Category Archives: Centrale

Turn Westfield shambles into opportunity to re-shape our town

Posted on June 22, 2020 by

CROYDON COMMENTARY: The clear change in approach from senior figures at the Town Hall, previously cheerleaders for Westfield, over the abandoned plans for a £1.4bn redevelopment of the Whitgift and Centrale shopping centres represent a welcome opportunity to remodel the … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Centrale, Surrey Street, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Back to the drawing board for new plans for the Whitgift Centre

Posted on June 2, 2020 by

The council has today issued documents that admit the era of big, shiny shopping centres is over and that the £1.4bn Westfield development is ‘unlikely to be implemented as consented’. Our unbuilt shopping centre correspondent, MT WALLETTE, reports Less than … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Business, Centrale, CPO, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Planning, Tony Newman, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Shopping centres will put limit on visitors when they reopen

Posted on May 29, 2020 by

Croydon town centre’s two major shopping malls will reopen for business after the coronavirus lockdown in two weeks’ time, it was confirmed today. But it will not be “business as usual” for a while, as pandemic measures will include controlling … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Centrale, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

£1.4bn scheme loses supporter as Hammerson chief quits

Posted on May 28, 2020 by

Our closed-down-shops-and-malls correspondent, MT WALLETTE, on another potentially damaging turn of events for those who still hold out hope that the town centre might be ‘regenerated’ with a new shopping centre While council leader Tony Newman was gilding the lily … Continue reading →

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Desperate Newman needs Westfield Mk IV to save his skin

Posted on May 27, 2020 by

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, the France-based international shopping mall owners, have given council leader Tony Newman “a very positive letter” about the company’s commitment to Croydon – despite having left the town centre in a state of development blight for almost a decade. … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Centrale, Croydon Council, Debenhams, Jo Negrini, Tony Newman, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Next takes up vacant Debenhams space to enter beauty contest

Posted on May 8, 2020 by

When we reported the demise of Croydon’s Debenhams store yesterday, the question posed was “who might move into the large store space next?” And the answer soon offered up was: Next. Hammerson was able to play hardball over the second … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Centrale, Debenhams | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Centrale’s Debenhams to remain closed after lockdown ends

Posted on May 7, 2020 by

Our demise-of-high-street-retailing correspondent, MT WALLETTE, says that there’s no coming back from the latest hammer blow to the £1.4bn town centre regeneration scheme Coronavirus claimed another victim last night: Debenhams in Croydon. In truth, the department store, which has been … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Business, Centrale, Croydon Council, Debenhams, Gavin Barwell, Jo Negrini, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Debenhams administration is another blow to Hammerson

Posted on April 6, 2020 by

The coronavirus lockdown looks about to claim another casualty, as department store Debenhams announced this morning that it is to call in the financial administrators. It will the second time in a year that Debenhams has gone into administration. The … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Centrale, Debenhams, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Chancellor is taking an axe to councils’ magic money tree

Posted on March 14, 2020 by

Croydon Council has more than £1bn of borrowings – half of which has gone on Brick by Brick and the purchase of some commercial properties. Proposals contained in the Budget this week could put an end to that, as KEN … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Bernard Weatherill House, Brick by Brick, Business, Centrale, Colonnades, Croydon Council, Croydon Park Hotel, Croydon parks, Jo Negrini, New Addington, Planning, Property, Queens Gardens, Simon Hall, Tony Newman, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Concrete-coated Brexit is a disaster for Croydon’s Westfield

Posted on March 4, 2020 by

CROYDON COMMENTARY: Britain’s exit from Europe has played a major part in the collapse of the town’s Westfield scheme, says SIMON SPRAGUE During the General Election campaign in December, I made the perhaps unwise decision to join Twitter. I set … Continue reading →

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Business, Centrale, CPO, Croydon Central, Mario Creatura, Simon Sprague, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments