With London prices being forced upwards by the Olympic Factor, good value is becoming harder to secure in the investment capital of the world! However, a shrewd eye for value, in those even remotely familiar with London, will recognise the city’s largest borough as an increasingly attractive alternative to the central metropolitan area, where returns and capital gain potential are being constantly squeezed by a ‘frenzy’ of international investment activity. This has in fact led to growing interest in opportunities outside of the immediate London Metropolitan area in large satellite towns with good transport links to the city. The most popular of ‘suburban’ London areas is unquestionably Surrey, traditionally a sought after area with many affluent and (economically) thriving communities. Croydon in particular is an area now coming into vogue as a potentially lucrative investment location. A ‘boom town’ during the ’60s and ’70s it had become tired and almost soulless in the following decades to the turn of the century. That is now changing and in recent years significant and substantial development and regeneration measures have been put in place which is re-invigorating this large historic market town. Significant recent investment in the bustling town centre has seen the arrival of many ‘high street’ shops and brands and the impressive and central Whitgift Shopping Centre was recently purchased by an Irish investment consortium led by Anglo Irish Bank
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