The majority of Croydon residents do not want a single shopping centre to be developed in the south London town, according to a new poll on behalf of Hammerson.
The UK retail REIT, which is working with Royal London Asset Management and Irish Banking Resolution Corporation to bring forward the redevelopment of the 696,000 sq ft Centrale shopping centre and 633,400 sq ft Whitgift mall, found that just 21 % of Croydon residents want a single large shopping centre in the town.
Instead, three–quarters of those surveyed want to see a town centre made up of a network of shopping streets and public spaces – a proposal similar to that put forward in Hammerson’s Whitgift Quarter plans, which are due to go before Croydon council’s strategic planning committee on Thursday.
Hammerson has been battling with rival developer Westfield for more than six months. Both want to regenerate Croydon. Westfield is proposing a scheme similar to its shopping centres at White City and Stratford.
David Atkins, chief executive of Hammerson, said: “The people of Croydon have made clear that what they want from the redevelopment of their town centre is a scheme which integrates with the rest of the town centre, and plays a vital part in the regeneration of the whole of Croydon.
“That’s what we’ve set out to do with our plans for Whitgift Quarter, which will transform the town centre with new shops, restaurants and open spaces, and at the same time breathe new life into North End by connecting with Centrale, which we also own and are planning to extend and refurbish. We’re confident that our scheme is the right one for Croydon, and will benefit everyone who lives or works in the town.”
The YouGov survey also showed that 81% of respondents want the redeveloped town centre to link with the wider Croydon area, in particular with London Road, George Street, Crown Hill and the High Street and that 58% wanted to see a development that links Centrale shopping centre with the Whitgift mall.
Some 82% of respondents said they would prefer to see mixed-use improvements to Wellesley Road, while just 8% wanted to see residential development. Some 58% of those surveyed would prefer to see new homes integrated throughout the town centre, rather than the 30% that would like to see residential development in only one location.
Subject to planning, work on the Whitgift Quarter could start in the first quarter of 2014 with completion by 2017.
annabel.dixon@estatesgazette.com
