Croydon Westfield Regeneration
Croydon Westfield Regeneration:
What’s the Latest, Why It’s Taken So Long, and What It Means for Landlords
Croydon’s town centre regeneration, often referred to simply as the “Westfield project” has been a long-running saga stretching back more than a decade. With repeated delays, evolving plans, and shifting economic priorities, many landlords and investors in the borough are understandably asking:
What’s actually happening?
Why has it taken so long?
Is the project still going ahead?
And when might we see real progress?
Below is a clear, factual update with official sources you can check for yourself.
A Quick Recap: What Is the Westfield Scheme?
If you’ve walked through Croydon Town Centre recently, you may have found yourself wondering what went wrong. It was once a lively place, packed with familiar high-street shops and buzzing with activity. The nightlife, in particular, was a real attraction. Today, however, the area feels tired and neglected. Large parts of the Whitgift Centre stand empty, and there is little left to draw people into the town, it is a shadow of its former self.
The Westfield Scheme is a complete project focussing on the long-planned redevelopment of Croydon’s town centre. Plans affect primarily the Whitgift Centre, Centrale, and surrounding areas into a mixed-use destination of:
New homes
Retail, leisure and office space
Public squares and cultural venues
Improved connectivity and enhanced public space
Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) acquired the Whitgift and Centrale centres and leads the masterplanning for what is now often referred to as the North End Quarter redevelopment. Previously URW jointly owned the croydon sites with Hammerson’s but in 2023 URW bought out Hammerson’s.
Today, URW is the registered owner and landlord of both:
the Whitgift Centre, and
the Centrale shopping centre in Croydon.
This gives URW full control of the above 25-acre estate that includes the major town-centre retail sites.
Whats Holding This Project Back And Why It’s Taken So Long
There are a few key reasons the project has been slow to materialise:
1. Changing Retail Landscape
Originally conceived as a large retail-led development, the scheme was launched into a world where brick-and-mortar retail has since contracted significantly. When the Croydon Westfield scheme was first planned, the idea was lots of shops, big retail brands, department stores, and high-street names. At the time, shopping centres were still seen as a strong, growing investment.
Since then, the world has changed. Over the last 10–15 years:
Online shopping has grown massively
Many well-known high-street brands have:
Downsized
Closed stores
Gone online-only
Large shopping centres now struggle to fill retail space
Demand for big retail-led developments has fallen
New permitted development rules now make it easier to convert retail premises into residential use.
This isn’t unique to Croydon, it’s happened nationwide. This has forced Westfield and partners to rethink the balance between shops, offices, and homes — a complex planning challenge.
Why This Affects the Westfield Scheme
Because of this shift:
Building a development focused mainly on shops no longer makes sense
Fewer retailers are willing to sign long leases
Investors are more cautious about retail-heavy projects
As a result, Westfield has had to rethink the entire scheme, asking:
How many shops are actually needed?
Should more space be used for:
Homes
Offices
Leisure
Restaurants
Community uses, etc
That rebalancing takes time, because it affects:
Design
Viability
Planning permissions
Funding
2. Masterplan Framework Stage
Rather than submitting a full planning application, URW spent much of 2024–25 consulting and refining a Masterplan Framework — a set of guiding principles for future development rather than detailed planning proposals. This received endorsement from Croydon Council in early 2025.
https://news.croydon.gov.uk/croydon-council-supports-unibail-rodamco-westfield-masterplan/
3. Economic Conditions & Developer Priorities
There have been reports that internal investor strategy debates and broader economic conditions have led Westfield to consider alternative approaches including possibly co-development or even divestment. At least one regional developer briefing reportedly mentioned the Croydon site in this context, although there’s been no official confirmation.
So Is It Still Going Ahead?
Yes, technically.
The ambition remains for a comprehensive town centre redevelopment, and the Council continues to adopt plans that integrate Westfield’s framework into its long-term vision. However:
There is no full planning application yet
The earliest realistic submission is now mid-2026 at the earliest, according to multiple recent reports
Even then, planning approval could take another 12+ months
In other words, physical construction is still some way off.
What Has Happened So Far
Some tangible, smaller-scale changes are occurring:
“Allders Parade” retail and dining spaces have opened in the Allders building as part of interim activation efforts toward a more vibrant town centre.
Council-led regeneration work such as public realm improvements and event programming, this continues independently of Westfield.
So while the headline redevelopment has not broken ground, underlying activity remains ongoing.
What This Means for Landlords
1. Uncertainty Can Slow Investment Decisions
Many investors and retailers have been in a “holding pattern” precisely because a masterplan without detailed planning is hard to act on. That can mean slower commercial leasing activity and a cautious approach to town centre property acquisition.
2. Long-Term Growth Still Possible
When / if the full scheme reaches the construction stage, a successful redevelopment could bring:
Increased footfall
New residents and workers
Improved public spaces
Higher long-term rental demand
But that is still several years away.
3. Political and Economic Context Matters
With local elections scheduled for May 2026, local political support for regeneration will again be tested. Croydon’s ability to attract and retain investment is now as much a political narrative as a planning one.
How to Keep Updated
If you want to track progress, useful official and local sources include:
Croydon Council Growth & Regeneration updates (Cabinet and planning committee papers)
– https://democracy.croydon.gov.uk/ (search “growth and regeneration”)
In summary The Westfield-led Croydon town centre regeneration hasn’t been abandoned, but it has not progressed to planning submission or construction either. After more than a decade of shifting timelines, the earliest realistic target for moving beyond masterplanning appears to be late 2026 / 2027 and even then, full delivery would still be several years beyond that.
Ultimately, large-scale regeneration of this nature is likely to have a positive long-term impact on both property values and the local rental market, so for me it remains a good reason to hold on to my property as we could see significant growth.