Policy information sourced from the Croydon Local Plan

SP3: Employment

SP3.1:

The Council will encourage innovation and investment into the borough to support enterprise and increased employment for the benefit of all Croydon residents. The Council will apply a presumption in favour of employment-related development, provided it meets the standards of Policy SP3 and other applicable policies of the development plan.

Innovation, Investment & Enterprise

SP3.2:

The Council will adopt a ‘4-Tier’ approach to the retention and redevelopment of land and premises relating to industrial/employment activity as set out in Table 5.1.

SP3.3:

The Council will promote the growth and expansion of Cultural and Creative Industries to make Croydon a better place to live and to act as a driver of growth and enterprise in the local economy. The focus for accommodating Cultural and Creative Industries will be the network of Enterprise Centres set out below:

  • Croydon Metropolitan Centre;
  • Purley District Centre;
  • Crystal Palace District Centre; and
  • South Norwood District Centre/Portland Road.

SP3.4:

The Council will promote the remodelling of the Fairfield Halls as a performance facility.

SP3.5:

The Council will support the temporary occupation of empty buildings and cleared sites by creative industries and cultural organisations and other meanwhile uses where they contribute to regeneration and enhance the character and vitality of the area.

Town Centres

SP3.6:

The Council will apply the London Plan Town Centre hierarchy:

  • Croydon Metropolitan Centre
  • District Centres: Addiscombe, Coulsdon, Crystal Palace, New Addington, Norbury, Purley, Selsdon, South Norwood and Thornton Heath
  • Local Centres: Beulah Road, Brighton Road (Sanderstead Road), Brighton Road (Selsdon Road), Broad Green, Hamsey Green, Pollards Hill, Sanderstead, Shirley and Thornton Heath Pond.

SP3.7:

The Council will work with the GLA and neighbouring boroughs to ensure Croydon’s network of town centres is sufficiently flexible to accommodate change up to 2031 by:

  • Working with its partners through the process of regular town centre ‘health checks’ to highlight reclassifications of the borough’s existing Local and District Centres;
  • Designating the boundaries of the network of town centres and their Primary Shopping Areas in the Croydon Local Plan’s Detailed Policies and Proposals and undertaking regular review to ensure the vitality of the centres is maintained; and
  • Considering the designation of new Local Centres at Fiveways and Valley Park when they can be supported by population growth in these areas.

SP3.8:

The Council will promote and support the development of all B1 uses (including office, light industry and research & development) retail, leisure (including evening/night-time economy uses), visitor accommodation, and housing and community facilities within Croydon Metropolitan Centre, District Centres and Local Centres.

SP3.9

Croydon Metropolitan Centre will remain the principal location in the borough for office, retail, cultural (including a diverse evening/night-time economy) and hotel activity, and also be the largest retail and commercial centre in South London.

SP3.10:

The Council will adopt a flexible approach to B1 uses (office, light industry and research & development), retail, leisure (including evening/nighttime economy uses), visitor accommodation, and housing and community facilities within Croydon Metropolitan Centre. This flexible approach will be supplemented by the Croydon Opportunity Area Planning Framework and the Council’s masterplans that apply to the Croydon Metropolitan Centre.

SP3.11:

The Council will promote and support measures to improve the quality of the borough’s stock of retail and office premises, particularly in the Croydon Metropolitan Centre.

SP3.12:

The Council will favourably consider net increases to the stock of retail premises commensurate with Croydon’s retail function as a Metropolitan Centre and ensuring the viability and vitality of Croydon Metropolitan Centre, District Centre and Local Centres. The Council will seek to maintain as a minimum, the current amount of retail floor space in Croydon, enhance the quality of retail floor space in Croydon and seek to reduce A Use Class vacancy.

SP3.13:

The Council will promote and support the development of new and refurbished office floor space in Croydon Metropolitan Centre, particularly around East Croydon Station and within New Town, and the District Centres as follows:

  • Up to 92,000m2 by 2031 to be located in Croydon Metropolitan Centre;
  • Retaining, or through refurbishment providing, higher quality office floor space (Grade A), or lower quality floor space for which there remains a demand, within the Office Retention Area of the Croydon Metropolitan Centre. Mixed use developments must include a level of office floor space proportionate to Croydon’s role as an Outer London Office Centre; and
  • Up to 7,000m2 to be spread across the borough’s District Centres.

SP3.14:

Opportunities for employment and skills training will be considered by means of section 106 agreements for major developments (residential developments of 10 units or more or non-residential developments exceeding 1,000m2). The Council will seek to secure a minimum of 20% of the total jobs created by the construction of new development above the set threshold to be advertised exclusively to local residents through the Council’s Job Brokerage Service for a specified minimum period. It is expected that best endeavours be used and that the developer will work with the Council to ensure that the target of 20% employment of local residents is achieved in both construction and end user phase of new qualifying development.

For more information please see the Local Plan