Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (“URW”) has completed the acquisition of Hammerson’s 50% stake in the Croydon Partnership, a 10 hectare parcel which includes the Whitgift and Centrale shopping centres as well as high street retail frontage, office blocks and multi-storey car parks in the heart of the designated GLA Opportunity Area in South London.
Jean-Marie Tritant, Chief Executive Officer, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield said: “Urban regeneration projects are at the heart of URW’s purpose to create sustainable places that reinvent being together, and we are very excited about what can be achieved in Croydon. With our full ownership of the property, it allows URW to work in partnership with the Mayor of Croydon, the Greater London Authority and other vital local stakeholders on a vision and options that support the wider transformation of the area.” John Whitgift Foundation has been supporting the people of Croydon for over 427 years using the land and assets left by its founder, Archbishop John Whitgift, and is keen to engage and support URW with its redevelopment plans.
The Whitgift Centre is situated on land originally purchased by John Whitgift in the late 1500s and in the past has been home to Whitgift School, Whitgift Middle School and Trinity School. The Whitgift Centre originally opened in 1968 and was the largest covered shopping centre in London until Westfield opened in White City in 2008. We look forward to the next chapter in its history and the opportunities that this project will bring to the people of Croydon and the support this will allow us to offer via our bursary programme and care facilities.
Read more about John Whitgift Foundation’s charitable work here.
