Questions about whether Croydon is prepared for an influx of students next September have been raised.

It was announced in March that the London South Bank University (LSBU) will partner with Croydon Council.

LSBU is set to open a centre for higher education in the town and will be based in existing buildings.

But a location is still yet to be found. A spokesperson said the council is working with the university to find the most suitable location in central Croydon.

It is expected to be the first step in council plans to create a ‘Croydon Creative Campus’ in the town centre. Other universities are being approached to offer different courses.

And at a meeting of the council’s scrutiny and overview committee, Councillor Manju Shahul-Hameed said that 1000 new students are expected  to arrive in Croydon in September 2020.

The cabinet member for economy and jobs said: “That is when university provision will start.

“We are having conversations with other universities – it is the creative campus idea.

“In terms of skills we have done some assessment about where we have a a skills gap.”

She added that construction, nursing and social care are all courses that will be offered from 2020.

But Councillor Jerry Fitzpatrick wanted to know what preparations are in place for an influx of students in less than a year.

He said: “Has the CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group) been informed about more young people in Croydon with the student population

“The influx will commence in 2020 which is 12 months away. Can I suggest it is something that needs to be thought about pretty quickly.”

The council’s head of strategic projects, Caroline Toogood, said the issue was raised last week and has started to be looked at.

She added: “We are anticipating a fair number of these students are already residents of Croydon.”