Croydon is “open for business” as it bids to become an outer London superhub.
Council chief executive Jon Rouse said Croydon was adopting a “flexible and pragmatic” approach to attracting developers to the borough.
He was speaking after attending the Outer London Commission conference in Croydon on Thursday.
Among the topics discussed were transport schemes in London and the Mayor’s idea of four outer London superhubs, including Croydon.
Mr Rouse joked: “If the hub cap fits, we will wear it.
Outer London Commission chairman William McKee seemingly dealt a blow to the hopes of potential superhubs by suggesting big corporations were unlikely to come to outer London and local authorities need to come up with different models.
But Mr Rouse said he had never believed in the “Field of Dreams” regeneration approach of “if you build it they will come”. He said he believed there was a chance some big corporations would come to outer London given the rents.
He said it was imperative Croydon saw off the challenge of locations such as Reading and Guildford.
He also dismissed the notion the council’s Urban Regeneration Vehicle could conflict with bringing private developers to Croydon.
Mr Rouse added: “The last thing we want to do is crowd out the private sector. But if you at Croydon there are enough development sites.”
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