The London Borough of Croydon has approved upgraded plans for the £1.4 bn redevelopment of the Whitgift Centre in Croydon, South London.
The Croydon Partnership, the joint venture between Westfield and Hammerson, had lodged a revised planning application for the redevelopment of the 1960s scheme. The amendments boosted the residential element to almost 1,000 new homes and added a third trading level and a new purpose-built anchor store for Marks & Spencer to create over 1.5 m sq ft of retail and leisure floorspace.
The council’s resolution to grant consent represents a significant step forward for the partnership’s plans to regenerate Croydon’s retail town centre. The partnership is now working towards an earliest commencement of full construction on site in 2019, allowing the Whitgift Centre to continue trading through the important 2018 Christmas period.
Peter Cole, Hammerson’s chief investment officer, said: “Our goal remains to deliver a world-class retail and leisure destination to attract new visitors to Croydon and enhance economic growth in the town. We are pleased with the level of retail demand which has driven the evolution of the design and layout of the new scheme, and we look forward to progressing our plans and transforming Croydon into one of the UK’s top 10 retail and leisure destinations.”
