Inside Croydon

Take a step back to the 1970s with Jake Yapp’s game show

Posted on June 13, 2026 by insidecroydon

Inside Croydon subscribers can win a pair of tickets for Cornershop Showdown in a special 1970s quiz – click here to enter our competition now!

Going back in time: Jake Yapp and the lovely Julie promise a ‘highly interactive’ visit to 1976

For one generation, shows like The Generation Game, 3-2-1 and The Price Is Right are synonymous with great entertainment. For another, they’re a somewhat baffling glimpse into another era.

Jake Yapp has taken his love of 1970s gameshows and used it to create Cornershop Showdown – a new, live and “highly interactive” gameshow where members of the audience compete for appalling prizes.

Yapp’s bringing his latest show (suitable for 16+) to Croydon for the Croydonites Fringe Festival, where he will be performing Cornershop Showdown at Studio 55 (in Centrale) on Saturday, July 4.

Yapp has taken the lampooning skills he honed making Radio 4 in Four Minutes and his takedowns of Sunday Brunch and This Morning for Charlie Brooker’s Weekly Wipe and applied them to game shows “in an unflinching but affectionate send-up”. Continue reading →

Posted in Activities, Art, Croydonites Festival, Dance, Music, Poetry, The Front Room, The Front Room, The Oval Tavern, Theatre | Tagged Centrale, Cornershop Showdown, Croydon, Croydonites, Croydonites Festival, Croydonites Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, Jake Yapp, Stanley Halls, Studio 55, The Front Room, The Oval Tavern | Leave a comment

Lloyds makes the move into Centrale with £1.6m new branch

Posted on June 13, 2026 by insidecroydon

Centralised banking: Lloyds moves its town centre branch to the Westfield-managed Centrale from Monday

Lloyds Bank moves into Centrale on Monday, and says it has invested £1.6million in its new town centre branch.

To mark the opening, the first customers through the doors on June 15 will be offered biscuits decorated with the Lloyds black horse trade mark, “alongside other surprise horsey giveaways”, the bank says. Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Centrale, North End Quarter, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield | Tagged Centrale, Croydon, Hammersfield, Lloyds Bank, North End, Unibail Rodamco Westfield, URW, Westfield | 1 Comment

Croydon Community Energy: Join our board of directors

Posted on June 13, 2026 by insidecroydon

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Click here for more information about Croydon Community Energy, and to apply for the roles

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Posted in Advertisement, Advertisement features, Business, Croydon Community Energy | Tagged CCE, Croydon, Croydon Community Energy, Housing | Leave a comment

Good Food Matters Open Day, New Addington, Fri June 19

Posted on June 13, 2026 by insidecroydon

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Posted in Advertisement, Advertisement features, Charity, Community associations, New Addington North, New Addington South | Tagged Community garden, Croydon, Good Food Matters, New Addington, Open Day | Leave a comment

Sherlock Holmes and the mystery of the 24 unaffordable flats

Posted on June 12, 2026 by insidecroydon

Planning permission was refused last night for a scheme that threatens a South Norwood heritage building which was once home to Arthur Conan Doyle. But this case is not closed yet…

Local heritage: the blue plaque at 12 Tennison Road

And so it came to pass…

The first planning application at the first meeting of the LabCon stitched-up planning committee at the start a new council administration is almost certain to be appealed to the government’s Planning Inspector, potentially at huge public cost, after the new committee managed to refuse permission for a scheme to build 24 flats in South Norwood in the middle of a housing crisis.

The profit-hungry developers Walker Properties Ltd claim that they could not include a single “affordable” home and still deliver a “viable” development at 12 and 14 Tennison Road – where their flats could sell for an estimated total of £7million-plus.

