Croydon landmark: the Thruppeny Bit building shortly after it was completed in 1970
The 20th Century Society, the organisation that seeks to protect and promote the best architecture built between 1901 and 2000, has described as “disappointing” the decision that its application for a listing for No1 Croydon has been rejected. Again.
It was the C20 Society’s second application to get listed status for the building, also referred to as the Thrupenny Bit building, a landmark which was designed by Richard Seifert and Partners and built between 1968 and 1970, and positioned alongside East Croydon Station, and now the tram tracks and the busy bus station.
The rejection leaves the building at real risk of being at least compromised, if not ultimately destroyed. The lack of any meaningful listed status meant that the carbuncle of a Sainsbury’s Local was allowed to be plonked next to the building in recent times.
The C20 Society says that they believe No1 Croydon to be the most significant example of Seifert’s surviving works to remain unlisted.
They submitted the latest application for listing last August, soon after Inside Croydon broke the news that the building’s owners want to convert it from office use and turn it into 250 microflats across the building’s uniquely shaped 24 floors.
Announcing the news this morning, the Society tweeted: “Disappointing news that C20’s second listing application for No 1 Croydon… has again been rejected.
“The Society supports in-principle plans for residential conversion, but as Seifert’s most significant tower to remain unlisted, a sympathetic approach to any works is essential.”
Second time lucky?: how the 20th Century Society announced its latest attempt to preserve some of Croydon’s heritage architecture
Had the listing application been accepted by the culture minister, Lisa Nandy, it would have had little or no impact on the proposals to convert the block into residential under permitted development rules.
The C20 Society had previously applied for listed status in 2012.
Inside Croydon had broken the news that the building’s owners, Britel Fund Trustees Ltd, have done their sums and reckon that now is the time to get out of the office landlord business and move into the residential property business instead.
The proposals include no affordable homes and no open space for residents.
“Private rented homes on a concrete island surrounded by tram lines, a bus station and roads,” was how the proposals were described by a disgruntled Addiscombe councillor.
More flats: Seifert’s architectural landmark will soon have new occupants, but has been rejected by government agency’s as a significant building
Permitted Development, or PD, nevertheless remains a concern for planners. There was a ban on all PD conversions in Croydon town centre for almost a decade.
It is reckoned that there are already around 1,000 flats in converted office blocks in Croydon, following relaxation of planning rules by the Tories in 2011. These include some of the worst residential accommodation to be found in London – what we were warned would be “the slums of the future” made a reality as the slums of the present.
On its website, the 20th Century Society suggested that what the owners of No1 Croydon do with its interior is of less concern to them than preserving this monument to 1960s brutalism.
“Commonly known as the ‘Thrupenny Bit’ or ’50p Building’ on account of its unique twisting form, it has been described by John Grindrod as ‘the star attraction on Croydon’s skyline’.”
And they say that with office occupancy rates in decline and given the ongoing housing crisis, “a conversion to residential use is therefore an obvious and wholly reasonable proposition in principle”.
The 20th Century Society has said that the rejection of their first listing application was “overly reliant” on information from English Heritage based on “questionable information provided in a dossier submitted on behalf of the building owners, intended to rebut the listing submission”.
Seifert’s Centre Point, by Tottenham Court Road in central London, and two of the firm’s other buildings are Grade II-listed.
Centre Point was converted for residential use in 2018.
No1 Croydon was constructed in 1968 to 1970 to the designs of R Seifert and Partners, in collaboration with the engineers Ove Arup and Partners, and built for Noble Lowndes Anninuities (NLA), a pension brokers. It initially provided ground-floor showrooms, 20 floors of office accommodation, with a restaurant and kitchen on the upper levels, and basement parking for 180 cars.
The 20th Century Society says: “Having had an uncomfortable relationship with its post-war legacy for many years, Croydon has recently embraced this period in its history, with the No1 Croydon building belatedly assuming the status of a pop-cultural icon: appearing prominently on book covers, T-shirts and tote bags, zines, prints and album covers.”
