Despite the news that work on Croydon’s new Westfield development has been delayed again, the leader of the council says he is confident the plans will still go ahead.

It was announced earlier this month that work on the £1.4bn shopping centre will now not start until 2020. It was originally expected to start this year.

But speaking for the first time on the developments, Cllr Tony Newman said all parties were still committed to making the project happen.

He told us: “The commitment of the council and the statements from Westfield, and most importantly the meeting I had with the new chief executive of the new French owners… they are very clear about the commitment to Croydon and building the centre.”

Before Christmas, Westfield was taken over by French company  Unibail-Rodamco.

The shopping centre in Croydon is still expected to open in 2023. It will incorporate nearly 1,000 new homes.

Cllr Newman thinks the decision by Westfield and Hammerson, which make up the Croydon Partnership, to review the scheme was the right move.

“Having said that, if they weren’t reviewing the make-up of the scheme –  in terms of what’s in it – I would have more concerns.

“We are undoubtedly seeing huge economic national uncertainty due to Brexit and a huge change in shopping patterns.

“I know in terms of what we call the retail and leisure mix, retail and cinema and food, that is what they are reviewing.”

And when asked that he would like to see in the new shopping centre, Cllr Newman said: “I hope we do get a really creative balance between a retail offer and a mix in terms of restaurants, cafes and bars with a mix of affordable and higher end stuff.

“We would love to see some new music venues in there and some entertainment space.

“I hope we can come up with a mix that make it a suitable situation for the long term.”

On Monday, February 25, Hammerson released its 2018 results which showed the company has been selling off property assets to pay off debts.

But in its end of year report, it stated that the Croydon development is still on the cards.

The report added: “We are currently reviewing the scheme to ensure it responds to changing retailer requirements and is appropriate for the future.”