Retail Property - Red Mall will make MetroCentre Europe's largest shopping mall

Capital Shopping Centres has topped out its£85 million extension to the MetroCentre in Gateshead, which is on schedule to open in October 2004.

The 371,000 sq ft (34,500 sq m) extension takes the mega-mall onto a site freed up by Asda's relocation to the nearby retail park. When complete, the extension will make MetroCentre the largest shopping centre in Europe, with 1.97 million sq ft (182,920 sq m) of space.

The new Red Mall will provide a 180,000 sq ft (16,720 sq m), three-level department store for Debenhams and 28 other stores. A 1,100 space car park will provide access to the store and to the upper level mall. Debenhams will take possession of the store in shell and core form in October to begin its 12-month fitting-out programme.

At the Blue Mall, the existing bus station is being rebuilt and the MetroCentre's railway station is being upgraded.£23 million is being invested in improvements to the bus service between the mall and Gateshead town centre.

Developed in the mid-1980s as the UK's first regional shopping centre, the MetroCentre currently provides 1.59 million sq ft (148,455 sq m) of retail space.