Howard Centre

The Howard Centre
The Howard Centre logo
The Howard Centre
Map
LocationWelwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire
Opening dateOctober 1990; 34 years ago (1990-10)
DeveloperSegro
ManagementSegro (1990-2004)
Landsec (2004-2009)
LaSalle (2009-present)
No. of stores and services50 (approx.)
No. of anchor tenants4
Total retail floor area230,000 sq ft (21,000 m2)
No. of floors2
Parking725 cars
Websitehowardcentre.co.uk

The Howard Centre is a shopping centre in Welwyn Garden City. It is named after Sir Ebenezer Howard, founder of the garden city movement.

History

The centre was built by Tarmac Construction and opened in October 1990. It was owned and managed by Segro from 1990 until 2004 when ownership transferred to Landsec.[1] Landsec managed the centre until its disposal in October 2009 to LaSalle who have owned and managed it since.[2]

Description

The centre provides 230,000 sq ft (21,000 m2) of space set across two levels; anchor tenants include Boots, WHSmith, Monsoon and H&M. In April 2022, the then largest anchor store Marks & Spencer (occupying 84,000 sq ft (7,800 m2) split across both floors at the centre's northern end[3]) closed their Howard Centre branch and relocated to Stevenage.[4]

Connections

The Howard Centre atrium in May 2017

The centre has direct access to Welwyn Garden City railway station, along with the rail ticket office within the centre itself, and is adjacent to the town's bus station. It is complemented by the John Lewis store which is nearby on Bridge Road.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Slough Estates PLC UK Regulatory Announcement: Land Securities and Slough Estates Agree Property Swap". www.businesswire.com. 2004-11-15. Retrieved 2019-07-28.
  2. ^ Richards, Chris (2009-10-28). "Welwyn Garden City landmark shopping centre sold". Welwyn Hatfield Times. Retrieved 2019-07-28.
  3. ^ "Elderly women stuck in Welwyn Garden City shop's lift". Welwyn Hatfield Times. 4 December 2010. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  4. ^ Mountney, Dan (2022-01-13). "Marks & Spencer confirm Welwyn Garden City store closure". Welwyn Hatfield Times. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
  5. ^ "Dogs now allowed in Welwyn Garden City's John Lewis". Welwyn Hatfield Times. 5 November 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2019.

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