwick Airport and Kings Cross St Pancras International. These transport links together with serviced plots of land are attracting inward investors. However, we know that our future economic growth rests on much more than this.

We appreciate that a new city also needs strong communities, excellent education standards, and opportunities for young people to grow, learn, engage and enjoy growing up. Like many other authorities, we have ambitious plans for developing integrated education and children’s services, without compromising standards or achievement. In fact, we believe that our young people have the potential to make Croydon a great city, and a fantastic place to live.

Through the Building Schools for the Future programme, we will be investing in excess of £800m in the secondary education sector. The investment is not just in buildings, but young peoples’ futures. But this isn’t the only area that’s benefiting from development.

Croydon’s 2.5 million sq ft of shopping space already has an estimated catchment population of 1.5 million. With the completion of Park Place, a £550m, 1 million sq ft shopping scheme in central Croydon, we will expand our retail pull even further, giving many more people an exceptional shopping experience. Such investment has the potential to place us within the country’s top ten shopping centres.

Retail therapy aside, Croydon has become the most important location for financial services in London outside the City, attracting over 140,000 workers and generating a GDP of some £2.5bn. To secure the future economic prosperity of the borough, it is vital that we continue to attract inward investment and create an environment which offers good quality housing, education, shopping, leisure and cultural opportunities.

With an award-winning Local Strategic Partnership, our focus on stronger communities and willingness to innovate, we’re well equipped to achieve our aims. However, success depends on recruiting people whose ambition and potential match ours.