A distraction from the commercial purpose of the developers is the use of 12 Tennison Road, which for three years in the 1890s was the family home of Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, History, Housing, Nicola Townsend, Planning, Property, Sean Fitzsimons, South Norwood | Tagged 12 Tennison Road, Arthur Conan-Doyle, Blue plaque, Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Labour, London Borough of Croydon, Mark Johnson, Melanie Felten, Nicola Townsend, Planning Committee, Sean Fitzsimons, Sherlock Holmes, South Norwood, Tory, Walker Properties Ltd | 2 Comments

Delivery rider badly hurt after hit-and-run in South Croydon

Posted on June 12, 2026 by insidecroydon

Cordoned off: Brighton Road was closed for more than an hour last night as emergency services dealt with the consequences of a speeding driver. Photo: Rakesh Jaitly/iC

PHOTO EXCLUSIVE by RAKESH JAITLY

A delivery rider is being treated in hospital after being hit by a speeding car in what eyewitnesses described as a hit-and-run crash on a busy South Croydon road during Thursday night’s rush hour.

The main Brighton Road through South Croydon was closed by police for more than an hour, as emergency services dealt with the consequences of a reckless speeding driver. Continue reading →

Posted in Crime, South Croydon | Tagged Brighton Road, Crime, Cyclist, Delivery rider, hit-and-run, London Ambulance Service, Metropolitan Police, South Croydon, Speeding driver | 2 Comments

Croydon’s businesses are losing £21,000 a year to crime. It could be their CCTV cameras that are the problem

Posted on June 12, 2026 by insidecroydon

Bullying concerns at St Helier Hospital raised in CQC report

Posted on June 11, 2026 by insidecroydon

INSIDE SUTTON: Issues around safety and leadership, plus accusations of bullying, see Sutton’s NHS hospital downgraded to ‘Requires improvement’ after latest CQC inspection. CARL SHILTON reports

Under a cloud: the CQC inspectors found a number of troubling issues at St Helier

Staff reported bullying and discrimination from leaders in the surgery services at St Helier, “which could undermine staff morale and safe care”, according to a Care Quality Commission inspection report on Sutton’s large NHS hospital.

Assessed together with Queen Mary’s Hospital for Children, which is located on the same Wrythe Lane site, St Helier has been rated “Good” under categories effective, caring and responsive. However, it has again been rated “Requires improvement” for safe and the CQC lowered its rating for well-led from “Good” to “Requires improvement” following the inspection, which was carried out in December.

“Bullying” at St Helier is mentioned nine times in the CQC report, which was published today.

The inspectors also visited Epsom Hospital, which is in the same NHS Trust as St Helier. Overall, the Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust remain rated “Good”.

Today, responding to the CQC report, one St Helier medic told Inside Sutton: “I’m not surprised that bullying gets a prominent mention, simply because of the immense pressure we’re constantly working under… We’re short of everything here. Staff, space… everything. And we’re also short of patience.” Continue reading →

Posted in Health, St Helier Hospital, Sutton Council | Tagged Bullying, Care Quality Commission, CQC, Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust, Epsom Hospital, St Helier Hospital, Sutton | 2 Comments

Croydonites pull back the curtains on five days of Fringe

Posted on June 11, 2026 by insidecroydon

The Croydonites Fringe is back!

From July 1 to 5, 21 works will take place across Croydon town centre and South Norwood featuring artists from Croydon, London, the rest of Britain and beyond.

Less than a month before the world-famous Edinburgh Fringe, for some of the acts, Croydon will be their last performance before heading to Scotland.

Co-presented with Stanley Arts, the Croydonites Fringe showcases performance, cabaret, comedy, music, dance, spoken word, theatre and shows for babies and children – there’s a huge range to suit the most discerning tastes!

