After announcing development plans back in January, shopping centre giant Westfield and UK property firm Hammerson have had its £1bn joint venture to redevelop Croydon town centre approved, paving the way for 5,000 new jobs.
Under the plans, the two firms will create 1.4 million sq ft of shopping, leisure and office space, and are at the centre of London Mayor Boris Johnson’s vision to help the town recover from damage caused by the 2011 riots. The new centre, which will be a combination of the current Whitgift Centre and Centrale, will then also lead to the creation of 600 homes and could receive more than 40 million visits a year.
The final application will now be considered by Boris Johnson. Designs for the scheme will be unveiled during 2014 and a start on site is expected in 2015. The aim is for the centre to be finished by Christmas 2017.