T HE Croydon skyline is set to be transformed in the coming years and among the most ambitious projects is One Lansdowne Road situated in the heart of the town.
Guildhouse-Rosepride are the developers for the 55-storey building, designed by renowned architect Piers Gough, whose portfolio includes prominent work in the redevelopment of London's Docklands.
To give some idea of the scale of the challenge, this is the tallest residential tower currently granted planning permission in the UK – even higher than the neighbouring proposal drawn up by Menta in Cherry Orchard Road, on the other side of East Croydon station.
However Mr Gough insists the 200-metre One Lansdowne Road building will act as a focal point on south London's skyline, marking the regeneration of Croydon.
"The design celebrates this most prominent of sites at the epicentre of the town," said Mr Gough.
"The mixed uses of the tower and the surrounding landscape re-imagines the liveability of central Croydon and gives it a gorgeous memorable image."
With the design featuring 397 luxury apartments, roof-top gardens, an on-site Members Health Club, four-star hotel facilities, bars, restaurants and coffee shops, and 180,000 square-foot of Grade A offices, this is among the most prestigious of the wave of developments currently being earmarked for Croydon town centre.
The complex is seen as becoming one of the region's trophy assets, with planning permission having been granted early last year, although a start date for work to begin on the project has still to be announced.
The proposals may be ambitious but the developers believe they are in keeping with the potential for growth in Croydon over the next few years.
Mark Waterstone, director of Guildhouse-Rosepride, said: "As a local developer who has worked in Croydon for many years and knows the needs of the area well, it gives me great pride to bring forward a scheme of such ambition and promise.
"We firmly believe that Croydon has a fantastic future which has been confirmed by the £1 billion investment of Westfield and Hammerson to bring forward the largest shopping mall in Europe."