Croydonites Fringe will be back in Studio 55 (Unit 55 of Centrale Shopping Centre), in their spiritual home The Front Room, at The Oval Tavern and Stanley Halls. Continue reading →

Posted in Activities, Art, Croydonites Festival, Dance, Music, Poetry, The Front Room, The Front Room, The Oval Tavern, Theatre | Tagged Centrale, Croydon, Croydonites, Croydonites Festival, Croydonites Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, Jake Yapp, Stanley Halls, Studio 55, The Front Room, The Oval Tavern | Leave a comment

Croydon’s most complained-about streets: the fly-tipping curse

Posted on June 11, 2026 by insidecroydon

Residents secure community asset status for Kenley Hotel

Posted on June 10, 2026 by insidecroydon

While one Victorian era pub building in Croydon faces continuing uncertainty, a residents’ campaign in Kenley has been successful in achieving Asset of Community Value status for what could become a community hub

‘An example of beutiful Victorian architecture’: The Kenley Hotel, closed for almost a year, with locals fearing for its fate

The Kenley Hotel, a grand Victorian pub building on the Godstone Road which served pints to RAF heroes and heroines during the Battle of Britain and which has a bar reputedly made for the doomed Titanic, has been given a reprieve from developers’ bulldozers, for now at least.

Croydon Council has granted an application from the local residents’ association to have the Kenley Hotel made an Asset of Community Value, or ACV.

Now “all” that KENDRA, the Kenley and District Residents’ Association, has to do is raise the money to buy the property. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Community associations, KENDRA, Kenley, Pubs | Tagged ACV, Croydon, Croydon and Sutton CAMRA, Croydon Council, KENDRA, Kenley, Kenley and District Residents Association, The Kenley Hotel, Titanic | Leave a comment

Purley pair make BAFTA games design finals for second time

Posted on June 10, 2026 by insidecroydon

Bread on the Run: detail from the award-nominated game design by Purley teens Liana Ekanayake Ralalage and Noor Ali

Four teenagers from Croydon and Sutton have made it into the finals of BAFTA’s prestigious annual Young Game Designers competition – including one duo from Purley who have made the finals for the second time in three years.

First held in 2010, BAFTA Young Game Designers supports children and young people passionate about games by providing them with hands-on experience and creating accessible pathways into industry careers. Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Education, Schools | Tagged BAFTA, BAFTA Young Game Designers awards, Ethan Dale, Liana Ekanayake Ralalage, Marcus Man, Noor Ali, Old Palace School of John Whitgift, Purley, Sutton, The BRIT School, Waddon | Leave a comment

Town centre hotel is handed to new management company

Posted on June 10, 2026 by insidecroydon

Countrywide Hotels has taken over the management of Hampton by Hilton London Croydon, the 120-room hotel on Dingwall Road.

Under new management: the Hampton by Hilton Hotel on Dingwall road

The company announced: “Countrywide Hotels will oversee all management and operations of the hotel on behalf of Axcel Group Ltd from June 8, bringing its hands-on management approach and operational expertise to one of south London’s leading branded hotels.”

The hotel at 29-30 Dingwall Road, close to East Croydon Station, opened in 2011, having been built on the site of two mid-sized, red-brick office blocks – Buckland House and Mercantile House. They were replaced by the current 11-storey structure that houses the hotel, an office floor and a banqueting suite. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, East Croydon | Tagged Axcel Group Ltd, Countrywide Hotels, Dingwall Road, East Croydon, East Croydon station, Hampton by Hilton, Hampton by Hilton London Croydon Hotel | Leave a comment

Fare evasion on trams is three times worse than on buses

Posted on June 10, 2026 by insidecroydon

Transport for London reckons it is losing £190m per year in unpaid fares – and the Wimbledon to Beckenham tram network is the worst of all the capital’s services for fare dodgers

Fare evasion on Croydon’s trams is twice as bad as the rate across all of Transport for London’s services.

Open system: tram passengers are trusted to tap-in before their journeys. Not all of them bother

And there are almost three times as many fare dodgers on the trams as there are on London’s buses.

That’s according to figures published today by TfL, who say that fare evasion is costing them – and law-abiding Londoners – around £190million per year.

