The Borough of Croydon became one of the first Growth Zones in London and has been the focus of a huge amount of investment. This has helped to reinvigorate the area, leading to new and refurbished commercial architecture, improvements in the infrastructure, and the creation of new homes.

At the moment £350 million is being invested across 39 different projects spanning the Borough. Each of these has been identified as key to the future of the Borough and achieving the growth objectives.

The impact of the investment is clear to see. Croydon has been revealed to be the fastest growing economy in the whole of the UK. An amazing 1,875 businesses from three major sectors, technology, digital, and creative, call it home. This number continues to rise as more companies want to operate in an area that is fast becoming established as a hub. On top of this over 1,000 new homes are being built across 50 sites in the Borough.

Croydon is changing quickly as these projects advance and new ones are launched. The commercial architecture is one of the best places to look if you want a visual idea of this change. Traditionally the area was known for having an abundance of Brutalist buildings. A number of these have been replaced or redeveloped, adding modern, contemporary designs.

With such big changes going on many people are wondering what it means for the future of the Borough. How will the work affect the identity of Croydon? Will the area suddenly become a destination much like areas in the centre of the city? How liveable will it be?

Although Croydon has fantastic potential it is important to keep the long term affects on residents in mind. It will be interesting to see how the community responds to the investments and changes.

At Coffey Architects we have been involved in a number of projects in Croydon, including an innovative, award winning domestic development of smaller sites. We have a good knowledge of the investments going on in the area and have a passion for using domestic, public, and commercial architecture to stimulate a location.