Ugly, even by Croydon standards:

Housing correspondent BARRATT HOLMES on the latest tall towers coming to the skyline of central Croydon

Deep in the middle of a housing crisis, Croydon Council has broken its own rules by granting planning permission to a £200million housing scheme which will provide only 20% affordable homes.

And even by Croydon standards, the three towers proposed for what is being called Tapestry Croydon, sited between the Fairfield Halls and Croydon College, are remarkably ugly, if the architects’ CGIs are anywhere near accurate.

Yet the proposals were waved through by the councillors sitting on the planning committee, with only one voting against.

The site, once owned by Croydon Council through its failed house-building venture, Brick by Brick, was sold by the cash-strapped authority for just £20million in 2021.

This is the development site that ultimately broke Brick by Brick, helped to send the refurbishment costs for the Fairfield Halls arts centre soaring and effectively bankrupted the borough.

The site is bounded to the west by College Green, beyond which sits Park Lane, to the north by Croydon College and College Tower (which includes a pedestrian link from the site boundary connecting through to College Road), to the east by the London to Brighton railway mainline and the Hazledean Road bridge, and to the south by the Croydon Magistrates Court and the former College Annex building.

A walk in the woods: Tapestry Croydon will be entirely pedetrianised

The two-acre site is less than straightforward, as it is on the former multi-storey car park and deck, which have been demolished, leaving the existing basement exposed.

Developers Delta Properties, on behalf of something called Croydon Developments Ltd, an Israeli-British owned company, describe Tapestry as “a key puzzle piece of the Fair Field Masterplan opportunity”. Well, maybe… That masterplan has been kicking around since 2013, unfulfilled and now – thanks to these approved plans – with almost 50% more homes on the site than previously proposed.

Fairfield ward councillor Ria Patel told the planning meeting that the scheme was “not the best application for the area”, and that it “prioritises scale over liveability, with too few family homes and too little affordable housing”.

Concerns: Cllr Ria Patel

Concerns were raised over the height and massing of the three towers, which would cause “some harm” to the Fairfield Halls, the nearby heritage asset.

Conservative councillor Michael Neal, Croydon’s chair of the planning committee, said that while “there is some harm, the risks are low and the benefits are very high, so I will definitely be supporting the application”.

The latest designs are by Studio Egret West.

The blocks range from 16 to 42 storeys tall. By comparison, the tallest of the nearby twin tower schemes on College Road is 50 storeys high (535 feet tall). The other double tower development between Fairfield Halls and East Croydon Station, 101 George Street, known as Ten Degrees, has a highest tower of 44 storeys ((446 feet tall).

The architects are now referring to “Croydon’s eastern tall building cluster”. Commuters trying to make their way to the station on the way to work in the mornings know it more directly as “the wind tunnel”.

In addition to the new homes, Tapestry will include a 1,254m² primary care medical centre and more than 975m² of retail and café space and a crèche.

According to Architects Journal, “The plans comprise three distinct parts: the North, South and West blocks. The North block, 42 storeys, and South block, 28 storeys, bear similar designs, both are articulated through vertically pleated, concave aluminium façades.” Which is nice…

“The West block has a more ‘civic character’, with convex GRC panels that create a ‘horizontal rhythm’ which is ‘animated by recessed balconies, bronze-toned spandrels, and two-storey column bands’ across its 16 storeys.

“More than 4,645m² of combined public and private open space will include the Hazledean Walk, a green pathway lined with trees leading through the site with integrated seating, cycling facilities and a children’s play area.”

Ronen Saban, the chief executive at Delta Properties, said: “This isn’t just about local regeneration; it’s about establishing a premier residential destination.

“By merging world-class connectivity with a landscape-led cultural heart alongside Fairfield Halls, we are building a place where people truly want to live and invest.”

Read more: Only 20% ‘affordable’ in 676 flats proposed for College Green
Read more: Council puts hotel and College Green up for sale for just £40m
Read more: Site sold by council for £20m might now be worth £200m

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