r/croydon

Interested to know if anyone lives in the Altura 50 building, I’m contemplating moving to east Croydon into one of the high rises, what is it like? I also saw on the website they add on £400 for bills/month which I think is insane given I live in a 3 bed flat at the moment and it’s £280 for the entire 3 bed and they want £400 for a 1 BR flat…. Has anyone successfully negotiated down this bills add on?

I'm tired of the extra 10 minutes I have to walk when there is a perfectly fine looking bridge.

Walked through town last Saturday and noticed three new independents that were not there six months ago. The tram was packed with people going somewhere with actual purpose. Something is shifting and it feels different to the last ten years. Anyone else noticing it or is this just me being optimistic?

Has anyone else seen an increase of Rats in the Croydon Borough, specifically South Norwood?

I can't recall seeing rats outside in the middle of the day in the streets before. I can't work out what has changed that they are so visible now?

Edit: Just for clarity, I'm not talking about rats at the lakes or parks. I am talking about running around suburban streets, in the afternoon to dusk, away from food places. I have not come across this previously, so wanted to understand if it is a very local issue or a more broad issue

Hi all

I'm hoping for some recommendations for a driving instructor in Croydon, based on the following:

Automatic, one hour lessons, available on a weekday

Due to circumstances, I can only attend one hour lessons and am struggling to find an automatic instructor who can offer that

Any recommendations appreciated!

Really boring question, does anyone know which garden centres have pond plants? I assume some of the ones in Wallington have some but would rather avoid a chain like Dobies

Whenever somebody posts on here about thinking about moving to Croydon, a wave of people start warning them about the dangers of living in the north of the borough.

It’s so interesting to me because people who live in south of the borough exhibit the same postcode snobbery that people from other parts of London have towards us Croydonites: ie having the most disparaging comments about an area despite never actually visiting.

The reality is that Thornton Heath (like many neighbourhoods in Croydon) is massive and your experience of it will vary drastically: live near the clock tower or the high street, a bit dodgy (again depends on how you define dodgy because it seems like for a lot of you on here dodgy = predominantly ethnic); live near Spa Hill or towards Norbury, you’re living in 3/4 bedroom terraced homes.

Also, I find it odd that we’re dissuading people from moving to the better connected parts of the borough: a commute into central London from TH, South Norwood or West Croydon is objectively easier and cheaper than the same commute from a station like Kenley!

In short, you’re not better than someone else because your postcode starts with CR0 or CR2 and living in the north of the borough ≠ abject poverty

Not defending everything. Not pretending the high street has not had a difficult decade. Just noticing that the version of Croydon that gets referenced in jokes and headlines is about twenty percent of the actual experience of living here. The food is more diverse and better than most of zone two. The arts scene is doing things quietly that other parts of London get credit for. The commute into central is faster than half the places people pay double the rent for. Been here long enough to have watched people arrive sceptical and stop leaving. What is the thing about Croydon that genuinely surprised you once you actually spent time here?

I read that the north facing flats will have an obstruction when eventual works are completed and I read that the south facing flats are difficult to live in due to the smell of smoke coming from a downstairs restaurant?

I also read that is is smoke friendly so you can smell smoke through the walls and also that the smell from the bin room affects the flats.

Is this all true? Any further info you can share?

I saw a flat for sale in the building and I’m considering viewing it but just trying to figure out if the building is actually good to live in.

Thanks!

If you know the most recent LE results, you might guess which ward I'm talking about. Its been Tory/Labour for years. This side of Addiscombe isnt the particularly affluent side - small/medium terraced houses, lots of young families, but plenty of people who've been around for a long time.

I dont have strong opinions on either of the 2 councilors- they both seem as ineffective as eachother.

I'm just curious because most of my neighbors seem to be Labour voters, but I guess there's lots of Torys too 👀