The whole squalid plan comes crashing down! Evening Standard: "Retail woes force Hammerson to halt Brent Cross expansion"

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"The nightmare climate engulfing UK retailers on Tuesday forced property giant Hammerson to put on ice its £1.4 billion plans to extend north London’s vast Brent Cross shopping centre.

"The plans to enhance the centre — which opened in 1976 and has around 15 million visitors a year — have been in the pipeline for over a decade but have been put on hold by the company, which owns Brent Cross with Standard Life.

"The decision comes after an annus horribilis for retailers including the failure of chains like Maplin and Toys'R'Us and desperate moves by players such as House of Fraser to slash their rental bills through so-called creditor voluntary arrangements, hitting landlords in the pocket. Costs have also been rising due to soaring business rates and the national living wage increases."