HUB’s Queen’s Quarter development, on the site of the council’s former offices Taberner House, is nearing completion.

Work started in May 2018 and is set to be completed by the end of 2021 with the first block expected to be ready this August. Designed by architects AHMM, the development also includes a complete overhaul of Queen’s Gardens opposite the town hall.

Overall it will be made up of 513 flats across four blocks that are five, 21, 19 and 13-storeys tall.

Project lead at HUB, Tom Stoneham, said in the next six weeks the first block of 84 flats is set to handed over to L&Q – another 88 flats in another block will go to the housing association by the end of the summer. These will be a mix of London Living Rent and shared ownership.

Mr Stoneham expects by August one block of 90 flats will be ready to transfer to Croydon Council to become council homes. The council homes will receive £100,000 per unit – or £9million in total – in funding from the Greater London Authority’s Building Council Homes for Londoners initiative.

The final 35-storey block made up of 251 flats will be owned by Legal & General and is set to be offered for private rent. The development also includes four commercial spaces and work on Queen’s Gardens should be completed this autumn.

Mr Stoneham said: “When Queen’s Gardens is all finished it is going to have an amazing playground for young kids and for slightly older kids. That is being completely redone and will sweep all the way up to the development.

“The route between Park Lane and the council offices is a key route. There will be new lighting the intention is to make it feel more open and safer – obviously having homes overlooking the park means it will have natural surveillance.

“It has been really good working with the local community designing the park, we are really excited to get people’s reactions and to see children and families enjoying the playground.”