Retail giants Westfield and Hammerson have insisted their £1.4bn shopping centre will not be delayed past its expected completion date of 2020, despite revising their plans.

Public consultation events on the updated proposals start at the Whitgift Centre today with developers hoping to formally submit them to Croydon Council by the end of the summer.

RELATED: Westfield and Hammerson's £1bn Croydon shopping centre plans expanded to include more homes, IMAX cinema and new M&S anchor store

The fresh plans include a new flagship Marks and Spencer department store, an IMAX cinema, up to 1,000 homes, as well as an extra floor and a new car park in Wellesley Road.

In February work on the long-awaited shopping centre was delayed until 2017 – the year the redevelopment was originally planned to open – with a revised opening date of 2020.

Yesterday developers said they remained confident they will hit the same deadline.

RELATED: Work on Westfield and Hammerson's £1bn shopping centre delayed until 2017

Steven Yewman, development director for Westfield, said: “We don’t see it as delayed. When we started this process we said there was a five-year delivery plan for Croydon and not just us.

“What we are delighted with is other people are now getting on with their schemes, East Croydon station, Ruskin Square, the commitment to Fairfield Halls.

“And therefore we have been saying to Croydon that if you are going to have a five-year delivery plan it needs to be like an Olympic moment – we will pick the right time to deliver this scheme.

“Our objective is to be on-site next year and our target is to be completed by autumn 2020.”

The two retail giants, working together as the Croydon Partnership, also want to widen Poplar Walk to create a new public square and improve the setting for heritage listed St Michael’s and All Angels Church.

RELATED: Croydon councillors fear Wesfield and Hammerson's £1.4bn shopping mall could look too much like shopping mall

But when the revised plans were presented to Croydon’s planning committee last month councillors raised concerns about plans for an enclosed glass walkway, open for 24 hours, connecting North End and Wellesley Road.

At the time Westfield's head of development John Burton said the developers would look to reach a “compromise” with councillors, who fear the introduction of glass screens and doors will “close off” the town centre.

But yesterday the retail giants said they were not willing to change the plans.

Carolyn Kenney, project director for Hammerson, said: “It is absolutely fundamental, it is enshrined in our whole vision for the project.

“It has to work as a 24-hour dining, sitting out destination right the way through the year no matter what the weather is doing outside you need customers to be able to come along and feel comfortable and happy.

“They are not coming out now just to go and get their shoes or whatever, they are coming out for a social activity and you have got to provide the environment to allow that to happen otherwise they are not going to come.”

Developers remain tight-lipped on shopping centres name but confirmed it would include the word “Croydon.”