Hundreds attending a public exhibition have given the thumbs up to a £40 million upgrade of Centrale shopping centre.

The exhibition, held on December 3 and 4, gave shoppers at the Hammerson owned site the chance to see proposals for a new restaurant and cafe quarter fit for at least 10 outlets and a seven screen cinema, set to create up to 200 new jobs.

Plans to improve the car park are also expected to be released at a later date.

Robin Dobson, Hammerson UK Director of Retail Development said: “Visitors to the exhibition were overwhelmingly in support of the proposals to create a new leisure and dining quarter for Centrale.

“There was a clear message that investment in Croydon is needed and for us to deliver the scheme as soon as possible, which subject to planning could be as early as 2014.

“We will now review all the feedback and continue to progress the scheme in advance of submitting a planning application in early 2012.”

236 people attended, and 85 per cent of respondents supported the cinema, while 98 per cent were in favour of the eating quarter.