Gentrification is easing its way into South Norwood and many see it as an upcoming Brixton or Crystal Palace. There is no doubt that this little high street is changing.

TFL partnered with Croydon Council to regenerate South Norwood and hope to add pop up shops, more public spaces and to pedestrianise certain areas of the high street. This partnership has put forward a £1.65 million project that will have a series of phases over the course of 2017, that hope to improve this area that is bursting with potential. 

Over the last few years, we have seen evidence of the subtle transformations within South Norwood. There has been the Clock Tower Market every Saturday that started out with just eight stalls and now it has 16 stalls with a waiting list. This gentrification is now drawing in major chains like Greggs and Subway and we can expect greater changes to the high street. 

Areas in London,like neighbouring Brixton and Crystal Palace, are further along in the gentrification process and now this action is spreading to South Norwood. Local shop owner of Essence of Cake, Tracey Rashid, said that “shop owners who can’t afford Crystal Palace come to Norwood”. This combined with the influx of new people has created a new dynamic within South Norwood that has started to change its demographics and retail landscape to a more modern district centre. 

The real problem of this regeneration project is the impact on the people. In the past, we have often seen the original locals being pushed out of their homes to make way for richer people who fit the scenery. During gentrification, old, derelict  buildings are demolished and replaced by new ones that the locals can no longer afford. This forces the locals out of their homes and away from the gentrified area. The regeneration may be useful for this locality, but it may never truly benefit South Norwood’s diverse community. 

South Norwood’s gentrification may cause a few problems for the locals however, it will create opportunities for business owners to prosper in an up and coming area. Tracey Rashid said that “she wanted to do something where she lived” and this regeneration attempt may have helped her do that. The croydon council stated that these “improvements will breathe new life into the district centre”.

Simone Eligon

Coloma Convent Girls School