The emerging proposals, which were put to consultation last month ahead of a planning application this year, reveal site owner Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield’s (URW) vision for overhauling a huge swathe of Croydon’s main shopping area.
Allies and Morrison’s masterplan includes redeveloping the Whitgift Shopping Centre, the Centrale shopping centre (where BDP is working on separate detailed plans) and the surrounding retail district between Croydon’s old town and East Croydon station.
Under plans put to consultation, the latest masterplan includes 2,500 to 3,000 homes of mixed tenures to the north of the site, across low-rise, mid-rise and towers, and between 65,000m2 and 93,000m2 of flexible retail space.
The scheme also includes new public green spaces and improved walking routes, while the Allders department store, which dates back to 1862, will be retained and restored. The building has been shut since 2013.
Unlike earlier plans for the town centre, also designed by Allies and Morrison, the latest scheme will adapt and reuse more of the existing urban fabric, such as the basement of the Whitgift Shopping Centre and shops to the north of the site. However, it would most likely involve demolishing the 1960s above-ground structure.
URW and Allies say in consultation documents that the project team is ‘aiming to retrofit’ the 1970s Centre Tower and to ‘re-use some of the structure of Green Park House’, a 1980s office building, as part of a renewed commitment to reusing existing buildings.
Adam Smith, Strategic Development Director at Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, said about the latest round of consultation: ‘The Croydon Project aims to reimagine Croydon town centre and restore its role as the economic and creative capital of south London. Our ambition is to create a thriving mixed-use destination with new homes, public spaces and a vibrant mix of retail, leisure and cultural activity that reflects Croydon’s energy and creativity.
‘This long-term regeneration will bring new life and investment to the heart of the town centre. Community feedback will remain central, with this next round of consultation giving local people the chance to help shape the evolving masterplan.’
Last February, Croydon Council signalled its support for Allies and Morrison’s masterplan framework for redeveloping the town centre – 12 years after its previous proposals for the area were approved by Croydon Council in 2013. However, those proposals by the practice were never delivered.
The practice was reappointed to draw up fresh plans in November 2024, with a focus on delivering housing and pedestrian-friendly public spaces to create ‘a more sustainable and better-connected town centre’, URW said.
Allies and Morrison partner Paul Eaton previously told the AJ: ‘Our approach to design and planning is rooted in a deep understanding of how to create places, the importance of public realm, interactivity and connectivity from both a building and a human perspective.
‘We are excited to be working with URW as we start bringing together detailed designs for the site that follow the principles we have drawn up together. We look forward to sharing these with the community and hearing their feedback.’
URW took full ownership of the site in May 2023 after buying out its 50 per cent joint venture partner Hammerson, which once had its own Terry Farrell-designed scheme to regenerate Croydon.
In January, BDP submitted detailed plans for refurbishing entrances to the Centrale shopping centre, which will remain open throughout the projects.
The site is currently home to 177,000m2 of shops currently on the masterplan site, a move that Allies and Morrison said responded to high vacancy rates in recent years and changing shopping habits.
Plans for Croydon town have been in limbo for almost a decade. A previous £1.4 billion plan drawn up by Leonard Design Architects was axed in 2021 after Croydon Council deemed it ‘no longer appropriate’.
A planning application is expected this year.
