Public meeting on regeneration in Croydon 2013

A stakeholder board of local businesses, interested groups and public authorities has been set up to guide the preparation of the plan

- April 12: secure funding

- July 12: set up stakeholder board

- Dec 12: appoint design team

- Sept 13: public consultation

- March 14: adoption of masterplan

• Better pedestrian connections to and through area
• Creation of an animated, well-used public realm that complements surrounding spaces
• Encouraging the provision of a vital mix of activities
• Introduction of immediate measures to improve and enable use of existing spaces in College Green area
• To activate the under used spaces through an introduction of meanwhile uses

Regenerating Croydon

Questions?

Part 2

with Gavin Barwell, MP for Croydon Central

#CroydonRegen

What needs

improving?

DATE: 20TH NOVEMBER 2013

Our reputation

• Missed out on the last two booms

• Poor public realm

• Not very pedestrian friendly

• Dated retail units (19% vacancy rate in Whitgift Centre)

• Dated office stock

• Cultural offer

• Reputation problem

WWW.GAVINBARWELL.COM

The Croydon Partnership

What is the

Croydon Partnership?

The site

Next meeting

CREATED BY: GAVIN BARWELL MP

Opportunity Area Planning Framework

Visuals

The application

What next?

• Decision on outline planning application on Monday

• Reserved matters

• Call in?

• CPO?

• Construction

• Renovation of Centrale?

Benefits

Developer contribution

•Significantly improve the retail and leisure offer at the shopping centre

•Act as a catalyst for the regeneration of other sites.

• Up to 5,000 additional jobs created in the town centre (3,320 full time equivalents) with a further 330 indirect jobs such as in new supply chains

• 4,300 ‘person years’ of construction employment

• £20m in additional business rates (some of which may be retained by the Council)

• £5.3m in New Homes Bonus

Estimated that the application will generate 8 million extra visitors (42% increase)

• Community Infrastructure Levy

• Section 106 payments: £15 million towards tram network enhancements, £10 million towards bus network enhancements, £2.5 million towards local highway improvements, £1.625 million for a Sustainable Transport Fund, £150k for public art, a Job Brokerage & Skills Training Hub and a trading space for local start-ups.

• Section 278 payments – Wellesley Road, North End, George Street, Drummond Road, Dingwall Avenue and the Park Lane gyratory

• Prepared jointly by The Mayor, TfL and Croydon.

• Adopted in Autumn 2012

• Objective is to deliver 7,300 new homes (17,000 new residents) over next 20 years

Use of space

Public realm

Summary

Education

A key element of the scheme would be the provision of a 24 hour east/west pedestrian connection from Wellesley Road (opposite Lansdowne Road) running through the site to North End (near to Drummond Road). This route is referred to as ‘the Galleria’ in the Design Guidelines. The scheme would deliver a series of other routes through the site; there would be a north/south route from Poplar Walk to George Street and two secondary east/west routes.

• A mixed use application for 136.5k sqm of retail space (8.5k more than we have at present)

• 16.5k sqm of leisure space

• Between 32.5k and 49k sqm of residential

• Just over 1k sqm of community

• 2k sqm of office space (about 40k less than we have now)

Housing

The proposed development would deliver 5 specific areas of public realm within the application site, which would have the following minimum areas:

• Electric Square - 700sqm (positioned in Dingwall Avenue)

• North End Place - 250sqm (located at the western entrance to the Galleria)

• Lansdowne Place - 250sqm (located at the main entrance from Wellesley Road)

• Grammar School Yard - (current entrance to the Whitgift Centre on North End)

• Whitgift Court - (between George St and the South Mall)

The number of units proposed (400-600) will contribute towards the 1,100 home aspiration of the OAPF over the 20 year period

Car parking

Affordable Housing

Access

The proposed planning obligations would secure that a minimum of 15% of the GIA of the residential development will be provided as affordable housing, of which at least 10% will need to be provided on-site with the remainder being provided on-site, off-site or through a commuted sum.

In car parking terms, permission would be granted for 3,500 retail/leisure user car parking spaces (but limited to 3,140 spaces for most of the year). This compares with 2,142 spaces at present.

30 disabled spaces for residential uses.

• A single lane access to the new multi-storey car park via new signal controlled junction on Wellesley Road allowing vehicles to enter the site from the south and

exit the site via two lanes to the south.

