Croydon plan expected in September By Damian Wild | Retail | 02-07-2013 | Estates Gazette Westfield and Hammerson’s plans to deliver a £1bn regeneration of Croydon town centre are expected to go before council planners in September. Speaking at the LIVE Croydon conference yesterday, Croydon council head of planning Mike Kiely said: “We anticipate that the application will be put to committee after the summer recess in early September.” In January, Hammerson and Westfield agreed to drop plans for rival schemes and create a jv to deliver a major retail overhaul. Westfield bought a 50% interest in the £115mn Centrale shopping centre from Hammerson, with the jv also buying a 25% stake in the Whitgift Centre . Kiely said he did not expect major problems with the application but added: “The most complicated aspect is transport. That’s the challenge and further work is needed.” That work is likely to focus on road access to the wealthier, southern part of the borough. Kiely also said: “The other aspect in all these complex town centre schemes is to sort out land ownership and that could involve a CPO. The council will look at that.” And he played down the planning challenges: “In Croydon we have a planning service that doesn’t break a sweat when confronted with one of the biggest schemes around.”
Posted on: Mon, 08 Jul 2013 14:28:29 +0000