As part of the Shopping Centre's redevelopment
Wandsworth town centre has been given another boost with the announcement that Debenhams has chosen it as the location for a new department store.
Welcoming the news, the leader of Wandsworth Council, Councillor Ravi Govindia, said it was another indicator of the town's growing popularity.
Debenhams will establish the store as part of a forthcoming £40m phase of redevelopment at Southside Shopping Centre. Trading over three floors, it will have entrances on Garratt Lane and on to the North Mall inside the centre.
Redevelopment work, which begins next year, will see the demolition of the existing Arndale Walk section of the centre to create 100,000 sq ft of additional retail space, with Debenhams opening in 2015.
The announcement came just days after the council gave the go-ahead for a long-vacant office block in Wandsworth High Street to be redeveloped to create new homes and shop space.
The scheme will see Lyon House demolished to make way for 41 flats - of which 37 per cent will be affordable housing - and retail space.
The council is also working to ensure the ongoing £1bn regeneration of Wandsworth Town includes a reconfiguration of the one-way system.
The authority believes that switching part of the gyratory back to two-way working would relieve pressure on the high street and help it flourish.
Councillor Ravi Govindia, council leader and regeneration spokesman, said: Debenhams' announcement is the latest in a long list of good news stories for Wandsworth town centre.
"Investment on a scale this big brings new retail, leisure, residential, employment and educational opportunities to the town. As well as making the area an even better place to live, this transformation will also establish Wandsworth as an attractive base for shops and businesses and an increasingly appealing destination for visitors."
Wandsworth Town has recently seen the opening of a new town centre library, the conversion of the shopping centre into the thriving Southside complex plus a host of redevelopments in Hardwick's Way, Smuggler's Way, Buckhold Road, South Thames College and overlooking King George's Park.
Neil Churchill, general manager of Southside, said: "Southside's reputation as a leading retail and leisure destination for south west London is developing fast and we see Debenhams' commitment as a key step in developing it further.
"A department store for Wandsworth will provide another exciting draw, alongside the Cineworld cinema, our great range of retail names and the growing mix of restaurants and cafes."
A summary of Wandsworth Town 's major investment sites includes the following:
Completed Schemes -
Currently on site -
Plans approved, about to start -
Applications expected soon -