Colonnades Leisure Park
Encyclopedia
Purley Way
Purley Way is a section of the A23 trunk road in the London Borough of Croydon, in the areas of Purley, Waddon and West Croydon, and has given its name to the out-of-town shopping area alongside it with a catchment area covering most of South London. It was designed as a bypass for Croydon and was...
retail and industrial district of the London Borough of Croydon
London Borough of Croydon
The London Borough of Croydon is a London borough in South London, England and is part of Outer London. It covers an area of and is the largest London borough by population. It is the southernmost borough of London. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name...
, South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
which opened in the late 1990s. The retail park was built on the former site of the Croydon Water Palace
Croydon Water Palace
The Croydon Water Palace was an indoor water park complex that opened in 1990 on Purley Way in Waddon in the London Borough of Croydon, opposite Croydon Airport...
, an indoor water park complex that opened in 1990, but had to close due to financial difficulties.
The Colonnades faces tough competition with Valley Park Retail Area
Valley Park Retail Area
Valley Park Retail and Leisure Complex is a retail park in the Purley Way retail and industrial area of the London Borough of Croydon. Valley Park was opened in 1992 on the site of the former Croydon 'B' Power Station which was built in the late 1940s and opened in 1950. The power plant shut down...
, the main commercial area on Purley Way and is less busy due to the lack of an anchor tenant (Valley Park has IKEA
IKEA
IKEA is a privately held, international home products company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture such as beds and desks, appliances and home accessories. The company is the world's largest furniture retailer...
and Purley Way Retail Park has Sainsbury's). Although it is centering itself as more of an entertainment complex than shopping area. The retail park is the southern most on the A23
A23 road
The A23 road is a major road in the United Kingdom between London and Brighton, East Sussex. It became an arterial route following the construction of Westminster Bridge in 1750 and the consequent improvement of roads leading to the bridge south of the river by the Turnpike Trusts...
Purley Way
Purley Way
Purley Way is a section of the A23 trunk road in the London Borough of Croydon, in the areas of Purley, Waddon and West Croydon, and has given its name to the out-of-town shopping area alongside it with a catchment area covering most of South London. It was designed as a bypass for Croydon and was...
road and is close to Purley
Purley, London
Purley is a place in the London Borough of Croydon, England. It is a suburban development situated 11.7 miles south of Charing Cross.The name derives from "pirlea", which means 'Peartree lea'. Purley has a population of about 72,000....
town centre. The site of Croydon Airport
Croydon Airport
Croydon Airport was an airport in South London which straddled the boundary between what are now the London boroughs of Croydon and Sutton. It was the main airport for London before it was replaced by Northolt Aerodrome, London Heathrow Airport and London Gatwick Airport...
is opposite the site of the retail Park.
Most of the outlets in the park are entertainment oriented, such as City Limits an indoor entertainment centre with a restaurant, sports bar, arcade and bowling facilities. Other tenants include Gipsy Moth family pub and restaurant, Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut is an American restaurant chain and international franchise that offers different styles of pizza along with side dishes including pasta, buffalo wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread....
, McDonalds, Premier Inn, a Kidspace indoor adventure playground, and Green's health and fitness centre. A new food court has recently been opened with an indoor seating area. The restaurants in the food court include Subway
Subway (restaurant)
Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries and territories as of October 25th, 2011...
, BBQ Xpress, China Wok and Karahi Cuisine. T.G.I. Friday's
T.G.I. Friday's
T.G.I. Friday's is an American restaurant chain focusing on casual dining. The company is a unit of the Carlson Companies. Its name is taken from the expression TGIF...
has a restaurant located across the road from the retail area, as well as a Hilton Hotel
Hilton Hotels Corporation
Hilton Worldwide is a global hospitality company. It is owned by the Blackstone Group, a private equity firm. As of July 2011 Hilton brands encompass 3,750 hotels with over 600,000 rooms in 84 countries...
. The complex itself sits alongside the Purley Way Playing Fields.
The Citylimits complex consisting of a Bowling Alley, Laser Quest, and Gymboree has recently closed following the termination of their lease by owner Punch Taverns
Punch Taverns
Punch Taverns plc is the largest pub and bar operator in the United Kingdom, with around 6,800 leased, tenanted and managed pubs. It is headquartered in the traditional brewing centre of Burton upon Trent in Staffordshire...
.
Future prospects include the addition of a new concept for the UK, a drive through Costa Coffee
Costa Coffee
Costa Coffee is a British coffeehouse company founded in 1971 by Italian brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa, as a wholesale operation supplying roasted coffee to caterers and specialist Italian coffee shops. Since 1995 it has been a subsidiary of Whitbread, since when the company has grown to over...
outlet.