Retail giant John Lewis have reached a preliminary deal to open a department store in Croydon's planned £1bn shopping centre. 

The upmarket chain has "agreed the design and layout" for a five-storey anchor store in the development with Westfield and partner developers Hammerson, John Burton told a public inquiry into the plans today.

The inquiry, which began on Tuesday, will hear the case for and objections to a Croydon Council compulsory purchase order to allow the developers - united under the name the Croydon Partnership - to buy the Whitgift Centre and surrounding land.

Some of the 143 objections lodge argue the development is reliant on John Lewis to be financially viable, although a lawyer for the council and the Croydon Partnership said on Tuesday the chain was the preferred anchor store rather than essential.

But Mr Burton said today: "On the balance of probability, we will be able to deliver John Lewis.

"If you ask the consumer, the person in Croydon, what's highest in their list in terms of missing retailers, it's John Lewis.

"The next step is to assure people that John Lewis is interested which they are already stating publicly."

John Lewis, which already has a homewares store in Purley Way, has written to inquiry inspector Paul Lewis to confirm its interest.

It is demanding a 215,000sq ft building with a 155,000sq ft retail area including a click-and-collect zone, with 2,000-space adjacent car park. 

The letter, written by the firm's property director, states: "JL has been considering the possibility of locating a new full line department store in Croydon Town Centre for over ten years.

"It adds: "JL is satsfied that its physical space requirement set out above can be accommodated in the south eastern area of the scheme." 

John Lewis has previously opened department stores in four Hammerson shopping centres in Brent Cross, Southamptopn, Leicester and Leeds, as well as Westfield in Stratford City.

The company it has been in negotiations with the developers about a Croydon store since 2012 and been involved in planning other parts of the scheme as well as the wider regeneration of the town centre.

Mr Burton said: "John Lewis is not entirely motivated by its commercial ends, it's a partnership and it is concerned with the fabric of the town centre that it is entering.

"John Lewis [is part of] the town's strategic management board. That's quite unique. They have not finalised their commercial commitment to Croydon yet but they are working with the council to help shape and work out what the future is.

"We have agreed the design and the layout of the possible store and I believe we will conclude a commercial deal with John Lewis in the next couple of weeks, or months to be more realistic."

He added: "If that store is not delivered it is not the only option in that location we have other options. They involve relocating other anchors. In some schemes an anchor isn't necessarily a department store.

"[Companies] like Fenwick are also interested so it's not the only option at the moment."