Category Archives: Centrale

BID’s latest town centre stunt brought to you by… Filthy Luker!

Our culture correspondent, GRAYDON PERRY (no relation), considers the ‘anarchy’ behind the latest art-washing efforts by the money men at the Business ‘Improvement’ District Please ensure that you are seated before reading this article. Inside Croydon does not want responsibility … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Art, Business, Centrale, Croydon BID, Mayor Jason Perry, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Banned in Whitgift Centre, werewolf’s on the prowl in Croydon

GABRIEL MacARTHUR was on set for a music video shoot with a difference – it didn’t have Taylor Swift in it  There’s been a werewolf on the prowl on the high street and, in true Croydon fashion, most passers-by seemed … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Art, Business, Centrale, Gabriel MacArthur, Music, Riff Raffs, The Oval Tavern, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Get up on the roof for the new club nights at Costa del Croydon

Westfield has once again turned the top floor of a multi-storey car park next to a shopping centre into a… beach. NADIA AZIZUDDIN went along to try out the new, adults-only Thursday club night For those who are missing the … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Activities, Business, Centrale, Costa del Croydon, Nadia Azizuddin, North End Quarter, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

‘The saddest news about Croydon town centre since the riots’

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Local MP and Fairfield ward councillors urge developers to make good on their long-standing promises to regenerate the town centre. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES MP Sarah Jones today called on Westfield “to work at pace to deliver … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Adam Smith, Allders, Business, Centrale, CPO, Croydon Council, Croydon West, Fairfield, Fiona Fletcher Smith, Growth Zone, Mayor Jason Perry, Paul Ainscough, Planning, Roisha Hughes, Sarah Jones MP, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The 15-year takeover of Croydon town centre by Westfield

The £1billion regeneration of Croydon town centre has been plagued by a decade and a half of developer delays, economic turmoil, a global pandemic and a complete reshaping of the original retail-led proposal into what, in its latest iteration of … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Adam Smith, Allders, Business, Centrale, CPO, Croydon Council, Fairfield, Fiona Fletcher Smith, Growth Zone, Planning, Roisha Hughes, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

SOLD! Westfield in £31.5m deal to buy Whitgift Centre freehold

After 15 years, two large-scale planning applications, a planning inquiry and a CPO,  Croydon’s biggest landowners have today announced that they have sold off a large chunk of their property in the benighted town centre in the hope that it … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Adam Smith, Allders, Business, Centrale, CPO, Croydon Council, Fairfield, Fiona Fletcher Smith, Growth Zone, Planning, Roisha Hughes, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Croydon BID fails to inform co-directors of Perry’s resignation

Business ‘improvement’ district has received hundreds of thousands of pounds of public cash while Tory Mayor was one of its directors Jason Perry, Croydon’s £86,000 per year part-time Mayor, has quit as a director of Croydon BID. Piss-poor Perry’s resignation … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Boxpark, Business, Centrale, Croydon BID, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Mott MacDonald, Policing, Stiles Harold Williams, Surrey Street, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

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

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Centrale, North End Quarter, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Council heavies move in on vulnerable people on George Street

Under-trained security officials, paid for with public money, are doing the bidding of Mayor’s favoured business group in ‘authoritarian thuggery and bullying’. By STEVEN DOWNES Croydon Council has been accused of being tactless, uncaring and of persecuting homeless people, after … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Centrale, Community associations, Croydon BID, North End Quarter, Whitgift Foundation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Uniformed guards are making our town centre more hostile

CROYDON COMMENTARY: Stopping for a morning coffee overlooking North End on Monday, community worker EMMA GARDINER did not much like the events unfolding before her Sitting in the window of the lovely new coffee shop on North End gives you … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Centrale, Community associations, Croydon BID, North End Quarter, South Norwood Community Kitchen | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Westfield consult public for 6th time and deliver more delays

Paris-based multi-bilion developers URW today begin another public consultation over the future of the town centre – Consultation No6 – which means that their latest planning application, already two years late, won’t see the light of day until long after … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Business, Centrale, CPO, Croydon Council, Housing, Mayor Jason Perry, North End Quarter, Planning, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

Police make arrest in Croydon over ‘School Wars’ messages

EXCLUSIVE: Met promises ‘robust’ action, dispersal orders and stop and search ahead of further social media advertised meetings The police have made an arrest in Croydon in connection with the “School Wars” social media messages which went viral across London … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Centrale, Coloma, Coombe Wood School, Crime, Harris Academy Beulah Hill, Harris Academy South Norwood, London-wide issues, Norbury Manor, Oasis Academy, Orchard Park High, Policing, Schools, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Police use stop-and-search powers to counter ‘Croydon Wars’

