We asked Croydon Guardian readers to tell us what they consider the town’s biggest eyesore and the response was fierce.
Hundreds of comments poured in, many tinged with nostalgia, frustration, or sheer disbelief at how the town has been allowed to change.
For some, it was the boarded-up Whitgift Centre that drew the strongest reactions. For others, it was the explosion of high-rise blocks or the impact of stalled regeneration projects.
There were also complaints about rubbish-strewn streets, rundown public buildings, and a sense that Croydon’s identity has slowly eroded.
Below is a breakdown of what locals say is letting the borough down the most.
Abandoned and decaying buildings
• “The Whitgift Centre. So sad to see it in the state it’s in”
• “The Nestlé building”
• “The Allders building — what’s inside more than the building itself”
• “The hole in the ground that was St George’s Walk”
• “St George’s House”
• “The old gas HQ building opposite Fairfield Halls”
• “The old libraries that now stand empty”
High-rise flats and the changing skyline
• “All the high-rise blocks of flats that no one can afford to rent let alone buy”
• “Skyscrapers”
• “Any building over 10 floors high”
• “Saffron Square — absolute mess”
• “The town is being buried in grey tower blocks”
Entire areas singled out
• “West Croydon”
• “Broad Green”
• “Thornton Heath”
• “London Road”
• “The area around Pitlake”
• “The town centre as a whole”
• “Croydon — just all of it”
Failed regeneration and urban decline
• “All the empty shops that were made to move out to make way for Westfield”
• “Croydon was once the place to shop. Now it’s just a dying high street”
• “What happened to the buzz it had in the 90s and early 2000s?”
• “Most of the town is now rundown and neglected”
• “The whole place needs redevelopment”
Streets, rubbish and poor upkeep
• “The rubbish and mess on the streets”
• “Disgusting pavements”
• “The smell of urine in parts of town”
• “Tents and makeshift shelters”
• “The lack of pride in public spaces”
Local government and leadership
• “The council”
• “The mayor”
• “What the council has done to this town is the real eyesore”
• “The state of Croydon’s finances”
• “So many promises made and never delivered on”
