Develop Croydon is refreshing its annual programme this year, reducing partner meetings and focusing on roundtables, thought leadership pieces and practical collaborations around its messaging. Its purpose remains clear as it continues to encourage investment, development, and business retention by improving perceptions of Croydon and facilitating open discussion.

This year’s priorities include:

• Infrastructure improvements due to major schemes coming forward (i.e. URW, LGW and Crystal Palace)
• Built environment skills – supporting developers and our education partners while promoting Croydon’s construction strengths. Simultaneously, healthcare skills can also be promoted as a key opportunity.
• Targeted investor activity – specifically through marketing campaign aligned with MIPIM, UKREiiF, the summer investor event, September investor tour and the annual Conference
• Croydon Commercial

Several events have already marked the start of this renewed focus.

Develop Croydon began the year by collaborating with Croydon Council to launch a new retail hub on Croydon Commercial on 11 February.

The platform brings together up‑to‑date listings of vacant shops, offices and industrial spaces available to rent across the borough. It aims to help residents, entrepreneurs, and investors quickly find suitable business premises – supporting economic growth across Croydon and bringing vacant spaces back into use.

Katharine Glass, Director, Develop Croydon, said:

“Develop Croydon is excited to be working with Croydon Council in bringing this retail hub to life. We now aim to be committed to supporting sustainable growth, revitalising our high streets and helping bring underused spaces back into productive use.

“By bringing opportunities in retail and office spaces in Croydon together on one accessible platform, we are making it easier for businesses and investors to see what Croydon has to offer and to take that next step with confidence. The platform reflects our shared ambition to attract inward investment, support local enterprise and drive Croydon’s continued regeneration.”

Following this, Develop Croydon held its first in-person event of the year, the Breakfast Briefing on 12 February. The event marked the launch of Develop Croydon’s 2026 activity programme.

Highlights from the morning included an address from Executive Mayor Jason Perry, presenting the Croydon Council’s strategic priorities for 2026, a commercial market update by Thomas Tarn MRICS, Director, Agency at SHW, an update from Alison Addy, Head of External Engagement and Policy, London Gatwick on the Northern Runway and the Gatwick Airport Economic Zone and a Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield update by Tim Hurstwyn, Project Director (Development), covering plans for 2026 and their impact on the town centre and wider regeneration of Croydon.

On 26 February, Develop Croydon also supported the Future Skills Croydon: Built Environment and Engineering Summit by London South Bank University, as part of its focus on built environment skills.

This summit gathered key stakeholders to help shape and identify the built environment and engineering skills pipeline for the next 5–10 years.

The afternoon began with addresses from Paul Kett, Vice Chancellor of London South Bank University and CEO of the LSBU Group and the Executive Mayor of Croydon, Jason Perry. This was followed by a scene-setting panel, “From Ambition to Workforce Reality,” featuring new data from NLA and Polygon Strategy, produced with GLA Economics and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). The research shows that core built environment professions and services collectively contribute 24% of Great Britain’s total GVA (£568 billion) and employ 12% of the workforce, approximately 3.8 million people.

The panel included speakers from the NLA, LSBU, Croydon College, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield and London Gatwick. This was followed by a strategic workshop where attendees explored practical solutions to help address current challenges over the next six months.

Most recently, the Develop Croydon calendar featured Croydon’s Developments and Strategic Transport Roundtable at Selhurst Park Stadium on 5 March.

The event brought together senior leaders from across transport, planning, development and government to explore major projects coming forward across Croydon and the wider region and how partners can better coordinate planning and engagement as growth accelerates.

Discussions also covered development timelines, potential pressures on the transport network, and how greater visibility of development phasing, improved data sharing and early engagement between developers, operators and planners can support coordinated planning and sustainable growth across Croydon and the wider Gatwick corridor.

Speakers included representatives from Govia Thameslink Railway, London Gatwick, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Croydon Council, Network Rail, Crystal Palace Football Club, UK Parliament, Transport for London and South London Partnership.

After an active start to 2026, Develop Croydon is continuing to bring partners together to support investment, skills and sustainable growth across the borough. Follow us on LinkedIn to stay up to date with what’s coming next.