There were no arrests across London yesterday, as the threatened youth violence prompted by social media messaging failed to materialise. Now  some suggest the ‘Red v Blue’ messages are all a hoax A large police presence in Croydon town centre … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Centrale, Coloma, Coombe Wood School, Crime, Harris Academy Beulah Hill, Harris Academy South Norwood, London-wide issues, Norbury Manor, Oasis Academy, Orchard Park High, Policing, Schools, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dozen social media sites ‘disabled’ over Croydon Wars stunt

Metropolitan Police says it is increasing number of officers patrolling around schools and town centre, ‘and we will respond firmly to any reports of violence or disorder’ A senior police officer based in Croydon has issued a statement seeking to … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Centrale, Coloma, Coombe Wood School, Crime, Croydon Council, Harris Academy Beulah Hill, Harris Academy South Norwood, Norbury Manor, Oasis Academy, Orchard Park High, Schools, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Schools and parents on alert for next week’s ‘Croydon Wars’

Police and community groups are preparing for a week of “Croydon Wars”, after children aged as young as 12 have been encouraged on social media to take weapons with them to a series of “Red v Blue” fights between schools. … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Centrale, Coloma, Coombe Wood School, Crime, Croydon Council, Harris Academy Beulah Hill, Harris Academy South Norwood, Norbury Manor, Oasis Academy, Orchard Park High, Schools, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

101 Records to shut with final blast at landlords and council

One of the stalwarts of the Croydon music scene since the period of peak punk, where singer Kirsty MacColl once worked in its mail order department, is to close next month. NADIA AZIZUDDIN reports Another key part of Croydon’s retail … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Centrale, Music, Nadia Azizuddin, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

MP Jones misses mark with criticism of town centre’s Primark

CROYDON IN CRISIS: One of the borough’s Labour MPs is accused of ‘performatively sending emails’ to a fashion chain’s CEO, when there are bigger issues in the borough, such as Westfield’s continuing delays over redevelopment  Croydon West MP Sarah Jones … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Centrale, Crime, Croydon BID, Croydon West, Nick Blackburn, North End Quarter, Planning, Policing, Sarah Jones MP, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Planning application for Westfield scheme stalled to mid-2026

EXCLUSIVE: ‘”Rome wasn’t built in a day”, but it never took this long’. More broken promises from the Paris-based developers as their housing scheme for the town centre is delayed again. By STEVEN DOWNES  Their planning application was supposed to … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Business, Centrale, CPO, Croydon Council, Housing, Mayor Jason Perry, North End Quarter, Planning, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Smell the coffee… Last two Allders kiosks set to open this week

Locals better get there early on Friday, for the grand opening of Coco and Nut on North End, when free coffees and pastries will be on offer to celebrate. Because, with the slightest whiff of a freebie to be had, … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Business, Centrale, Mayor Jason Perry, North End Quarter, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Figures show how exodus from Whitgift Centre is speeding up

The number of empty retail units in the Whitgift Centre has increased by more than 50% in the past year, according to recent research. Now under the management of Westfield, the Whitgift Centre was supposed to have been demolished and … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Business, Centrale, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

Westfield is forced to fence off Centrale’s leaky entrance

As one door opens, another slams into shoppers’ faces on North End, as temporary fencing was erected outside the entrance to Zara and House of Fraser Less than a week after Westfield was trumpeting the opening of two “kiosks” in … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Business, Centrale, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Costa Del Croydon offers beach experience unlike any other

Westfield’s latest sop for failing to deliver the long-promised regeneration of the town centre has been to have tons of sand dumped on the top of a shopping centre’s multi-storey car park. KEN TOWL donned his ‘Kiss Me Quick’ hat … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Activities, Business, Centrale, Costa del Croydon, Ken Towl, North End Quarter, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Perry’s poor waffle performance shows who is really in charge

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The borough’s £82,000 per year executive Mayor gave up a morning of his valuable time to help a property PR firm boost the flagging credibility of Westfield’s town centre proposals. And there among the breakfast croissants and … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Business, Centrale, Croydon Council, Housing, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, North End Quarter, Planning, Tom Copley, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Another Croydon mugging as Westfield stages latest charade

There’s a public consultation about the long-delayed Westfield redevelopment of the town centre. Yes, another one. But there’s no promises of when any work will actually begin, or end. By STEVEN DOWNES After decades of broken promises and inflicting development … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Adam Smith, Business, Centrale, Housing, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Westfield’s non-denial denials can’t mask their investment plan

More than 48 hours after trade magazine Property Week reported what Westfield had been briefing their investors about the possibility of them selling off their interests in Croydon, and there’s been not a peep from the Paris head office of … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Centrale, Croydon West, Housing, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Sarah Jones MP, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments