Closing down: Croydon Colonnades on the Purley Way
More job losses, more closures… This time it is at the Colonnades “leisure” park on the Purley Way, with its City Limits complex of slot machines, bowling alleys and Lazer Quest shoot-em-up game area.
At least 23 people will lose their jobs when the lease with Punch Taverns expires on August 7.
The closure of the bowling alley and Lazer Quest will probably also affect business at the neighbouring Pizza Hut, Gipsy Moth pub and Premier Inn.
The architectural carbuncle that is the Colonnades has been open less than 12 years, having been built on the former site of the Purley Water Palace, a Council-run pools complex that itself was bulldozed within seven years of being opened in 1990 (perhaps an object lesson for the present developments at Waddon and Coulsdon?).
Although served by the 119 bus, the Colonnades is somewhat remote from the town centre, well removed from any Tram links, and lacks an anchor tenant which serves as its major drawcard, such as Ikea or Sainsbury’s further along the Purley Way.
Punch Taverns, which owns the leasehold for the building, may consider selling what it calls one of their “less sustainable sites”.
The latest Croydon Advertiser quotes one soon-to-be-ex-employee as saying, “We’re just not making enough money. It’s a big site and the rent is expensive.
“Half of the building isn’t even open any more – we’ve lost a restaurant and a couple of bars in the last year.”
For the local ten-pin bowling leagues that are established there, it is a major blow, since many of them moved to City Limits after the Purley Bowl was shut earlier this year.
You article implies that the whole Colonnades is closing, which is not the case. Only one premisis on the site is shutting. The site has recently seen the opening of several new food outlets and the Kidspace opening, which is hugely popular.
The site may not be on a tram route, but is well served by busses from Croydon and Purley and has loads of free parking (rare these days), so I think your article could of been much more balanced.
Also, it’s Pizza Hut that shares the site and not Pizza Express.
Yep, you’re right about the Pizza restaurant. It’s much too downmarket for Pizza Express. So I’ve updated the copy.