FEATURE: The departing Whitgift Centre marketing manager has voiced strong concerns about the future of Croydon retail as he leaves the home town he loves to join a competing shopping centre in Bromley.

Marketing and public relations manager Marc Burchett is sure the Whitgift Centre will continue to go from strength to strength, but he fears Croydon as a shopping destination may lose out to Bromley and Kingston unless certain steps are taken.

He told the Guardian Croydon must fill the town centre manager vacancy with a strong ambassador or risk losing its next bid for city status. He also criticised the image presented by the town's car parks and unlicensed street traders.

Mr Burchett's three years of marketing the Whitgift Centre saw its visitor figures increase each year, despite the perceived threat of Bluewater in Dartford.

Here are his opinions on his service and some crucial issues facing Croydon.

Brought up in Norbury and educated at St Joseph's RC College, Beulah Hill, Mr Burchett admitted it would be a huge wrench to leave Croydon. Before he took the Whitgift Centre job, he worked at Heals and Habitat in the town centre.

“I've always been quite passionate about Croydon because it's my home town and I'm proud to have had the opportunity to work here for several years.

“The Mayor gave me special thank you for the charity work I've been involved in and it's only when I hear people's comments about my role in Croydon that it sinks in and it's very touching.

“Friday will be a sad day, saying goodbye to all my friends around the town.

“My greatest memory is when we had Daniel De-Gale Day in April 1999, and raised nearly £25,000 for a trust set up by the family of an 11-year-old with leukaemia who needed a bone marrow transplant. Croydon really showed its community spirit.

“I believe the Whitgift Centre will be fine, because of its multi-million-pound Bishop's Court, which will feature a major department store and a state-of-the-art car park.

“The new shopping centre Centrale (replacing the Drummond Centre) is not a threat because it's a natural complement to the retail offered at the Whitgift, which will still be Croydon''s premier shopping destination.

“I think there's a lot of things wrong with the proposed development at Park Place, but the Whitgift's forthcoming Bishop's Court has had overwhelming public support because it doesn't cause as much disruption.

“Park Place will be opposite the Town Hall and could upset the aesthetics of a Victorian building. In contrast, Bishop's Court will showcase the almshouses with a public square and try to enhance the historic features of the town by retaining certain frontages on George Street.

“It's ironic going to Bromley because it's been the competition, but I'm looking forward to the challenge and I'll have a bigger marketing budget.

“Obviously, I'll be trying to attract shoppers from Croydon and Surrey to come to Bromley, where the car parks are cleaner.

“In Croydon, they stick a few twinkling lights on the side of the building and think that will make people think the car parks have improved. Shoppers would rather see a clean, painted car park than lights operating at night when they don't use it.

“Croydon has a more aggressive and fast pace of shopping. Everyone seems in a hurry around the town centre, but in The Glades, there's a more relaxed atmosphere.”

Croydon has been without a permanent town centre manager for one year, while the management structure is reviewed.

Mr Burchett said: “We had to go through Christmas without a town centre manager and it was my role to spearhead the promotion campaign. It took a lot of work but we managed it, and the Whitgift Centre received nearly 1.2million visitors in Christmas week.

“They need to get a dynamic and approachable individual soon, one who acts as an ambassador for the town, creating partnerships with business, retail and the community.

“They've taken too long to get a new town centre manager and the proposals for the country's next city need to be in soon, but we have no manager in place to lead that.

“If we want to be a city, we need a manager to tackle the issues. They don't want to look back and see they missed an important opportunity.”

“Croydon used to be a top five shopping destination in the 1970s, but sadly it's now 22nd, behind Kingston and Bromley.

“Having a vision for 2020 is great, but they also need to look at the basic elements Croydon needs. The car parks are old and dowdy and in desperate need of modernisation.

“I've grown up in this town and the car parks look the same as 20 years ago. This is more important than a new hotel or a new shopping centre because they make a difference to the existing shopping experience.

“Tramlink lifted Croydon's image as a cosmoplitan town, which is great, but how many families with two children want to take all their shopping back on a tram?

“Whoever takes over as town centre manager and takes over my job must work together with businesses to enhance Croydon's features, because there's a risk of the town becoming complacent and getting left behind Bromley and Kingston.

“North End definitely needs cleaning up, because bogus traders there give the wrong impression of Croydon.

“We've raised it year after year with the council and it says it'll clean it up, but it hasn't.

“We're all for a Covent Garden-style atmosphere, but people stopping you to buy cigarette lighters or socks isn't it.”