“Fare evasion impacts TfL’s ability to invest in and maintain a safe, secure, clean, and reliable service,” the transport authority says.

According to TfL figures, fare evasion for 2025-2026 on Croydon trams averaged at 7.3% – or close to 1-in-14 passengers using the Wimbledon to Beckenham network. In the fourth quarter of the year (the three months to April 2026) the fare evasion rate hit 7.7%.

This compares badly with the overall average fare evasion rate across all TfL services – Tube, buses, DLR, Overground and Elizabeth line – where the annual average is 3.5%. Continue reading →

Posted in Commuting, Crime, TfL, Tramlink, Transport | Tagged Croydon, Croydon Trams, Fare dodgers, Fare evasion, London, London Assembly, London Trams, TfL, Transport for London | 7 Comments

Crystal Palace are all set to add Sage to their winning recipe

Posted on June 10, 2026 by insidecroydon

Crystal Palace are expected to confirm Pierre Sage as the club’s new head coach within the next 24 to 36 hours.

New Lens: Pierre Sage enjoyed a meteoric year in the French league

A deal has been “agreed in principle” with the 47-year-old Frenchman on a contract until the summer of 2029, with the option of a further year.

Sage will arrive at Selhurst Park tagged as “second choice” to replace Oliver Glasner, who left the club last month after delivering the FA Cup in 2025 and winning the UEFA Conference League in May.

But Sage has enjoyed a similarly meteoric year since joining Lens in June 2025, taking them to second place in Ligue 1 – six points behind all-conquering Paris Saint-Germain – and winning the Coupe de France for the first time in the club’s history in his first year in charge at Stade Bollaert-Delelis. Continue reading →

Posted in Adan Wharton, Crystal Palace FC, Eberechi Eze, Football, Oliver Glasner, Pierre Sage, Sport, Steve Parish | Tagged AC Milan, Adam Wharton, Crystal Palace, Crystal Palace FC, Crystal Palace Football Club, Eberechi Eze, FA Cup, Frank Lampard, Lens, Ligue 1, Marc Guehi, Michael Olise, Oliver Glasner, Pierre Sage, RC Lens, Steve Parish, UEFA Conference League | 1 Comment

Croydon Community Energy: Join our board of directors

Posted on June 10, 2026 by insidecroydon

C O M M U N I T Y
A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Click here for more information about Croydon Community Energy, and to apply for the roles

Continue reading →

Posted in Advertisement, Advertisement features, Business, Croydon Community Energy | Tagged CCE, Croydon, Croydon Community Energy, Solar energy, Solar power | Leave a comment

£1.45m Addiscombe landmark building withdrawn from auction

Posted on June 9, 2026 by insidecroydon

Seen better days: the builder’s hoardings around Grade II Leslie Arms came down last year, but its future remains uncertain

Financial figures published for the sale of Grade II-listed Leslie Arms were altered ahead of the auction date, with a two-bedroom flat shown now to be paying just £800 per month in rent. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES

Criminal conviction: Anwar Ansari has been in trouble with the law over the past couple of years

Anwar Ansari, the multi-millionaire property developer, has refused to comment after the Grade II-listed Leslie Arms pub building was withdrawn from auction at the 11th-hour.

The landmark heritage building on the corner of Cherry Orchard Road and Lower Addiscombe Road has been in the ownership of Ansari-linked companies for more than 25 years.

It was placed for auction with estate agents Savills last month with a guide price of £1.45million.

But yesterday, with the big-money auction less than 24 hours away, Savills’ website was amended for Lot 106 to note: “Withdrawn prior”.

Today, Savills told Inside Croydon, “We are unable to disclose why the lot was withdrawn.”

