The long awaited improvements to Croydon Road, one of the key shopping streets in Caterham Valley town centre, are moving closer, with the council awarding the contract for the works to Walker Construction.
The aim is to make Croydon Road a greener and nicer place to spend time and money, to attract new businesses to Caterham and to boost economic growth and employment opportunities.
The works include:
- Extended pavement space to encourage people to stay longer – providing useable outdoor space near cafes and restaurants
- More greenery and seating in the town centre
- Improved safety for pedestrians and cyclists, widening some parking bays and clearly separating the road and parking areas by using contrasting materials
- Planting trees and introducing rain gardens and pocket parks. The rain gardens will absorb water running off the road and are being planted where they can have the most impact on reducing flooding. There are currently a number of places in the street where rainwater accumulates during periods of high rainfall
- Encourage more active travel like walking and cycling and redress the current imbalance which favours car users
How is it being funded?
The Caterham Business Improvement District (BID) kickstarted the idea, recognising the need to improve an area which has been in decline for several years, and to bring in local people and visitors to shop and spend leisure time there. The council has allocated £950,000 of the Community Infrastructure Levy to the project and has worked with the BID on the plans and to secure the rest of the funding.
These organisations are contributing to the project:
- Caterham BID (Caterham Valley for You)
- Caterham Valley Parish Council
- Tandridge District Council
- Surrey County Council
- Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership
Walker Construction won the contract after a two-stage process, with the invitation to tender scored on price and quality. The quality questions focused on the traffic management plan, access management, parking arrangements and the ability to minimise business disruption.
The council, together with the BID and Surrey County Council, is now working with Walker Construction to prepare for a start on site in January 2024. The project is scheduled to take nine months to complete.
If you have any comments/questions, please get in touch at: Cllr.Catherine.Sayer@tandridge.gov.uk.
Find Catherine’s previous articles here.
