Brookscroft is in Forestdale, a large private housing development (at the time, one of the largest in Europe) constructed by Wates between the 1960s and 1980s on land previously used for small-holdings. Forestdale is on the south eastern edge of Croydon “where town meets country”. It has its own small shopping centre and there are other shops nearby.
Forestdale is divided into separate estates, each with its own character. Early estates did not have management companies, but in later ones the home-owners control a company which looks after various aspects of its estate.
Brookscroft was one of the later estates to be built. Its management company took over from the developers in 1983[check date]. It has largely retained its original character. In [date?] it won the Best Kept Village in [where?] award.