Change of plan for regeneration of Whitgift shopping centre in Croydon “could take 10 years”

The boom in online shopping and the collapse in retail means a planned shopping centre regeneration will need to be redrawn and could take 10 years to build.

The leader of Croydon council has claimed that the town has “dodged a bullet” because there is a chance to redesign Westfield’s plans for Croydon.

But the leader of the opposition Conservative group said it could be up to 10 years for it to be built.

The development is now expected to include more leisure, a hotel and offices rather than just a shopping mall.

Consortium the Croydon Partnership revealed on Monday (March 2) that some buildings may be refurbished and the development phased rather than happen all in one go.

An extraordinary council meeting was held at Croydon Town Hall on Tuesday to discuss the state of the town centre after Croydon’s Tories demanded to see the full plans.

Councillor Jason Perry described Westfield as the “glue that brings together” the regeneration of Croydon town centre.

He said: “Sadly it has now drifted for far too many years, as you’ll know there has been delay after delay, and the recent removal of it from the development pipeline has sent shockwaves through the town.

“The Whitgift Centre is a shadow of its former self, and a blight hangs over the town centre.”

But council leader Cllr Tony Newman said he was pleased the scheme will be redesigned.

He said: “The old model of dropping an old air hanger-style retail centre in Croydon doesn’t work – it doesn’t work anywhere on the planet.

“We have had the once-in-a-generation opportunity, off the back of transformative collapse in places of the retail sector, to redesign a new development in Croydon in light of where we are today.

“We want to see Westfield Hammerson talking to the people of Croydon, alongside councillors, about what a new development should look like.

“We don’t run retail centres – we facilitate making them happen.

“What has happened here is the crash in retail has caught up with the reality. The scheme is now about seven or eight years out of date. I share everyone’s frustration.

“Perhaps Croydon has dodged a bullet and we get a mix of leisure, retail and housing that is sustainable for Croydon for the 21st century.”

Leader of the opposition, Cllr Tim Pollard, said that the town centre was now “decaying,” with many empty and temporary shops.

He added: “We have to accept that we are between six and 10 years away from that being delivered.”

Pictured top: Original plans for the new Westfield