Croydon Council have announced ambitious plans to build 9,500 new homes in the borough in the next five years.

Speaking at the Live Croydon Housing seminar last week, Paul Spooner, executive director of planning and environment, unveiled the council's plans to heavily invest in building new houses to meet the demands of a rising population.

The borough's population is set to increase from 350,000 to 400,000 by 2031, and Mr Spooner hailed a "new era of partnership for housing and economic growth" as the way of meeting those targets.

He said: "Croydon is on the cusp of something exiting. It isn't about the council, the private sector and housing associations working separately, it's about us working together through Develop Croydon to drive forward private and public investment with the focus on delivery."

As part of the partnership approach, Mr Spooner said the council was proposing to form a Housing Congress to review the performance of its housing strategy.

Stressing the importance of changing perceptions as well as delivering projects, he added: "It is critically important to put housing alongside liveability and we want to create a great place to live in.

"Last year was the year London looked to Stratford and the East, for the Olympics. Now is the time for London to look to the south and look to Croydon."