Creating a self-sustaining Croydon is a key part of the borough’s strategy according to council chief executive Jo Negrini.
Responding to questions from Develop Croydon chair Mark Easton at the seventh annual summit, Ms Negrini said that capital as a whole would benefit if Croydon became more than a dormitory suburb with employment and cultural opportunities in addition to a residential offer.
Ms Negrini accepted that many residents would continue to use the 15-minute train ride into the city but added: “We want to give people the option, don’t we?
“What’s great about the jobs that are coming through – and the HMRC is a really good example of this – is that historically the big companies have had their backroom jobs here.
“The HMRC are bringing their tax inspectors. What we’re talking about is really high-grade good quality jobs, that commuters are used to going to the centre of London for. The same with Body Shop.”
And Ms Negrini believes creating an environment where people can live, work and spend their leisure time was key to stop Croydon from becoming a dormitory town.
“It’s all about creating that eco-system so you can do everything here – and for London that’s a really good proposition,” she added.
“If you think do that here and Acton and Stratford’s trying to make that happen; Barking and Dagenham’s much more housing focused; the culture proposition is so important to what we are trying to achieve.”