
The Croydon Exp07 was a series of events held from 2007, aimed at business and residents in the
London Borough of Croydon, UK to demonstrate the £2bn of development projects planned for Croydon in the next 10 years. It is part of the
Croydon Vision 2020
Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensive ...
regeneration programme. The council-backed scheme hoped to interest investors to fund part of the regeneration projects around Croydon, and help to establish Croydon as "London's Third City" Croydon has applied for city status twice but failed. If it had succeeded, the borough would have become the City of Croydon, like the
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a city and borough in Inner London. It is the site of the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament and much of the British government. It occupies a large area of central Greater London, including most of the West En ...
.
The expo took place from the 9th to 12 May in the
Whitgift Centre
The Whitgift Centre is a large shopping centre in the town centre of Croydon, opening in stages between 1968 and 1970. The centre comprises of retail space, and was the largest covered shopping development in Greater London until the opening o ...
and
Centrale Shopping Centre. It was also displayed in the
Croydon Clocktower
Croydon Clocktower is an arts and museum complex located on Katharine Street in Croydon, London.
History
The venue, which forms part of the 19th-century Town Hall, was opened as an arts and museum complex by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994. A notabl ...
on 17 May.
Projects
The projects included all areas of Croydon that were expected to be redeveloped between 2007 and 2012. These included
Purley, where the current
swimming pool on the High Street was set to close. This would allow scope for a more comprehensive High Street regeneration scheme that would help to bring new
community investment to the district centre. A new "Super Library", which would offer learning and training, was planned to open after the pool closure, as was a new swimming complex in
Coulsdon. At the time, the facility was being considered by Croydon Council as part of its contribution to the Olympics.
Exp07 considered another leisure facility being opened in
Waddon, and the old New Addington Pool being redeveloped to coincide with the opening of
South Norwood Leisure Centre as part of the "new New Addington". The New Addington regeneration was planned for the town centre on Central Parade and would include a brand new
Tesco
Tesco plc () is a British Multinational corporation, multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues an ...
, along with a new larger library and leisure facility. Other new facilities to be provided will be a Joint Services Centre, community centre, changing village, exercise gym and dance studio along with treatment room and a multi-purpose room. Plans covered a new café and a car park, a health centre, kiosk, maisonettes, and 300 residential units.
Park Place
The Expo presented other notable developments such as
Park Place Shopping Centre. On 6 March 2007 the Secretary of State confirmed the use of a
Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) to acquire the remaining land for the development. This was a major milestone for the scheme and allowed Minerva and Lend Lease to gain vacant possession, in readiness for the start of demolition and main construction works.
Park Place has been granted detailed planning permission by the
London Borough of Croydon. When completed it will provide of accommodation, comprising mainly retail space and restaurants. A key component of the retail space is the provision of a new full-range department store.
John Lewis has previously confirmed a requirement for for Croydon and a regional store of this size can only be accommodated on the Park Place site. Other places with interest include
Gap,
Habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
and
Borders.
Designed by architects RTKL, the scheme will provide both the large retail units and the necessary mall environment needed to establish Croydon as a Top 10 retail destination within the UK, and the largest and most efficient centre within South London.
Park Place , Minerva Plc
Croydon Gateway
The second main feature of the Expo, the Croydon Gateway
Ruskin Square (or Croydon Gateway) is a project to redevelop a parcel of land between East Croydon railway station and the existing town centre of Croydon in South London. It is part of the major Croydon Vision 2020 regeneration scheme. It ha ...
(later Ruskin Square]), proved the most expensive. The cabinet member for finance and regeneration, Councillor Tim Pollard, said in 2007 that:
See also
* Park Place
*Croydon Gateway
Ruskin Square (or Croydon Gateway) is a project to redevelop a parcel of land between East Croydon railway station and the existing town centre of Croydon in South London. It is part of the major Croydon Vision 2020 regeneration scheme. It ha ...
* London Borough of Croydon
* Tramlink
References
External links
Croydon Exp07 website
London Borough of Croydon
Arrowcroft
Lend Lease Developers
{{coord missing, London
Media and communications in the London Borough of Croydon
Croydon 2020
Redevelopment projects in London
Conferences in London
2007 in London
21st century in the London Borough of Croydon