Hammerson has today unveiled its rival plans for the redevelopment of Croydon town centre.

In the latest round of the heated battle between Hammerson and Westfield for the right to redevelop the Whitgift Centre, the REIT has proposed creating a mammoth 2.1m sq ft retail core in the south London town, taking the form of a 1.5m sq ft redeveloped Whitgift Centre which will be linked into its existing Centrale scheme.

Hammerson proposes to rename this combined Whitgift and Centrale scheme ‘Whitgift Quarter’

The plans also involve a collaboration with regeneration specialists Urban Splash for the residential element of the project, and the development of a combination of a 130-bed hotel, a 200-bed student accommodation block, and around 10,000 sq ft of offices.

The retail developer, which is part of the Croydon Alliance comprising the Whitgift Centre’s leaseholders Royal London Asset Management and IBRC Assurance, plans to transform the Whitgift Centre into a three-level mall offering double-height stores with restaurants above.

Around 100,000 sq ft of the Whitgift development will be set aside for leisure operators such as a cinema, gym and family entertainment.

North End – which currently separates the Whitgift from Centrale – will act as the focal point of the scheme, with a figure of eight shopping route created between the schemes’ four anchor stores.  

On the residential side Urban Splash has been brought in to transform the existing 20-storey Centre Tower office block on the site. Urban Splash will convert the 1960s tower into around 200 design-led homes. The remaining 300 residential units will be built in low rise blocks along Wellesley Road, George Street and Poplar Walk.

For more information read tomorrow’s Property Week.