Category Archives: Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield

Builders brand Gove’s latest CPO reforms as ‘desperation’

Our housing correspondent, BARRATT HOLMES, on how a ‘very un-Conservative’ policy shift has probably come too late to save Croydon town centre New powers handed to local authorities by the Conservative Government could, just, open the way for Croydon Council … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, CPO, Croydon Council, Housing, London-wide issues, Planning, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Body Shop confirms Whitgift Centre branch among closures

Our retailing disaster correspondent, MT WALLETTE, on the latest body blow to claims that the town centre’s shopping mall is doing thriving business The Body Shop is to close its branch in the Whitgift Centre, the struggling cosmetics retailer has … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Much-loved Whitgift Centre café to shut down on Saturday

This Saturday will be your last chance to enjoy a decent cup of coffee, maybe a sandwich or a bit of cake, in what claims to be the best café in the Whitgift Centre. The Camden Coffee House has announced … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Centrale, Mayor Jason Perry, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Puerile attempt to design town centre with sticky-back plastic

Patronising and puerile, the council’s latest attempt to “engage” the public  has reached a new low, even by the subterranean standards of Fisher’s Folly. The cash-strapped council is now trying to pretend it is doing something about the state of … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Centrale, Croydon Council, Environment, Mayor Jason Perry, Turf Projects, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Croydon escapes worst effects of Gove’s ‘Developers’ Charter’

Tory minister takes a swipe at London Mayor as he moves to reduce planning restrictions and allow ‘some incredibly poor quality homes which should not have been built’ Croydon and Sutton might just escape the worst excesses of Michael Gove’s … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", 2024 London elections, Business, Centrale, Croydon Council, Housing, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Planning, Property, Sadiq Khan, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Tories warn residents: don’t be ‘negative’ about Allders murals

The hard-working volunteers of a local community association have been harshly criticised by their Tory ward councillor for not being as obsequious and fawning as required over the latest artwashing exploits in the town centre. Tory councillor Michael Neal – … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Art, Business, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Michael Neal, Planning, South Croydon, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

While admiring town centre’s new art, try not to get arrested

The newly installed street art around the town centre has its appeal, the overtly hostile security policy in Centrale less so, says KEN TOWL It was quite a thrill to be described as “the IC1 male taking pictures with a … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Art, Business, Centrale, Ken Towl, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Westfield begins ‘cover-up’ at Allders – with pop art hoardings

STEVEN DOWNES on the latest efforts by Westfield to make up for more than a decade of development blight After a 12-year wait, Westfield has finally started constructing something in Croydon town centre. Nothing as substantive, or as lasting, as … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Art, Business, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

£7,000 ‘bribes’ prompt pupil exodus from doomed school

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Fewer than 300 girls returned to Old Palace after half-term, as the charitable foundation that runs the school offered cash inducements to their parents to withdraw their daughters promptly. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Around half of the … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Charity, Education, Old Palace, Old Palace Parents' Alliance, Schools, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tory Perry launches ‘Urban Room’ where nothing’s happening

Our retailing correspondent, MT WALLETTE, reports on the latest half-cock initiative from the council to ‘revive’ the ailing town centre: an insta account and a desperate plea for ideas from the public Mayor Jason Perry’s latest feeble effort to somehow … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Andrew Pelling, Business, Centrale, Croydon BID, Croydon Council, Environment, Fairfield, Growth Zone, Housing, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Peter Underwood, Planning, Ria Patel, Secret Cinema, Stiles Harold Williams, TfL, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Westfield boss says Croydon scheme could take 15 more years

‘Sustainable’ plans for redeveloping the town centre could see as many as 30,000 new flats built, according to one council figure, but a scheme that was originally due to be completed in 2017 now might only be finished more than … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Business, Centrale, Sean Fitzsimons, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Hammer blow for Whitgift Centre with new delay to masterplan

CROYDON IN CRISIS: No more ‘Death Star’-type, £1.4bn Westfield shopping mall say developers, who want to build ‘thousands’ of flats, as Paris-based firm looks for a more sustainable approach In a hammer blow to any hope of urgently rescuing the … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Centrale, Croydon Council, Housing, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Old Palace parents threaten legal action over school closure

CROYDON IN CRISIS: With accusations of ‘sexist and misogynistic behaviour’ and even a claim of ‘fraud’ against the financially troubled property developers at the Whitgift Foundation, the fight to save the girls’ independent school has taken a new turn. EXCLUSIVE … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Charity, Community associations, Education, Old Palace, Schools, Trinity School, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation, Whitgift School | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

