Dear oh dear Croydon…

I am a resident of Croydon and i have had firsthand experience of the Croydon Enterprise and must admit i was taken in by the PR machine that took place over the years since the Enterprise started it's initiative. But since then everyday that i pass through Croydon i am slowly losing confidence of what is unfolding in front of me.

 

To those that do not live in Croydon, a painting of glossy features and photo happy people in news features, so pleased to be helped by Croydon Enterprise, just does not cut it to me because in reality when you can stand in the middle of the Whitgift centre and see for yourself the aftermath of lack of funding and support from the £77million that was suppose to transform this city then you can see what i see.

 

Looking at this with open eyes, since the Croydon Enterprise objective was advertised all over the place, 3 years ago, i could literally take a press photographer around the centre of Croydon and his film roll would be filled with pictures of not progress, not bustling new business, but with dereliction?

 

Shop units boarded up, shop units filled with "For Let signs", shopping precincts once bustling with business now a haven for vandalism.

West Croydon ( Broadgreen) indicated by Croydon Council as a ‘hot spot' of depravation, has not changed, it still looks like a dump and there is no encouragement for developers to come in and generate business.

 

So why is it that i constantly open up the pages of the Croydon Guardian to see front pages splattered with such stories of someone with the aid of Croydon Enterprise opening up a small flower shop? Should it not be news of Croydon Council consolidating with organisations to make positive steps in the re-building of Croydon, to gain back its status of Major Commercial centre of London?

 

What i am looking for is a great improvement in Croydon to sustain and generate new initiatives of businesses to open up new shops, for organisations in every business sector to be taken on board by Croydon Council to help utilise and aid in the redevelopment of business in Croydon.

 

A person that wants to start a business and has a great business plan, requires advice from a person that is in the field of expertise that this person wants to start in. Not a business advisor who can only give generic advice, making your expectations worse than when you started.

 

I am so disappointed in Croydon Council for worsening the facade of Croydon; it's slowly becoming a ‘shanty' town slowly being destroyed by lack of support to existing businesses and organisations, which could quite easily bring back the confidence of this town. The fact that rich companies are taking advantage of this town by opening their stores in the centre of Croydon, begs the question in hindsight of all that has befallen Croydon over the last 5 years or more:-

· Long standing established Business has left?

· No sight of development, dereliction encouraging the crime rate to rise?

 

WHY is Croydon Council not aiding business initiatives such as Fashion Capital to help organically build small and new business which would bring great confidence in the Retail sector and most of all create employment, especially in the current climate?

 

Kevin

 

 

Kevin Thomas

 

Croydon Resident

 

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