Carolyn Kenney, assistant director – retail development for Hammerson, provided a summary of the day’s events:
I think one of the key messages is that Croydon really has moved on. It is now happening, You can feel it and you can see it.
The Connected Croydon programme has clearly been a success and people have noticed the improvements.
Aspirations have now clearly moved on so people are thinking about changing perceptions, and how to attract more office occupiers and that is now really going to be one of the top priorities.
Changing perceptions: Carolyn Kenney, assistant director of Hammerson
Another strand that came out of today is the vision for Croydon. Is it part of Croydon or does it want to have its own identity outside that central area.
I think Croydon has the opportunity to be both. It really is a city within a city.
How does Croydon move on from here? There is work to do to address some of the mistakes from the past but it does feel as if the stage has already been set.
The masterplan and the vision are already in place and it’s now about delivering and about the quality of the buildings and the spaces between them.
A vision of the Croydon Partnership’s plans for central Croydon
As Jo Negrini said earlier we now need to look at humanising the environment, creating a place that people want to live, work and spend their leisure time in.
That’s what we’re all about, that’s what we do, we build spaces that people inhabit and use in whatever different ways.
So now what we really need is some care. Care to take the vision and to transform it into somewhere that people really do feel proud of. We are in a position to shape its future.