Croydon Council is set to upgrade the heating system in a retirement complex, addressing long-standing issues faced by residents.
At a Council meeting on 16 July 2025, a resident raised concerns about the lack of heating in a housing retirement complex run by the council, where residents in 10 flats had been without heating since October 2024. The council responded that the main communal boiler at the housing complex broke down in October 2024, and a temporary boiler was quickly installed to restore heating and hot water. The council responded with plans for a major upgrade, starting in August 2025.
The upgrade will include:
- Replacing the entire communal boiler system
- Installing new and more efficient hot water systems
- Upgrading controls so residents can better manage their own heating and potentially reduce energy consumption
The council acknowledged the disruption and inconvenience caused to residents and offered apologies and compensation where appropriate. They also noted that a lack of investment in maintaining buildings over the last decade has led to more frequent breakdowns, especially with older communal heating systems. To address this, the council has completed a full survey and developed a five-year investment plan to upgrade these systems, starting with the retirement complex next month.
The council stated that the communal heating system has been switched off for the summer, as it is every year, to help manage the impact of high temperatures.