Croydon pips Edinburgh to title of UK's greenest city

Croydon has been named as the greenest ‘large city’ in the UK after it scooped a first prize in the 2009 Britain in Bloom awards. The borough beat off competition from Edinburgh to be ranked number one in its category by experts from the Royal Horticultural Society.

Judges were impressed with the entire borough remarking that the standard of outdoor sports areas was very good and that Coombe Wood Gardens ‘were spectacular’. They were also impressed with the number of recycling sites in Croydon and with the borough’s resource management policy in general.

The business community was fully behind the efforts that led to this success. Croydon’s Town Centre Business Improvement District (BID), which is now part of the Croydon Economic Development Company (CEDC), worked hard with firms across the borough to ensure that everything from pubs and restaurants to industrial estates and district centres all looked their best on judging day.

“Croydon Town Centre BID has spent a lot of time and effort making the busy central areas of Croydon a more pleasant place to visit,” said Ros Morgan, BID Manager.

“In co-operation with the local Council and local businesses we’ve added colour and brightness to the busy shopping areas in recent times, with floral displays and a variety of hanging baskets. It’s great to see that those efforts have been rewarded on the national stage and to beat Scotland’s first city in a prestigious award like this is a real achievement not just for the Town Centre but for the entire community.”

The award is open to anywhere in the UK with a population of over 200,000 and is the category in which Croydon recently retained its London crown for the third year running. The experienced RHS judges were not just looking at flowers and parks - much of their scoring focused on recycling, clean streets and community involvement. However as one of London’s greenest boroughs, Croydon does have a huge number of parks and woodlands - 127 in total - and these all helped to impress the judges.

“This is an award that people who live here can feel genuinely proud about,” said Councillor Mike Fisher. “Those who don’t know the borough well might raise an eyebrow, but all they need to do is pay us a visit to see for themselves.”

Notes to editors

1. The Croydon Economic Development Company (CEDC) is a ‘not for profit limited company’ building on successful partnerships between the council and the business community in Croydon

2. CEDC will drive and deliver a coordinated economic strategy for the London Borough of Croydon that creates an environment for local, national and international businesses to thrive, developing wealth and opportunity for the community. This represents a transformation in how Croydon promotes itself and provides a single voice to lobby for investment and growth.

3. The CEDC has access to a broad range of sources of public and private sector funding, including a core grant from the Council, LEGI contracts, European Regional Development Fund income as well as sponsorships and other income from the private sector.

4. Croydon BID is now part of the Croydon Economic Development Company (CEDC)