Croydon Gateway regeneration 'will be decided by summer'

The planning inspectorate has affirmed that a decision will be made by the summer on planning permission for one of South London's most hotly-anticipated regeneration project.

Rival plans for the Croydon Gateway – formerly a vast railway goods yard and now largely disused since the 1960s – have been considered by the Inspectorate, with a definitive decision set to be made by July 30th at the latest.

The Croydon area, lying to the south of the borough of Lambeth, holds one of South London's biggest office stocks, but both sets of plans seek to modernise the area with an array of state-of-the art buildings, making it more attractive to rental property seekers.

A first plan from site owner Stanhope and financial backer Schroders envisages building 560 homes on the site, of which half would be affordable housing, with an urban park also featuring in the layout.

A rival plan (the Arrowcroft scheme) is backed by the London borough of Croydon and involves the construction of a new 12,500-seat indoor arena, named the Croydon Arena, as well as hundreds of offices and homes.

With the site located just a stone's throw from Croydon East station, both sets of plans look capable of making the area a more desirable one for commuters.

Published 18th January, 2008