Questions had been raised about the commercial valuation placed on the building, and the accommodation and tenancy schedule provided in the estate agents’ sales particulars. These showed the current owners receiving rent from tenants in four flats on the upper floors of the building, as well as £65,000 per year for use of the ground floor and cellar areasasofficespace. Continue reading →

Posted in Addiscombe West, Business, Croydon Council, Housing, Leslie Arms, Planning, Property, Pubs | Tagged AA Homes, Addiscombe, Addiscombe West, Anwar Ansari, Cherry Orchard Road, Croydon, Croydon Council, Dogs attack, Dr Anwar Ansari, English Heritage, Kangal, Labour, Landlord licensing, Leslie Arms, Lloyd Park, Lower Addiscombe Road, Savills, Savills auctioneers, Savills estate agents, The Victorian Society, Turkish Kangal | 7 Comments

Sea Cadets recreate HMS Belfast crew for The Big Help Out

Posted on June 9, 2026 by insidecroydon

All aboard: Sea Cadets and museum volunteers gather on deck at HMS Belfast last Saturday

Eighty Sea Cadets from across the capital stepped aboard HMS Belfast on Saturday, June 6 – the 82nd anniversary of D-Day – to learn from volunteer crew and reimagine their place in the ship’s story.

The Sea Cadets were taking part in the Big Help Out,a day of hands-on learning with the volunteers who keep the ship’s stories alive.

Light cruiser HMS Belfast saw action off the coast of Normandy as part of Operation Overlord, the D-Day invasion of France on June 6, 1944, the largest land-sea operation in history, in which Allied forces began the offensive against the Nazis. The Belfast has been moored in the Pool of London, close to Tower Bridge, as a landmark tourist attraction since 1971.

On Saturday, across two sessions, cadets explored the historic warship alongside Imperial War Museums guides, discovering what life was like for sailors at sea and the strong sense of community that defined the original crew. Continue reading →

Posted in Activities, Community associations, History, London-wide issues, Old Coulsdon, Sea Cadets | Tagged Bromley, Caterham, Croydon, D-Day, HMS Belfast, Imperial War Museum, National Volunteers Week, Old Coulsdon, Pool of London, Sea Cadets, Sutton, Tower Bridge, Volunteers Week, World War II, World War Two | Leave a comment

Massive blaze at Bermondsey incinerator under investigation

Posted on June 9, 2026 by insidecroydon

Incinerator blaze: smoke billows out from the Bermondsey blaze yesterday evening

While the Environment Agency reckons all is safe and sound at the Viridor incinerator in Beddington, a massive blaze broke out close to another waste incineration plant in south London around the evening rush hour yesterday.

Fifteen fire engines and around 100 firefighters tackled the blaze at the incinerator on Landmann Way in Bermondsey, not far from The Den football stadium.

It took more than six hours for the fire to be brought under control, with London Fire Brigade crews on-site overnight to ensure safety.

Massive plumes of smoke were visible across central London from just before 6pm, with Sky News transmitting live images of the fire from their fixed-position television cameras at Westminster, more than three miles from the fire.

People living nearby were advised to keep their doors and windows closed. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Environment, London Fire Brigade, Veolia, Waste incinerator | Tagged Beddington, Beddington incinerator, Beddington Lane, Bermondsey, LFB, London Fire Brigade, SELCHP, South East London Combined Heat and Power, The Den, Veolia, Viridor, Viridor incinerator | 1 Comment

100 free pizzas today at Pizza Hut Norbury and South Croydon

Posted on June 9, 2026 by insidecroydon

Pizza Hut in Norbury and South Croydon are both giving away 100 pizzas to the first 100 customers to visit their takeaways at lunchtime today.

Both Pizza Huts are under new management, and to mark the occasion, they are offering a free medium margherita pizza to the first 100 customers who walk in and place an order for collection between noon and 3pm today, Tuesday June 9.

“To secure the pizza, they just have to turn up – that’s all,” Pizza Hut say.

