Grand plan launched to pull more traders into Upper Norwood

By iausten

Traders in the Crystal Palace Triangle are to be offered the chance to push forward the area's regeneration.

Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood Chamber of Commerce is working on a plan to boost retail trade and attract new customers.

The project, which is being drawn up in partnership with Croydon Council and the Croydon Economic Development Company, ranges around setting up a Business Improvement District for the Triangle.

It would be based on the successful Croydon town centre BID, which has seen businesses contribute financially towards improvements, like better street cleaning services, to make the centre more attractive.

The whole concept is at a very early stage but Sharon Baldwin, head of the CEDC's town centre management, is working directly with the Chamber of Commerce on the details of a BID scheme and other ways of regenerating the area.

Once the scheme is finalised, businesses in the Triangle, whether in Croydon, Bromley or Lambeth, will get the chance to vote on whether they want to turn the ideas into reality.

Cllr Steve O'Connell, the council's cabinet member for regeneration, said he believed the time was ripe for businesses in the area to run regeneration projects for themselves with support from the CEDC and the neighbouring councils.

He added: "It is a strong community there and it lends itself to becoming a BID district.

"The prize would be true representation in what is being proposed for the area and a really strong lobbying voice.

"BID members would have a say in what they want regeneration money (raised by themselves) to be spent on."

Ray Hall, chair of the Chamber, said there was support for a move forward from all three councils.

"Each of them is saying that Crystal Palace is key to regenerating this inner part of their boroughs," he explained.

Mr Hall said Croydon Council and the CEDC were demonstrating, by involving the Chamber and the traders in the planning, that they believed businesses knew what they were doing.

He added: "I think the council has been very visionary in its approach.

"We already have a very strong night-time economy up here with a lot of good eating places but we need to persuade more people to come here during the day."