Hammerson and Standard Life Investments has today announced that they have submitted a detailed planning application, in accordance with existing outline planning consent, for the £1.4bn redevelopment of the iconic Brent Cross Shopping Centre in London.
The plans, submitted to Barnet Council, envisage the refurbishment and extension of the shopping centre introducing more than 200 new retail stores, 60 restaurants, a state of the art cinema complex, hotel accommodation, a new town square, a relocated and enlarged bus station as well as improved public spaces.
Brent Cross London is the northern element of the wider £4.5bn regeneration plan for Brent Cross and Cricklewood, for which Hammerson and Standard Life Investments secured outline planning consent in 2010.
Designed by award-winning architects: Callison RTKL and Chapman Taylor, the proposed development will see Brent Cross Shopping Centre double in size to around 2 million sq ft with 7,600 car parking spaces to become a world-class retail-led, mixed-use destination that will meet the demands of multi-channel retailing.
John Lewis and Fenwick will be retained and a new Marks & Spencer anchor store will be delivered. All three were part of the original Brent Cross, which revolutionised retail when it opened 41 years ago in 1976.
Brent Cross London will also benefit from much improved public realm and pedestrian, car and public transport links. A new living bridge, a green landscaped boulevard – which received planning consent in 2015 – will span the North Circular creating a walkway for people from Brent Cross London to the regeneration being delivered by a joint venture between Argent Related and Barnet Council to the south of Brent Cross London for the very first time.
The plans reflect the results of extensive community and stakeholder consultation in the Brent Cross area in November 2016. On average, 88% of those who commented on different aspects of the development plans were supportive of the proposals put forward by the development partners. *
Subject to planning consent, preliminary work on the development could start as early as summer 2018.
James Stevens, Head of UK Development, Standard Life Investments, commented: “Our plans for Brent Cross London are progressive and ambitious. We are in discussions with a breadth of retail and leisure brands who are equally excited at becoming part of north London’s premier shopping centre”.
Peter Cole, Chief Investment Officer for Hammerson said: “This marks another significant milestone in the transformation of Brent Cross. We will create a world-class retail destination that will be the catalyst for a new and vibrant quarter. Brent Cross has been an iconic part of retail for more than 40 years and our plans seek to ensure that it continues to define the next generation of retail in London”.