When Your Local Guardian visited the Whitgift Centre in October 2025, more than 70 units were found to be empty, with dozens of shops closing in the past year alone.
The number of vacant units has risen sharply, from 46 in September 2024 to 73 today.
Like many town centres across the country, Croydon has been hit by falling footfall and changing shopping habits, prompting growing concern about the future of its high streets.
Speaking to Your Local Guardian, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said Croydon would be a key focus of efforts to revive town centres.
He told Your Local Guardian: “Croydon’s really important here.
“I grew up on the Surrey-Kent border, and for the Starmer family, a really good day out was coming to Croydon, coming to the Whitgift Centre.
“So, there’s a lot of my family history tied up with Croydon.
“I know how important it is.”
Sir Keir pointed to the government’s new Pride in Place Fund, which aims to give communities greater control over how regeneration funding is spent.
He said: “I am absolutely clear that almost everyone is proud of the place that they come from, where they work, their community.
“Instead of the government saying, ‘you’ve got to use this money to do these things’, we say to the area, ‘you decide what you want to spend the money on’.”
In Croydon, New Addington has been selected as one of the areas to benefit from the scheme.
Sir Keir explained: “We’re not going to as a government say, New Addington, ‘you need to do this, that and the other’.
“We’re going to say ‘you decide, because it’s your community’.
“You live here, you work here.”
Local MP Sarah Jones said New Addington is set to receive £20 million through the programme, with a further £1.5 million expected to support the town centre.
She added that work is also ongoing with developers to ensure regeneration plans move forward.
Sir Keir added: “People want to see their town centre doing well – a place they’re proud of, where they feel safe and secure.
“That’s what this money is for.”
The government’s Pride in Place Programme will see up to £5 billion invested in almost 250 areas across the UK, including New Addington, over the next decade.
Each area will receive up to £20 million in funding and long-term support, with decisions led by residents, businesses and community groups.
Communities will be able to spend the money on what matters most locally – from improving pavements and high streets to investing in culture, public spaces and green infrastructure.
Despite current challenges, Croydon remains one of London’s most important town centres.
Often described as a “city within a city” and the capital of south London, it has an economy that rivals cities such as Reading, Coventry and Aberdeen.
In 2024, Croydon recorded a 24 per cent rise in microbusinesses – the highest increase in London and the third highest in the UK.
The borough is home to major cultural and creative institutions including Stormzy’s Merky HQ, Boxpark and Fairfield Halls, as well as large employers such as the Home Office, Superdrug headquarters, and AECOM.
Anchor institutions include The BRIT School, Crystal Palace FC and London South Bank University.
In March 2024, the executive mayor published the council’s Future Croydon Transformation Plan, which runs from 2024 to 2029.
The plan includes a target of 4,500 new homes in the Croydon Opportunity Area, alongside transport improvements such as orbital tram and bus upgrades, key road junction works and enhanced Brighton Main Line rail connections.
Croydon has also been identified as a strategic growth area for housing-led development, with proposals for a transformed East Croydon station and new public spaces as part of the Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme.
