A guarantee that Croydon’s new Westfield shopping centre would not become a “white elephant” has been made.

Work to demolish the Whitgift Centre is expected to kick off in August next year to make way for the £1.4 billion mall.

It is expected to be completed in 2023, ten years after it was first approved by Croydon Council.

At Monday’s full council meeting, one member of the public asked whether the shopping centre would be a success in the current shopping climate.

She said: “I was worried about Westfield coming into Croydon. You’ve got Marks and Spencer, House of Fraser and all the giants closing down and we’re opening an even bigger giant.

“What will become of Croydon if Westfield becomes a white elephant?

“Do we have any alternate measures to assist small businesses and the owners of Westfield?”

But Cllr Newman insisted that the council supports the many small businesses in the borough and that he is confident the project will be a success.

“In terms of new businesses, there was a phenomenally successful economic development event at Box Park and actually 99% of businesses in Croydon are small businesses. We work very closely with those.

“In terms of Westfield, that is on track to be a success story and those major brands that you mentioned would be a part of that.

“Having seen the figures last week, Westfield in Stratford had 50 million visits last year, that is the level of success we are dealing with there.

“I think the challenge [for us] is to get it up and on site, but then it will be an exciting challenge to manage the demand and making sure the infrastructure in Croydon is fit for purpose.”

He added that Croydon Council “never loses sight” of SMEs (small and medium enterprises).