Full details of the plan to tear down The Galleries centre and redevelop the 4.8 acre site will be revealed in a public consultation starting on 13 July.

The developer will then submit for planning in early 2023, with the aim of starting construction in Autumn 2024.

The 1.2m sq ft scheme will include offices, purpose-built student accommodation, a mix of open-market, affordable housing and build to rent, as well as an aparthotel and mixed retail – all to be built around a new pedestrian landscaped street.

The redevelopment plan is being driven by a sharp fall in the use of the shopping centre. Footfall in the centre is down 35% from pre-pandemic levels.

A change in shopping patterns, accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic, have led to a greater number of vacancies in the Galleries which has made the current centre’s future increasingly challenged.

The shopping centre will remain open for two years prior to the start of demolition.