Croydon has a key role to play in accommodating the growth London needs according to a leading officer from the Greater London Authority.
Fiona Fletcher-Smith, executive director of development, enterprise and environment, said the atmosphere felt different from the inaugural Develop Croydon Conference in 2010, at which she also spoke.
She gave 2017 delegates an insight into some of Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s priorities in the London Plan, which is published next week, telling them to expect a greater focus on places and spatial development in a policy document that will be easier to understand but “a lot more directive” than previous documents.
She also highlighted Mr Khan’s personal commitment to good architecture and design, with his own Design Advisory Panel of more than 50 professionals providing guidance on both policy and future GLA-led schemes.
“The big problem in London is the population is increasing,” she said. “We expect to house close to 11m during the period of this plan. Croydon sits on one of the most amazing growth corridors in the south-east, along to Gatwick and Brighton.
““We have a need in London for 66,000 homes per year. In a really good year we will develop around 36,000 but the average is about 25,000 so you can see the nature of the gap we are finding.
“The new London Plan will place a lot more emphasis on design. The only way we are going to get the average Londoner to accept the growth is to provide goods of the highest quality.”
Ms Fletcher-Smith underlined the 50 per cent affordable housing targets overall, highlighting the Mayor of London’s pledge for developers coming up with 35 per cent affordable to get their applications fast-tracked.
“As well as a housing crisis, we also have a crisis of commercial space and industrial space,” she added.
“The London Plan will also very much support the cultural life of the capital. Culture can’t just be a meanwhile use it has to embedded in what we do.
“We will be supporting the move to be carbon neutral by 2050, insisting on air quality neutral. Also looking at the concept of a national park city.
“Transport is pushing for a modal shift to 80 per cent sustainable transport – that is public transport, cycling and walking. It is not easy in outer London to cycle and walk and we need that to change.
“Good growth is about something that’s inclusive, sustainable, accessible to everybody and about high quality.
“We have a fund £140m called the Good Growth Fund that will look at how we support this work in your town centres. This is aimed at empowering people, making better places and growing prosperity for all Londoners.
“We have already spent £29million of the mayor’s money in Croydon. A lot of public realm work has been done there over the last six years and very we have been very supportive of the council tax increment financing and Croydon Growth Zone.”