The regeneration of Croydon town centre remains a top priority for me and the news that Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) has reached an agreement with Hammerson is an important step in progressing this.
I know how much residents – like me – want to see our town centre back on the map as the vibrant, successful destination it deserves to be. I have been working with businesses and partners to bring forward the Whitgift Centre redevelopment and wider regeneration of our town and I look forward to working with URW as they develop a new masterplan that will meet the future needs of our community. Read my statement in full here.
It was a pleasure to meet with representatives from Croydon’s local businesses this week at the South East London Chamber of Commerce Procurement event. This provided a great opportunity to discuss our shared vision for our borough to deliver economic and social value to our communities and support small businesses into the supply chain.
Housing
Balloting residents on plans to demolish and rebuild the Regina Road tower blocks represents a major milestone in my commitment to raise standards in Croydon homes.
When I became Croydon’s Executive Mayor last May I pledged to improve council housing – to provide residents with warm, safe dry homes they are proud to call home, and to make sure they are listened to, and treated with the proper care and respect.
Tackling the unacceptable and frankly appalling past conditions in the ageing tower blocks at Regina Road is an important step, but it’s one of many actions I am driving forward to sort out housing services.
From listening to residents to shape a new repairs service, to adopting a new Residents’ Charter and taking a proactive approach on dealing with damp and mould, we are working to improve residents’ homes and customer care across the board.
Work is also under way to assess other tower blocks in Croydon; to make it quicker and easier for tenants to get in touch and to report issues; and above all, to keep listening to residents and understand their experiences of the services we provide.
To ensure we can restore pride in Croydon homes, we need to keep up the pace – and that’s exactly what I intend to do. This week I also joined the Housing Improvement Board meeting and attended the London Square Topping Out Ceremony, an exciting scheme that demonstrates commitment to the future growth of Croydon, delivering 240 new homes in two new landmark brick buildings, with 55 per cent affordable, a mix of social rent and shared ownership.
I look forward to continuing to work with our tenants, leaseholders, business owners, developers and everyone in Croydon to make these changes happen.
Jason Perry
Executive Mayor of Croydon