Read more: Seifert’s Croydon landmark set to be converted into 250 flats
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The implications of squeezing 250 flats into 24 floors of office space alongside the main railway station, busy bus stops and tram lines was discussed on an episode of The Croydon Insider, our news podcast exclusively for subscribers to this website. Click here to find out how you can plug into the Croydon conversation
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“Private rented homes on a concrete island surrounded by tram lines, a bus station and roads,” was how the proposals were described by a disgruntled Addiscombe councillor.
But at least No. 1 Croydon provides easy, safe access through the bus station to East Croydon Station and tramstop. This can be compared and contrasted with the
(dreadful) Island block in the centre of the Newgate/Hogarth Crescent junction at the top of Wellesley Road. I assume that the block is now occupied, but I have never seen anyone going in to or emerging from it. That is on top of the railway line to West Croydon, but not very close to the station, and sees lots of buses, but you have to cross at least one of the traffic-clogged roads to get to a bus stop !
A poor decision not to give it listed status, the building has never been exactly to my taste but I recognise it’s got some kind of architectural merit, unlike the kind of buildings that keep on getting planning permission in Croydon. If it’s getting planning permission to turn into flats surely the very least they can be expected to do is have a commitment to green up the surrounding area? Just what are their infrastructural commitments for the surrounding area?
The only green space you can even see from No. 1 Croydon is to be able to see Park Hill Recreation Ground (in the distance) from the top floor(s) ?!
Agreed – one of the few Croydon buildings with any kind of architectural merit. But who remembers the thruppenny bit?
Tall structures made from reinforced concrete are ony supposed to last between 50-100 years. The rebar inside the concrete eventually corrodes and warps, hence why the Burj Khalifa is only built to last 100 years and why those old skyscrappers in nyc require a lot of money in annual maintence. Not sure why they are turning these old office blocks into residential housing blocks unless they are on short lease agreements. Not sure what Croydon knows what it has got itself either, but I guess they only care about the short term .
Really depends at the end of the day about the quality of the build. A lot of 60’s high rise was put up quickly with little quality control over the construction and little specialist knowledge of the demands of high rise. The main contributory reason why so many of these post war blocks have been demolished, but Seifert specialised in such buildings and to my knowldege there has been no concerns about the quality of his developments and their longer life potential. Someone else may know better. Agree that the Council’s only concern is regarding the short term and little interest in the side effects over the medium to long term. Even if the building is sound I can see lots of issues with a residential building and such low quality use of space. Can see it becoming used simply as homeless accommodation when there is little demand for the minute units they intend to create at the prices on offer.
The Croydon flyover was opened in 1969 so will be 56 years old this year. The Hammersmith flyover is a few years older and was closed for a while about 20 years ago for maintenance, so the Croydon flyover will probably become a white-knuckle ride soon for gamblers only…?!
Perhaps it would be nice if they installed a giant screen at each end of the flyover, where they could display Dirty Harry (Clint Eastwood), asking “Do you feel lucky, punk?” (on repeat) as traffic goes onto the flyover ?!
Wasn’t it the plan a few years back to remove the flyover completely? Like they will do with the Marples Ridgway Hammersmith flyover.
They’re turning the place into residential because many floors have been vacant for years. The building just isn’t up to modern standards for commercial buildings.
I’m told The Empire State is in great condition. It’s 94 years old. with no corroding rebar – a quick Googleization confirms that, Sam might be thinking of post war UK reinforced concrete structures that were jerry-built with the rebar too near the surface, like Park Hill flats in Sheffield. That’s now being fixed
Where are our local politicians? Sarah Jones, Natasha Irons, Steve Reed – all appear absent in this discussion. English Heritage scuppered it years ago – because it was Croydon. No understanding of the local significance. It is so disappointing to have no local support from our MPs or councillors.
Just dynamite this eyesore now.
I’ve had a few meetings at No 1 Croydon and cannot for the life of me imagine how it could be adapted for homes. It’s all criss-crossed concrete inside with no obvious way of creating living spaces. And, as previous commentators have noted, it’s an island surrounded by traffic jams. In that sense, it’s reminscent of the tower opposite Purley dump, once home to Freddie Laker’s memorable Skytrain.
It’s The Royal Oak and used to host a pub and nightclub. Hard to imagine now.