• Access to the northern car park would be provided from Poplar Walk via a new southbound right turn from Wellesley Road and up a single lane on the existing access ramp.

The Masterplans

On Thursday 13th February 2014 at 7pm

Croydon Town Hall

East Croydon and New Town

Innovation support

Renaissance

Connected Croydon

Fill in the feedback form!

• Council scheme to give 200 businesses free broadband.
• Sussex University innovation centre on track. Final lease agreement to be signed imminently. Opening probably January 2014 in AMP House.
• Business rates discount

The site at 9 – 16 Dingwall Road - Renaissance - was being developed by Abstract as a speculative office development. The owners purchased the site in January, had designed a consented scheme in March and are currently on site with an anticipated completion of June 2014. It has already let 40% of it's office space.

A23 improvements

50% let already

• New roundabouts at the junctions of London Road and Bensham Lane, and St James’ Road and Sumner Road.

Works are scheduled to begin on site in August 2014 and end in March 2015.

Abstract have recently bought the 12-storey Emerald House on Lansdowne Road and is currently drawing up plans.

£50m of funded public realm infrastructure investment

Ruskin Square

Saffron

Square

The first residential phase of this home and offices development has been granted planning permission and will start in 2014. Utilities are being installed now.

The scheme will provide a total of 161 new apartments, ranging from one-bedroom apartments for two people to two-bedroom flats for four people.

The building will vary between 9 and 22 storeys in height, and the development also includes a roof garden and private communal space. 34 will be affordable homes.

Broad Green

Connected Croydon is a £50m programme of capital projects that will transform the Croydon Metropolitan Centre over the next three years. The programme will address poor public realm, disjointed streets and public transport bottle necks that currently have a negative impact on the area.

Low rise complete and almost full

Town centre progress enabled them to confirm additional tower for completion in 2016. Construction already started.

Must be completed by the end of March 2015.

£25m investment by TfL for improvement to A23 corridor.

TfL is proposing to prepare a detailed report, outlining possible strategic highway improvements on the A23 corridor. TfL aim to complete this feasibility work

within 12 months. The study will be used to inform future funding decisions for highway improvements including allocation of the TfL Growth Fund and, if approved, Council funds.

Around 60 per cent of Saffron Square is aimed at the buy-to-let market and the development is factored into council plans to provide more than 20,000 new homes over the next 20 years, including 7,300 in the town centre.

Connected Croydon, delivered projects

• New play equipment and better planting are proposed for Saint John’s Memorial Garden in Old Town.

The Post

Office

"Galaxy House"

• Building no longer fit for purpose
• First announced plans to move in December 2012
• Insert from GB's website
• This will mean a refurbished Post Office with a modern, open plan environment and longer opening hours on a Saturday.
• The same range of products and services will be available but certain Post Office services will also be available when the Post Office is closed but the shop is still open.

Consented to start early 2014.

• 290 quality new homes
• 1,2 and 3 bedroom apartments (including wheelchair accessible)
• 141 x 1 beds; 118 x 2 beds; 31 x 3 beds
• Four buildings of 13, 19, 15 and 9 storeys fronting Cherry Orchard Road
• 88 car parking spaces (including disabled) – maximum allowed by LB Croydon within its parking policy
• 408 cycle parking spaces
• Basement parking and servicing – including electric car charging points
• Significant landscaping to ‘green up’ Cherry Orchard Road and views of the railway line:
• Cherry Orchard Road – semi-mature tree planting is proposed with the public walkway treated in same material as adjacent schemes
• Residential Communal Landscape – providing a series of spaces for passive and active uses
• Residents’ Playground – active play provided in two locations (one to the north and one to the south of the site) and integrated into the landscape.
• Boundary – screening and planting is proposed on the southern, western and northern boundaries with a range of treatments proposed including metal railings, boundary fences with climbing plants and tree planting.

@gavinbarwellmp

www.gavinbarwell.com

A minimum funding package of £25 million from the TfL Growth Fund is being allocated to this project and this report seeks approval to the Council committing up to £20million to aid delivery of this TfL led scheme.

St John's Park

The programme seeks to:

• Enhance the public perception of Croydon as an attractive place with a unique identity and as a place to live and invest in.

• Create a town centre wide network of joined-up public spaces linked by pleasant streets with high quality streetscape design.

• Improve Croydon’s environmental performance by promoting public transport, walking, cycling and the provision of high quality, accessible and safe facilities.

