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The Westfield/Hammerson redevelopment of Croydon town centre has been given the go-ahead by Croydon Council and the instant reaction has been one of excitement for what it could mean for the borough.

The council's planning committee unanimously approved the development at a meeting on Tuesday evening (November 14).

They debated an updated report on the plans for the £1.4 billion scheme.

The development will include a new flagship Marks and Spencer (M&S) store, as well as a currently another unknown anchor store, and an increase of 45,000 square feet of retail space over what is currently on the Whitgift Centre site.

Details of which shops are going to feature in the development, however, have not been included yet.

John Burton, Westfield’s head of development, said: “The approval of the plans to redevelop the Whitgift Centre represents a significant milestone for the project and for Croydon.

"Retail-regeneration projects have a proven track record to deliver transformation and regeneration which is evidenced by the £5.25bn of inward investment planned for Croydon.

“The positive response from the London Borough of Croydon provides confidence to retailers, investors and the community, enabling the Croydon Partnership to create South London’s best retail, dining and leisure destination and deliver new homes and 7,000 jobs.”

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It is estimated that between 6,270 to 7,048 full time equivalent jobs will be created, plus a minimum of 626 flats could be built, though that figure could rise as high as 967 in up to five tower blocks – 20 per cent of which will be available at rents below market rates.

Councillor Tony Newman, leader of Croydon Council, said: “This is fantastic news for Croydon and we have been doing everything we can to bring the redevelopment of the Whitgift Centre to fruition so local people can benefit from its wealth of offerings, including the creation of 7,000 new jobs.

“The new homes and the thousands of jobs this development will bring shows investors are rightly confident about Croydon as a place to live, work and spend free time.

“I am delighted contractors will be on site in 2019 to kick-start the exciting transformation of the heart of our town.”

Now the council has agreed to the scheme, it will be passed on to the Mayor of London who will have the final say on whether planning permission should be granted.

Peter Cole, chief investment officer of Hammerson, said: “Our goal remains to deliver a world-class retail and leisure destination to attract new visitors to Croydon and enhance economic growth in the town.

"We are pleased with the level of retail demand which has driven the evolution of the design and layout of the new scheme, and we look forward to progressing our plans and transforming Croydon into one of the UK’s top 10 retail and leisure destinations."

Sarah Jones, Croydon Central MP, gave her reaction minutes after the decision was made.

She said: “Croydon is one of the most exciting places to live in London right now – with Boxpark, the Fairfield halls development, street art, huge musical talent and tech city. The one piece of the jigsaw that we have all been working towards is for the town centre to become the vibrant heart of Croydon once again.

“I know my constituents will be delighted with today’s announcement. We have the largest young population in London and this will create thousands of job opportunities, setting our young people up for a bright future.

“Croydon has waited years for our new town centre so it’s important we now get to work as soon as possible.”

The updated planning documents include a 24-hour pedestrianised route, which has been named the ‘Galleria’ between East Croydon and North End. This is part of an idea to create better pedestrian routes through the town centre.

The route will be accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week and will be well lit with doors on either side to access car parking.

Martin Corney, chief executive of The Whitgift Foundation which is the freehold owner of the Whitgift Centre, said: “This is a momentous decision for Croydon’s future and we are thrilled that approval has been given by the council for the scheme to go ahead and create one of the UK’s top 10 shopping and entertainment destinations."