Shopping in North London
North London contains a large number of town centres, these range from several very large centres to many small neighbourhood parades of shops. There is much ongoing development at present with the major projects covered below.
Brent Cross
Brent Cross was the first large enclosed shopping centre in the UK, opening in 1976 and bringing 75 shops and late night shopping. Refurbished in 1995 it is now bigger with 110 cafes and shops serving the needs of the 7 million people who live within its catchment area. Many of the original retailers are still in the centre including John Lewis, Fenwick, Marks & Spencer, Boots, WH Smith, Dixons and Mothercare.
Brent Cross is owned by Hammerson UK Properties and Standard Life Assurance who both continually invest in the centre to keep it at the forefront of British Retailing.
The Cricklewood, Brent Cross and West Hendon regeneration area – To create a new gateway for London and a vibrant urban area for Barnet. A unique partnership comprising the London Borough of Barnet, Greater London Authority and major developers and investors in the area. A framework has been proposed and accepted by the Council and the Mayor of London. Planning applications will be submitted during 2006.
Click here for further details of the Brent Cross shopping mall.
Edmonton Green
Developer St Mowden bought Edmonton Green Shopping Centre from Enfield Council in 2001 in a £5 million deal. The radical design features tiered stories with a glass and aluminium frontage and a concourse running through it, lined with retail outlets. Overlooking the green will be 187 apartments to cater for private sector, social housing and key workers.
Outline planning permission was granted on 19 September 2000 for "extension and new build to form accomodation for shopping, leisure, offices and ancillary uses together with new access, parking and landscaping including a new bus facility". The current leisure facility will be redevloped for a major food store (Asda) which will be vital in revitalising the shopping centre.
Palacexchange
Palacexchange will provide a vibrant and exciting retails and leisure environment, anchored by three major retailers and fed by its own parking facilities.
The Palacexchange retail scheme will build further upon Enfield's Town Centre. Current retail space amounts to 454,000 sq ft, this scheme will provide 150,200 sq ft of new retail space, 22 retail units, a multi-storey car park and 65,000 sq ft for leisure and cultural venues.
The scheme centres on the aea between three anchor tenants (Marks and Spencer, Pearsons Department Store and Woolworths), over 50% of the available space in Palacexchange is already taken by retailers including Next and TK Maxx.
Palacexchange will also provide a new state of the art 550 space multi-storey car park connected to the scheme via a covered pedestrian bridge. In addition to this the scheme will bring major traffic improvements, new pedestrian areas, public transport facilities and new leisure opportunities.
The large cultural venue will include a library, arts centre and museum, which is predicted to attract up to 1/2 million visitors a year, reinforcing the attraction of Enfield town centre.
Click here to view the Palacexchange website with full details and plans of the scheme available for download.
Walthamstow Town Centre
Walthamstow Town Centre has emerged as a key centre of economic activity in the eastern side of the Lea Valley. Reinforcing retail and commercial advantage, Walthamstow will continue to provide the right infrastructure for future growth and development. Through the New Opportunities for Walthamstow (NOW) SRB partnership it will become a vibrant centre of excellence.
A £56 million investment programme is already underway incorporating £14 million Single Regeneration Budget funding and £42 million public and private sector funding.
Since the programme started in 1999 designs for a vibrant, modern town centre with new open spaces, signage and a revitalised market have been created. Transport facilities have been improved, with many more improvements planned.
The Mall Shopping City - Wood Green
A £30 million refurbishment programme has revitalised The Mall Wood Green, which is prominently located on either side of the main High Road in the heart of Wood Green's town centre. A new 12 screen cinema complex and a selection of restaurants offering a variety of international cuisine are integral to the mall. A 30,000 sq ft single level indoor Market Hall offers foods from around the world, reflecting the lively cultural mix of the local community.
Click here to view the Mall Shopping City Wood Green's website.
