As a fairly new resident of Croydon I have been surprised by the groundswell of community activity, support and togetherness which has come out of the terrible events of Monday 8th August. To say Croydon had a negative PR image before the looting and burning earlier this month is an understatement. To say it now has a dire image on a global scale, is also fair.
I have been bitten by the same bug as so many other residents and businesses in the borough. A bug of positivity and belief in Croydon and in the people of Croydon that we can turn a trauma into a triumph.
This blog post is intended to outline the contribution I want to make to help Croydon rise up, rebuild and become a place where more people want to live and work.
On the 8th August a group of mindless thugs descended on the town with no cause, no message and no motive, save vandalism, boredom and a desire to get something for nothing. While 'repping the ends' Croydon's underbelly demonstrated that they had the ability to outdo their counterparts in Hackney, Brixton, Tottenham and further afield. Now its our turn to demonstrate what honest, hardworking people can do to reclaim and rebuild the town and crush the ambitions of the thugs and fools who participated in destroying chunks of Croydon.
Numerous shops and businesses were destroyed by fire, most spectacularly, the Iconic Reeves Corner furniture store. Thousands of lives were put at risk when the shops they lived above were torched. More than 1,000 people were made homeless across the borough. Thousands of small business owners were dealt a bad hand that night. The senseless, selfish and vengeful actions of a core group of thugs that were followed by a strong band of moronic fools have no doubt dealt a serious body-blow to Croydon. However, the groundswell of positivity which has emanated from the fateful events earlier this month have demonstrated Croydon is resilient. It may be down, but its certainly not out.
There is a new impetus and energy about Croydon. There is a sense of community and a cohesion and determination which has been lacking. Now, all its stakeholders are working, often together, to improve their lot and help the town rise from the ashes and return to a previous glory not witnessed in decades.
It has been tremendous to witness the community spirit in Croydon. A Facebook page promising to clean-up Croydon has over 8,000 supporters. Hundreds of people turned out to clean the streets the morning after, only to find the council and its contractors had got there first. The Police, criticised in some quarters, were actively cheered by residents and businesses when they turned up in force on Tuesday 9th. I witnessed half a dozen people clap, whoop or whoot when heavy armoured police vehicles swung through West Croydon and London road on the evening of 9th August, sending a clear signal that the previous nights mayhem would not be repeated. Not there, not then.
Croydon Council, MPs, businesses, community groups, residents and the local press have been working together to devise initiatives to provide immediate and longer term support to the community. To channel the energy behind the disgraceful events which took place in a positive way, rather than a negative one.
New charities, partnerships, community groups and friendships are being formed. Recovery funds are beginning to filter through and if everyone that has pledged to help follows through with action, Croydon will become greater than its been in a long, long time.
For my part, I have done some very small things to help in the recovery like organising the odd donation, spending money with independent traders on London road and so forth. But I was motivated to do more. What could I do, with my skills, expertise and contacts, which could help have a bigger impact, for the longer term? How could I help in some way to resolve some of the fundamental issues faced by the town. Help generate employment and opportunity, help fill an oversupply of vacant office space, help counter an overly negative image in the media. On Wednesday 17th some 10 days after the horrible scenes on our towns streets, I had my Eureka moment. CR0 Tech.
Long before the riots, I was of the view that Croydon was an incredibly attractive place for small businesses, start ups and tech firms to be based and that it would be a key enabler helping them to flourish and grow. I could not understand why there was so much dormant office space, when it was so affordable. Yes, our Skyline is pretty ugly, but that didn't hinder Slough. Yes, we have random drunks and homeless people, but that hasn't hindered Kings Cross and yes, we have our fair share of grime and crime, but that hasn't hindered Shoreditch or Old Street in reaching the heady heights of 'Silicon Roundabout'.
Croydon benefits from excellent transport links, including a 24 hour Rail service from East Croydon to Victoria and Gatwick Airport - both twenty minutes or less away. We have direct trains to London Bridge, Victoria, Blackfriars, St Pancras and numerous smaller stations in town and out of town. We have the tramlink connecting Beckenham in South East London with Wimbledon in South West London and we have the newly opened London Overground facility at West Croydon which provides links to the City and Shoreditch. All this is backed up by modern Bus termini at East Croydon and West Croydon stations providing frequent local bus services. In terms of transport, Croydon has got it going on.
Croydon has an abundance of increasingly high quality, well equipped, modern offices and plenty more in the pipeline. It also has a good range of cheaper office premises, storage, warehousing and retail space. These factors combine to mean Croydon can deliver the goods for housing the smallest to the largest tech firms and provides potential for significant cost savings over other parts of London. A business which starts as a one man band can take up a low cost shared office space and rapidly scale to a fully fledged A grade premises as soon as they are ready. When it comes to choice and quality of premises, Croydon is a tough act to follow.
So, the two key factors of transport infrastructure and physical infrastructure taken care of, what else is needed to enable Croydon to realise its potential? It needs ambassadors and advocates, it needs positive PR, it needs incentives and it needs someone to follow through with action, not words.
CR0 Tech, which I am soft-launching as merely an idea at this stage is one initiative which I think can help put Croydon firmly on the map as the go-to place for South London's tech community. CR0 Tech is what others will say they want it to be. A potential community, or a hub providing the physical space and facilities that cash-strapped tech start-ups need to flourish in the current economic climate. It could be a lobby group or an umbrella organisation. Whatever it ends up as, the key focus is and will remain - Croydon is open for business - especially Tech.
CR0 Tech doesn't need millions in government hand-outs, it doesn't need another think tank or quango with a high paid CEO, it doesn't need a complex bureaucracy or structure. It just needs support, recognition and a team of like-minded individuals and businesses to come together, define a vision and press ahead with plans to make Croydon a beacon of innovation, inspiration and entrepreneurship for South London.
Are you with me?
http://www.facebook.com/pages/CR0-Tech/235889489788298
Twitter @CR0Tech
Since the last blog post flagging the issue of #OysterFraud in Croydon a number of victims have come forward and several journalists are now investigating. 
It is becoming clear that the issue relates to late night travel and passengers exiting and touching out via open ticket barriers. E.g If you exit East Croydon station late at night via the open oversize luggage barrier on the left - when you touch out - this will be counted by TfL as a touch in. Adding a tally of 2 incomplete Oyster journeys to your bill and charging you £8.80 in penalty fares, even on a capped Oyster card. 