After 54 years, Sainsbury’s enters final week in Whitgift Centre

CROYDON IN CRISIS: The departure of one of the shopping centre’s ever-presents will only reinforce the feeling of decay and decline in the town centre Sainsbury’s has confirmed that the final day of trading for its Whitgift Centre store will … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Centrale, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Old Palace closure brought on by shaky Foundation finances

CROYDON IN CRISIS: There’s not much that has happened in Croydon in the last dozen years or so that cannot be traced back, in some respect, to the £1billion-plus non-development of the Whitgift Centre. And as the accounts of landowners … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Business, CPO, Education, Jane Burton, Old Palace, Schools, Trinity School, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation, Whitgift School | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Now German shoe retailer decides to give Croydon the boot

Shoe retailer Deichmann is the latest business to decide to close their store in central Croydon. As Inside Croydon reported exclusively earlier this week, the Sainsbury’s supermarket in the Whitgift Centre, which has traded there ever since the shopping mall … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , | 16 Comments

Sainsbury’s confirms it is to close Whitgift Centre store

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Supermarket chain says it was a ‘difficult decision’ to close flagship shop – but at least they have five higher-profit ‘Local’ shops nearby. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES Britain’s second-largest chain of supermarkets has admitted that it can … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Centrale, Planning, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Perry admits he has failed to secure £540m debt write-off deal

CROYDON IN CRISIS: After a year in office, the Tory Mayor told a Purley audience last night that he has failed to ‘fix the finances’ and he won’t be opening the local swimming pool without lumbering the area with another … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Mayor Jason Perry, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

What will the ‘new’ Westfield deal really mean for Croydon?

STEVEN DOWNES outlines some of the likely consequences of this week’s announcement that Paris-based Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield have bought out their former partners Hammerson for the redevelopment of the town centre In all the flurry of civic excitement over the announcement that … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Centrale, CPO, Croydon Council, Growth Zone, Housing, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Mayor of London, Planning, Sadiq Khan, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

MP Jones: Time for Westfield to grasp Croydon opportunity

Sarah Jones, the MP for Croydon Central, today responded to the news that Westfield’s parent company had bought out Hammerson’s half-share in the Croydon Partnership, including the Centrale shopping mall, potentially removing the log-jam in the long-delayed redevelopment of Croydon … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Centrale, Croydon Central, Sarah Jones MP, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Perry blasted after trying to take credit for Westfield’s new deal

Political correspondent WALTER CRONXITE on how elected Mayor’s grandstanding over a deal with which he had no involvement has been seen through by ordinary Council Tax-payers Croydon Mayor Jason Perry came under fire last night, as he tried to take … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Centrale, Mayor Jason Perry, Sean Fitzsimons, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Centrale’s owners set to sell-up to Westfield in cut-price deal

Our vacated shopping centre correspondent, MT WALLETTE, on the latest multi-million-pound boardroom manoeuvres over Croydon’s developer-blighted North End It has taken more than a decade, but Westfield’s hostile takeover of the Centrale shopping mall in Croydon town centre looks as … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Centrale, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Westfield non-developers facing £5m fine for failed supermall

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Council concedes it is virtually powerless over land-owners and developers for long-delayed regeneration scheme, as influential scrutiny chair admits her committee is not convinced things will change. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES The company formed 10 years ago … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Business, Centrale, CPO, Croydon Council, Growth Zone, Heather Cheesbrough, Jo Negrini, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning, Property, Rowenna Davis, Tony Newman, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Town centre stations should be the focus for future vision

With more shops closing and others reducing their floor space in the run-down Whitgift Centre, ANDREW PELLING looks east for solutions to address the town centre’s retail decline The continued loss of retail outlets in Croydon comes as high street … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Andrew Pelling, Boxpark, Business, Croydon BID, Croydon Council, East Croydon, Planning, TfL, Tramlink, Transport, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, West Croydon, Whitgift Centre, Whitgift Foundation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Westfield’s boss admits covid was ‘nail in coffin’ for Croydon

There’s no prospect any time soon of French-based developers ending the decade-long blight to the Whitgift Centre, according to the CEO of  Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield. By our retailing correspondent, MT WALLETTE Covid was “the final nail in the coffin” for the £1.4billion … Continue reading

Posted in "Hammersfield", Allders, Business, Centrale, Croydon Council, Debenhams, Gavin Barwell, House of Fraser, Jo Negrini, Tony Newman, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments