Back in June 2012, Old town Croydon became one of twelve towns which won the Portas Pilot scheme.
The scheme was developed following a review by retail guru, Mary Portas, who - along with a dedicated team - will offer support to Croydon as result of its selection.
The pilot scheme will creating 'town teams' whose focus will be to ‘breathe new life’ into local shopping centres. Made up of the key players in thelocal community - such as the council, landlords, shopkeepers and the local MP.
And so the Croydon Old Town Business Association (COBA) was formed. The Committee is formed of six local business people who volunteer their time to help lobby the local authority, promote and organise events, work with organisations to increase footfall and work with organisations to increase occupancy and to provide a place for people to work, shop and relax.
From the £100,000 winning fund, COBA together with Croydon Council and other local organisations will help to deliver on three key areas.
1 Community Space
2 Education and Support
3 Financial Support
Over the last few months, the Croydon Portas Town team committee members have been working with a number of organisations to create a business plan which benefits the businesses and community around the Portas Town team area in Old Town Croydon.
Click here for detailed info on the business plan, and watch this space as the developments unfold.
