This south London shopping centre is getting turned into hundreds of homes and a ‘civic hub’

Following in the footsteps of the likes of Southwark and Walthamstow, Sutton in southwest London is the latest in a never-ending chain of areas slated for redevelopment in the capital. 

Sutton Council has announced the demolition of the St. Nicholas Shopping Centre as part of a project to bring a brand new ‘civic hub’ and retail centre to the high street. Built in 1992, the shopping centre has become something of a Sutton landmark. It was purchased by the council in 2021

And now Sutton Council has officially revealed a regeneration plan for the shopping centre and its surrounding area. A new town centre is set to create 740 new homes (50 percent of which will be affordable housing), new leisure facilities and fresh retail spaces for use by both new and existing businesses. 

The proposed plans look to make ‘better use’ of the site, replacing the current civic centre with what the council says is a more sustainable alternative. An improvement both environmentally and for Sutton’s pockets, the new hub is apparently set to save a whopping £1 million per year in operating costs. 

By the time of the new civic hub's completion at the end of the decade, Sutton residents may hardly recognise their high street. A spokesperson for the council said that the new civic hub will be its ‘front door’ on the high street, giving residents direct access to all their council services in the heart of town. 

But not everyone ison board with the plans. Some locals voiced their concerns about the loss of St Nicholas Shopping Centre, saying the building feels firmly ‘Sutton’ (a similar response to how residents felt about the redevelopment plans for East London’s iconic gasholders): 

‘I can't believe the council is replacing an architecturally significant modernist complex with this,’ said local @fitzfordlands on X. ‘The civic centre and library are a part of Sutton's historic architectural fabric. Sutton has already been depleted of countless historic landmarks to business deals’.

If everything goes to plan, the project could be complete by mid-2029.

If you would like to find out more about redevelopment across London check out how Camden High Street is being pedestrianised or the controversial development plans at Liverpool Street station. 

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