Strand House in Thornton Heath and 90 Central Parade in New Addington are to become 86 flats for young care leavers under a sale Cabinet agreed on 14 October.

Two council buildings, Strand House in Thornton Heath and 90 Central Parade in New Addington, are to be sold and turned into 86 self-contained flats for young adults who grew up in care. The Executive Mayor and Cabinet agreed the plan on Wednesday 14 October.

Each site would have 43 flats. The council says the homes will give care leavers aged 18 to 25 a step between care and a home of their own (Cabinet report: Disposal of Strand House and 90 Central Parade).

How the deal works

The buildings would be sold to the developer Common Projects and M&G, the investment firm, which is putting money in from its Social Impact Fund. The deal then runs like this:

  • the developer builds the flats
  • the council leases both buildings back for 25 years once they are finished
  • it sublets them for 25 years to YMCA St Paul’s Group, which will manage the buildings and the tenancies
  • the council keeps the sole right to choose who lives there

Each site would include four flats for young parents and their children: two with one bedroom and two with two. Every flat is self-contained, so the council says the buildings could later become ordinary move-on housing if the need for support falls.

The sale price is in a confidential part of the report. The council expects to save more than £400,000 a year, mainly by paying less for private housing.

Why the council says it is needed

As of August, Croydon had 633 care-experienced young people aged 18 to 25. Of those, 372 are local young people and 261 arrived as asylum-seeking children. The report breaks down where they live:

  • about 130 in supported housing
  • about 280 in independent housing, including about 135 in temporary or short-term housing that “do not meet their long-term needs”

The report says those in temporary accommodation are in “substandard accommodation” and many have built up rent arrears. It estimates that around 100 of the 633 would be eligible for, or suited to, this kind of housing.

Cllr Lynne Hale, Cabinet Member for Homes, is the lead member for the plan.

Second attempt

This is the council’s second go at the scheme. In October 2024 Cabinet agreed a similar deal for 90 Central Parade alone, with different partners. From December 2024 that scheme became unviable, which the report puts down to conditions in lending and development markets. Strand House was then added to make a larger scheme.

What happens next

No dates are given in the report. The steps it sets out are:

  1. The council must advertise the sale, because the land at 90 Central Parade is held as open space. It will do the same for Strand House as a precaution, and consider any objections.
  2. The developer will submit a full planning application for both sites.
  3. The sale and the leases only complete once planning permission is granted.

The report lists one risk that will matter to Thornton Heath. Strand House still has to be emptied of the council’s CCTV control room and of CALAT, the adult learning service, and delays to that “could delay delivery”. Most CALAT classes are moving into Strand House from the Clocktower this month, and the council now plans to hand all its courses to outside providers: see our report on the CALAT plan.

What it means for you

  • If you live near either building, watch for the open space notice and the planning application. Both will be your chance to comment. Croydon’s planning register is explained on our planning applications page.
  • If you are a care leaver, places will be filled only by council nomination: YMCA St Paul’s cannot take young people from other councils unless Croydon agrees.
  • If you use CALAT at Strand House, the report gives no date for the service to leave. The building cannot be sold until planning permission is in place.

Sources