Southern House

Connected Croydon, projects at the feasibility, design or delivery stages

Morello Tower

Other ideas include:

• Footway widening along Church Street
• More opportunity for pavement seating on the High Street

The Homes and Communities Agency, or HCA, is moving its head office to Croydon to reduce its costs, compared with its current expensive central London location on Tottenham Court Road.

The HCA move will see 150 civil servants working in Croydon.

Four buildings spread along Cherry Orchard Road, the mixed use development includes a 55-storey residential tower. 433 residential units, ground and first-floor retail spaces and communal spaces.

A 17-storey four-star hotel sits adjacent to the tower and will become a new commercial and community hub, offering 165 suites, 22 serviced apartments, business and retail spaces, a wellness centre, a restaurant and an external terrace. The two remaining buildings contain Grade A start-up office accommodation, mixed tenure affordable housing and a community centre.

The tower is already home to staff from the Crown Prosecution Service, the Department for Transport as well as being a major office for the Inland Revenue.

- High Street Improvement Package – a range of improvements:

• Two new at-grade crossings and extensive environmental improvements on Wellesley Road

• New public footbridge at East Croydon station (providing new access to the station)

• Upgrading Dingwall Road roundabout and related Lansdowne Road improvements

• East Croydon Interchange – extensive improvements to public realm

• West Croydon Interchange – extensive improvements to public realm

• Wandle Road bus stand – provision of new bus standing facilities under the Flyover.

Church Street

1 Lansdowne Road

Surrey Street

Consented, 51 storey tower

Office opened 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday: 133 Wickham Road, Croydon, CR0 8TE

No appointment necessary

020 8663 8741

Mark Glatman, Abstract Group CEO

"Croydon has the potential to undercut not just everywhere in London for the cost of its office space, but also compete with other UK cities such as Liverpool and Birmingham."

gavin.barwell.mp@parliament.uk

Anthony Hilton,

Evening Standard business and finance journalist

James Watson, Managing Director of Barratt Southern Counties

"Croydon has a vibrant future that is the product of a far-sighted strategy on the part of the Council."

"You get the sense in many depressed English towns that the local politicians think their problems are not simply daunting but actually insurmountable.

"It would be great if Croydon does manage to transform its image, because it would show that if the local leadership is sufficiently imaginative and determined it can be done."

West Croydon Station

Adopted as Interim Planning Guidance July 2012

West Croydon and London Road

• Croydon is connected to London underground system from Summer 2010
• Area holds a number of underdeveloped sites
• Co-ordinated approach to deliver station improvements and growth

Mid-Croydon

Paul Hughes, Pulsant

Adopted as Interim Planning Guidance July 2011

New Secondary school on Croydon General site

"We operate 10 UK datacentres including Croydon. We have invested heavily... and are committed to promoting it as a centre of excellence for organisations looking to relocate services from central London."

"Tech companies mean more high value jobs. Croydon is a natural home for tech businesses. Croydon is trying hard to pitch its case as London's obvious base for high-profile firms' back-office operations."

Develop Croydon Conference poll,

13th November 2013

Taberner

House

Delta Point

Bernard Weatherill House

Six form of entry secondary school, including a 180 place Sixth Form

Total: 38,131 sqm

Residential: 35,540sqm

Non-residential: 508 sqm

200 homes will be modern private rental properties in the main tower.

200 more comprise a wider mix of homes including private and social rented accommodation, shared ownership and homes for sale.

A formal planning application is expected in the next few weeks.

View from Queen's Gardens

The building has been recently sold to Criterion Capital who want to create 348 new apartments.

The conversion could include a mixture of 26 studio, 104 one bedroom and 218 two bedroom apartments.

Waiting to hear formal intentions from new owners

Built in five blocks, the tallest will be 32 storeys high. The others will range from six to 13 storeys.

Prospect West/Interchange Croydon

Iylo/

The Island

• 91.7% of the 200 key stakeholders and investors who attended saying they were very confident or confident that Croydon should be among the first choices for companies looking to invest, develop or relocate.
• 94.3% of investors think Croydon Council is heading in the right direction for the borough's regeneration.
• They believe the town's best investment pitch is as a cost-effective alternative office location to central London.

The Future is bright for Croydon

Interchange Croydon is 10 storeys tall and will offer 180,000 sq ft of high quality office space, with the benefit of private parking for 420 cars.

Works completed in November 2013.

Segas House School

Building work has restarted on flats at the former IYLO site, now The Island.

