As one door opens, another slams into shoppers’ faces on North End, as temporary fencing was erected outside the entrance to Zara and House of Fraser
Less than a week after Westfield was trumpeting the opening of two “kiosks” in Allders, and just across the pedestrian precinct on North End, its estate management was fencing off the entrance to Centrale, the second shopping mall that it manages.
As one door opens, another closes…: the fencing outside Centrale this week
Shoppers looking to spend their hard-earned in H&M or Zara were left perplexed, as the wire mesh fencing went up on Tuesday and shut off one entrance to the centre, without any obvious signs or formal explanation from the management.
Centrale is the newer of Croydon town centre’s two large shopping malls, having opened in 2004, an expanded version of the old Drummond Centre.
It was owned and managed from 2011 by Hammerson, who bought it from property company St Martins Property Investment for £98million.
From 2013, Centrale was due to be part of the £1.4billion town centre regeneration promised by Westfield, who entered into a reluctant Croydon Partnership with Hammerson. A decade later, Westfield, by now Paris-based Unibail Rodamco Westfield, bought out Hammerson’s share of the partnership, placing Centrale and the Whitgift Centre under the same, seemingly disinterested, management.
Last Friday, there was much hullabaloo from Jason Perry, Croydon’s failed Mayor, over the opening of two “kiosks” in the old Allders building. Perry snapped up a goody bag for himself, as you’d expect.
But many of the issues of disrepair, closed access points and empty units continue to plague Westfield’s tenants in the Whitgift Centre. And now, seemingly, in Centrale, also.
Inside Croydon approached the Centrale-Whitgift Centre management for comment on the closure of the entrance. They did not respond.
Shoppers on North End reported seeing water flowing out of the Centrale entrance door behind the temporary fencing on Tuesday. The leak appears to have been fixed by this morning.
Read more: After the delays, we reveal traders set for Allders kiosks
Read more: Council rushes through permission for seven kiosks in Allders
Read more: Hammer blow for Whitgift Centre with new delay to masterplan
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