The South Croydon and Norbury locations are part of a wider takeover of 16 stores in Greater London, bringing the total number of stores now operated by ZAF Holdings to 42. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Norbury, Restaurants, South Croydon | Tagged Free pizza, Norbury, Pizza, Pizza Hut, South Croydon | Leave a comment

We need new election system which makes all votes matter

Posted on June 8, 2026 by insidecroydon

CROYDON COMMENTARY: One month on from Croydon’s local elections, PETER UNDERWOOD, pictured right, takes another look at our electoral system

There is a growing consensus that FPTP, the first-past-the-post system we use for Westminster and local council elections, needs to be replaced.

No one with any credibility would claim it makes sense to carry on using it in our multi-party system.

The FPTP system produces distorted and undemocratic results, and last month’s elections have given us plenty of examples. In Milton Keynes, the Liberal Democrats came fourth in vote share but became the biggest party. In Birmingham, Greens got the most votes, but Reform got the most councillors.

Here in Croydon, the Conservatives got more votes than Labour but ended up with fewer councillors, and both parties got far more council seats than their vote share deserved.

I’ve written before on why Croydon needs more and better democracy and the latest results make that even clearer. Continue reading →

Posted in 2026 council elections, 2026 Croydon Mayor election, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Peter Underwood | Tagged Conservative, Croydon, Croydon Council, Electioal Commission, Electoral Reform Society, First Past The Post, FPTP, Labour, Liberal Democrats, London Borough of Croydon, Make Votes Matter, Peter Underwood, Proportional representation, The Green Party, Tory | 19 Comments

Free legal advice and webinars on adult social care this month

Posted on June 8, 2026 by insidecroydon

Free advice: twice a week through June, Martin Searle Solicitors’ team is offering free half-hour advice sessions about social care

‘We urgently need a significant investment in social care staff, services and support for unpaid carers to ensure that the current social care system does not collapse’

Martin Searle Solicitors, with offices in central Croydon, is running its Social Care Funding Matters campaign through June, including offering free advice sessions.

On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons throughout June, the Court of Protection and Community Care law team at Martin Searle Solicitors will provide free 30-minute telephone advice appointments to individuals about how to access social care funding and the services they are entitled to under the Care Act. Continue reading →

Posted in Activities, Adult Social Care, Croydon Council | Tagged Adult Social Care, Free legal advice, Legal advice, Martin Searle Solicitors, National Care Service, Webinar | Leave a comment

Croydon College’s esports legends are top of the league again

Posted on June 8, 2026 by insidecroydon

Final countdown: Croydon College’s esports team won the national title in 2025 and has qualified for the 2026 final later this month

Croydon College is celebrating a major achievement as its elite esports team has made the national finals of the British students League of Legends tournament.

Croydon College’s team has twice won the national title, including last year, so they go into the 2026 final as defending champions. Continue reading →

Posted in Activities, Croydon College, Education | Tagged Croydon College, esports, League of Legends | Leave a comment

Report calls urban sprawl ‘forgotten disaster of last 50 years’

Posted on June 8, 2026 by insidecroydon

Urban sprawl: figures from the Office for National Statistics show that one-third of households in Croydon do not own a car or van. Fewer than half of Croydon households – 43%, own a vehicle

A report from CPRE London published today says successive governments over the past half-century have actively enabled urban sprawl into the countryside.

Urban sprawl means building low-density housing outside of towns, on green fields, and far from shops, schools and surgeries. Developments are “car-dependent”, with little or no bus service. At the same time, more space in town centres is allocated for car parks. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Croydon Council, Environment, Parking, Planning, Property | Tagged Alice Roberts, Campaign to Protect Rural England, CPRE, CPRE London, Parking, Property | 2 Comments

Chestnut Gardens Open Day, Foxley Lane, Sat June 20

Posted on June 8, 2026 by insidecroydon

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Posted in Advertisement, Advertisement features, Business, Care Homes, Health | Tagged Barchester, Barchester Healthcare, Chestnut Gardens, Croydon, Purley | Leave a comment

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