Love was definitely in the air as an international audience heard about the exciting developments happening in Croydon – transforming the town into a fantastic place to work, live and play.

The Croydon: It’s Happening debate at MIPIM – the world’s largest real estate exhibition – drew a big crowd to the London Stand this week.

The panel was made up of four key players in the town’s regeneration: Fiona Fletcher-Smith, Executive Director of Development, Enterprise and Environment, Greater London Authority; Craig Marks, Chief Executive, Menta; David Hudson, Director, Guildhouse Rosepride and Shifa Mustafa, Executive Director of Place, London Borough of Croydon.

Ken Shuttleworth, Founder of Make Architects, chaired the debate and kicked things off by telling the audience just how pleased he was by the town’s transformation over recent years.

“I remember a few years ago, [architect] Piers Gough was here and said it was about time Croydon featured regularly in Time Out magazine,” he said. “I think now they have actually realised that dream, with the amount of amazing things going on in Croydon over the past five years.”

Fiona Fletcher-Smith continued on that theme, explaining just why the GLA ‘loves Croydon’ so much.

“Croydon is one of the most amazing boroughs in the GLA area. It has everything,” she told the delegates in Cannes.

“In the last five years the political and managerial leadership in Croydon is stunningly good, it has got a can-do attitude, it’s got energy, it’s got imagination.

“It’s dealing with some of the most complex planning issues, the Westfield development is not a simple solution, obviously, but they have the ability to deal with something on that scale and it is one of the best boroughs we at City Hall work with – they do what they say they’re going to do and they do it in the timescale they say they’re going to do it in.”

Menta Chief Executive, Craig Marks, spoke of his “love affair” with Croydon, having worked in the borough for over 20 years, and expressed his desire for the Morello Quarter Phase II development, helping to transform the area near East Croydon station, to get up and running this year.

“I brought Redrow into Croydon, they’ve been fantastic partners,” he said. “We worked with Ken and his team at Make to design some very ambitious residential [at Morello Phase I], it’s done, we built it and sold everything.

“We’ve got planning application in for two more towers, with 450 new homes for the town on an adjacent site, fantastic public realm and the opening of a bridge link, making sure we’re ready to receive a new station in due course.

“Together we hope to do that with the council, who we work with so closely.”

David Hudson outlined his vision to do something ‘exceptional’ at One Lansdowne Road – that will become the UK’s second tallest tower – and build a cultural entertainment hub at Exchange Square.

“I always had a belief that Croydon was going to be the next place for a major regeneration,” he said. “We pursued the project and actually decided to go taller and make it exceptional.

“The last thing we added to the scheme is the tallest bar and restaurant in London, with extraordinary views over all of the south of England, you’ll be able to see the coast from the viewing gallery that will be open to all the public. We will make that a destination for Croydon.

“Coupled with that, on a completely different basis, is the Pump House [at Exchange Square], a magnificent Grade II listed building, that needs to be brought back into use.

“We are going to build a venue, for an audience of 200-300 people, local musicians, theatre, comedy, coupled with a restaurant, café, some offices to make the thing commercially viable.

“We really believe, along with Surrey Street Market, that will be a place that people want to go to, it will look fabulous, a bright open space, in the summer, café culture, people can sit out and people will want to come to Croydon.

“I do think that’s going to happen. It’s already started to happen, BoxPark has made a tremendous contribution to the image of Croydon and, as you said Ken, we will be featured more and more in Time Out in the future.”

Shifa Mustafa spoke of Croydon Council’s determination to live behind a legacy for future generations.

“Great things are happening in Croydon and that’s not just by accident,” she said. “People in Croydon now want the best and demand the best.

“The next stage I think is to look outside of central Croydon, at the whole borough, and see where those opportunities are now.

“I think it’s all about delivering the local infrastructure, so these new schemes work, they’re sustainable, and make sure we get all the social benefits. It’s about homes, schools, growing our economy to get the commercial benefits, I think that’s what excites me – it’s about leaving behind a legacy.”