We now know that work on Westfield in Croydon is unlikely to start this year.

Council leader Cllr Tony Newman let slip that despite promises construction would start in September it would be later than expected.

The planned shopping centre has been on the cards since 2013 and the most recent setback is just the latest in a series of delays.

In November 2017 the Croydon Westfield and Hammerson development was unanimously approved by Croydon Council’s planning committee and given the green light by London Mayor Sadiq Khan a few months later.

In January, Cllr Newman told a meeting that he did not know when work on the £1.4 billion development would start.

And we’ve heard from traders in the Whitgift Centre who have not been told when they will have to leave – The whole shopping centre is going to be demolished.

The only people we haven’t heard from so far is the Croydon Partnership, made up of Westfield and property developer Hammerson and started in January 2013.

Last month the company did not want to comment on the plans and would not confirm when work would start.

And last week we were told by the partnership that both companies are in a closed period ahead of each company’s full year results.

Here are the questions that we think should be answered, and what we know so far.

When will construction actually start?

Last news from Westfield was that it would get underway in 2019 with an opening date sometime in 2023.

Last year the partnership secured John Lewis as its flagship store and carried out Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPO) to buy up remaining land needed for the development.

As well as more than 300 shops, restaurants and cafes the plans include up to 967 new homes.

Will the takeover of Westfield have an impact on the plans?

In December, French company Unibail-Rodamco bought Westfield Corporation for £18.5 billion.

Last month Cllr Newman said that he has already met with the new owners adding that the bosses are “committed to investing in Croydon”.

How about Brexit?

It remains to be seen whether the outcome of Brexit will have any impact on the plans for the mega shopping centre in Croydon.

At the end of last year the company behind the One Landsdowne skycraper blamed Brexit for a delay in building work starting.

The 236 metre-tall building is set to be Croydon’s tallest and when complete would be the same height as Britain’s second tallest building, One Canada Square in Canary Wharf.

Work was supposed to already have started but it has been pushed back until the end of the year with the director of developer Guildhouse Rosepride saying uncertainty due to Brexit has paused plans.

When will shop owners in the Whitgift find out when they’ve got to move?  

The Whitgift Centre seems to be getting quieter and quieter with more businesses moving out each month.

Some of the independent traders left have claimed that they are not being kept in the loop about when they’ve got to be out, adding that they would not be able to afford rent in the new Westfield.

A handful of businesses are moving or have moved over to the Centrale Shopping Centre until the new Westfield is built.

Is it really going to happen?

The more it is pushed back the more people in Croydon end up asking whether the new shopping centre will ever open.

Last year we asked if Croydon Council had a back up plan if it all falls through.

At the time a spokesman said: “The Council is committed to working with CLP, in the event the redevelopment does not go ahead, the Council will continue to work with CLP and key stakeholders to bring forward proposals to facilitate the regeneration of the town centre.”