Croydon

shedkm and Stanhope/Schroders hosted a tour of the Ruskin Square development adjacent to East Croydon Station. A masterplan conceived by Fosters some years ago to effectively change perceptions and become a new ‘shop window’ to the South London borough, the scheme had been on hold for some years due to the inherent values in the area.

With the initial delivery of a new pedestrian bridge link/exit from the railway station, setting up further future development of the wider Croydon commercial area, the first residential scheme had been delivered by AHMM with associated landscaping by MUF Architecture. This delivery had recently continued with shedkm’s office building providing a link between both ends of the station and framing the new “Ruskin Square”. shedkm had also adopted the masterplan delivery role in enabling the introduction of “Boxpark” as a meanwhile use on the site, immediately adjacent to the main station access. This marked a fundamental change in the perception of Croydon, with immediate transition into a contemporary and vibrant food and beverage arena, heavily populated and allowing visitors to the area time to dwell and socialise.

Our day consisted of a high level view of the overall site (from the Ruskin Square marketing suite located on the top floor of a neighbouring office building), presentation and walk around the site. We all agreed that the development marked a step change for the borough and image of Croydon as a whole and resolved to make a further visit as the masterplan and area develop further. This will see the enclosure of landscaped areas where we can truly evaluate and measure the success of the public realm. We all felt that it would be a shame if Boxpark is not still part of the setting when we return!