Since the original investors got into financial difficulties in June 2011, the site has been left boarded up.

Regency Homes bought the scheme July 2012 but a number of issues had to be resolved before contractors were brought back onto the site.

Now resolved, the planning guidance includes a requirement that all work is completed within two years - by 2015. It's on track to be finished in 2014.

St George's House

Approved in February by Croydon Council

• New 3 Form Entry Primary School
• Opening September 2015

Conversion, extension and partial demolition of the existing St George’s House building to provide up to 288 flats, 23 affordable housing units, with community and retail uses at ground level and roof top garden space for residents

Daren Nathan, Durkan

Development Director

What others are saying

"Croydon can offer new residential development at prices local buyers can afford - in contrast to other parts of London."

David Lean Cinema to reopen

Kit Malthouse, Deputy Mayor of London

"Excellent transport links, residential growth and big investment from the Croydon Partnership are big draws to investors. The next few years will see international and domestic investors see the confluence of investment in Croydon underway now."

Old Town

"Since the Olympics we've had a lot of international interest in all parts of London. Croydon Tech City is inspiring a generation of coders. I want to position London as the landing pad for science and technology. I went on a recent trip to China promoting Croydon as a hidden gem. It has a massive part to play, acting as a pressure valve for Zone One in London."

Scarbrook Road

"Croydon is getting a refresh. It's learnt that design matters. It's a place of real value in a city where it is hard to find value. I suggest all investors get in quick!"

Robin Dobson

Director of Retail Development, Hammerson

The scheme, which has been made possible thanks to £4.5million from the Mayor of London and HCA, will create 98 new homes in Scarbrook Road, Croydon and is now under construction by Durkan.

Over half the properties within what will be a £20million development are affordable, shared ownership or private for-rent dwellings.

Jackie Sadek,

Director of UK Regen

Construction has commenced, anticipated completion in March 2015.

AmicusHorizon, is taking 17 units as affordable homes and has also opted to take 22 of the private units which the housing association will offer for Shared Ownership. In addition, Durkan is retaining 20 units as Private Rented Sector units. The development will offer 59 units in total for those who would be unable to buy private property on the open market.

"We feel Croydon should be within the top 10 of retail and leisure destinations."

"Ourselves and Westfield see here a fantastic opportunity firstly in retail and leisure but also the catalyst for regeneration across the town."

"The footfall in North End is equivalent to that of Regent Street so it is an incredibly untapped reserve."

"The past year of regeneration in Croydon (Westfield Hammerson, Iylo, Ruskin Square, the new station entrance, reduction in youth unemployment)... taking strides forward. There's been real, tangible improvements made."

Exchange Square

"£3.5bn worth of private and public investment is expected to pour into the town over the next five years... there are plans to build 9,500 new homes, a scheduled £50m of public realm improvements plus numerous consented private commercial, residential and mized-use schemes."

The Council and the Whitgift partnership will be restoring the Pump House and Exchange Square.

Council has put a bid in for Heritage Lottery Funding.

The aim is to regenerate Exchange Square for retail, leisure and business use.

Essex House,

George Street

Fair Field

Erection of building of 2 buildings of 31 and 18 storeys in height. Discussions are

currently taking place regarding the appropriate location for the taller building. The two proposed buildings would be linked at ground floor level by a single storey building.

The buildings would provide residential accommodation with 3 shop units at ground floor level. 300 dwellings would be provided in the remainder of the buildings.

Regenerating Croydon

Information on development submitted on October 31st

Croydon College, College Road

College Green development bid

224-room 'high end' hotel, 161 flats, a restaurant, conference rooms and other leisure facilities form part of the 37-storey application.

Number of affordable housing not yet known.

The Council has gone to the London Development Panel to seek funding for a new housing scheme on College Green, with a potential for 600 units.

A reply is due on 22nd November.

The Council is looking for developers to come up with options to implement keys aspects of the Fair Field master plan.

There is site capacity to deliver up to 600 homes, but this number reflects the maximum potential.

Pre-planning application submitted October 22nd

The developer will be expected to develop the site outlined in dark red

Fairfield Halls

Croydon Council is to invest a further £3m in addition to the £27m it will spend refurbishing Fairfield Halls.

The Council hopes the upgrading and refurbishment will boost revenue, reducing its dependency on Council revenue support.

The redevelopment is expected to be complete by 2018.

Gavin Barwell, MP for Croydon Central