22nd October 2015
Westfield-Hammerson development boosts brand-Croydon and makes town the next London hotspot says Director Gary O’Hare
The arrival of the £1.5 billion Westfield-Hammerson retail, leisure and housing development in Croydon is set to transform the local property market according Streets Ahead Director Gary O’Hare.
News that the Government has now greenlit the crucial compulsory purchase order (CPO) needed to buy up the old Whitgift Centre and surrounding land means work can begin next year.
‘’Westfield coming to Croydon has cemented the Croydon brand as the borough of opportunity, investment and the next London hotspot,” said Mr O’Hare of the announcement.
Artist’s impression of the completed Westfield-Hammerson retail centre.
Communities and Local Government Secretary Greg Clark rubber-stamped the recommendation of planning inspector Paul Griffiths last month, following a six-week inquiry into the CPO.
The Whitgift Centre is now expected to be demolished in 2016, with an opening date for the new shopping and housing development set for 2019/2020.
Westfield-Hammerson’s Croydon Partnership, which is steering the development, is now trying to negotiate settlements with the current Whitgift owners and occupiers. The developers have said the new shopping centre will be a state-of-the-art retail, leisure and restaurant destination with hundreds of new homes.
Croydon Council leader Tony Newman said the Government decision was an “historic day for Croydon.”
