Westwood Cross
Westwood Cross is an open, pedestrianised retail and leisure complex in Westwood, Kent.
Last updated August 26, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Westwood Cross is an open-air, pedestrianised shopping and leisure centre in Westwood, near Broadstairs in Kent, England. It serves the Thanet area and combines mainstream retail, food and beverage, entertainment, gambling and community-facing services in a single commercial development. Although its name is presented as a consumer-facing destination brand rather than as the name of a standalone retail chain, Westwood Cross functions as a local shopping-centre identity for the stores and leisure venues operating on the site. The development occupies land formerly associated with Haine Hospital. The hospital closed in June 1997, and the site was later cleared before construction began. Preparing the site required the infilling of a railway cutting approximately 10 metres deep, an engineering intervention that helped make the former institutional land suitable for a large retail and leisure scheme. Westwood Cross opened in 2005. Developers said that the project generated approximately 1,500 jobs in the Broadstairs area, making employment creation an important part of its local economic rationale. The centre expanded beyond conventional shopping in the late 2000s. A 2008 phase added leisure and gambling facilities, including a casino, bowling alley, cinema and bingo hall. The expansion was contentious locally, particularly because church leaders argued that placing gambling facilities within a prominent shopping and entertainment destination could encourage people with little or no previous gambling experience to gamble. Kent County Council approved the scheme, and the decision was subsequently upheld through proceedings involving the House of Lords. By 2008, Westwood Cross had therefore developed from a primarily retail destination into a broader entertainment complex. Further retail capacity was created in 2010 through the conversion of a former adjoining Wickes store into additional outlets. The centre has also attracted attention for features beneath its modern retail buildings. In 2015, a collapse in the car park beneath the Primark store exposed underground tunnels. Researchers suggested that the tunnels may have been built during First World War training exercises, later used as air-raid shelters for servicemen connected with Haine Hospital, and eventually sealed. The discovery connected the contemporary shopping destination with the military and medical history of the site. Westwood Cross has also faced the ordinary public-order challenges associated with a busy retail and leisure environment. In 2022, Kent Police imposed a 48-hour dispersal order covering the centre after reports of antisocial behaviour, including alleged abuse of shop staff, shoplifting and nuisance involving electric scooters. The order gave officers additional powers to disperse groups and was presented as a short-term response to disorder rather than as a change to the centre's commercial positioning. Today, Westwood Cross is best understood as a regional shopping and leisure destination rather than an international consumer brand. Its identity is based on convenience, a broad tenant mix and the concentration of retail and entertainment uses in an accessible, pedestrianised environment. Publicly available reference material does not clearly identify a single current owner, parent group, chief executive or listed corporate vehicle for the Westwood Cross brand.
History
Westwood Cross was developed on the site of the former Haine Hospital at Westwood, near Broadstairs in Kent. Haine Hospital closed in June 1997, after which the site was eventually cleared. The redevelopment was technically demanding because the construction area included a railway cutting roughly 10 metres deep. The cutting had to be filled before the land could be used for the new commercial complex. Construction produced a purpose-built open-air and pedestrianised shopping environment. Westwood Cross opened in 2005, initially functioning mainly as a retail destination. Its developers stated that the project created approximately 1,500 jobs in the Broadstairs area, presenting the centre as both a shopping facility and a source of local employment. The location enabled a concentration of stores and services that could serve customers from Westwood, Broadstairs and the wider Thanet district. A major change came in 2008, when the site incorporated a casino, bowling alley, cinema and bingo hall. The proposed combination of retail, entertainment and gambling generated opposition from some church leaders, who argued that a shopping-centre setting could make gambling more attractive or accessible to people who had never previously gambled. Kent County Council's approval of the expansion was controversial, but the scheme was eventually allowed to proceed following consideration through the higher legal and parliamentary process. In 2010, Westwood Cross gained further retail space through the conversion of a former adjoining Wickes store. This broadened the centre's physical retail offer without requiring an entirely separate development site. The result was a mixed-use destination combining shopping with leisure and evening entertainment. The site's earlier history became visible again in 2015. A section of the car park beneath the Westwood Cross Primark store collapsed, exposing underground tunnels. Researchers proposed that the tunnels had been made during First World War training exercises and later adapted as air-raid shelters for servicemen at Haine Hospital before being sealed. These interpretations linked the modern commercial development to the military and institutional uses that preceded it, although the tunnels were not part of the centre's original consumer proposition. Westwood Cross has also experienced public-order problems associated with high visitor numbers and youth activity. In 2022, Kent Police placed the centre under a 48-hour dispersal order after reports of antisocial behaviour. The complaints included alleged abuse directed at shop workers, shoplifting and nuisance involving electric scooters. The police intervention was a temporary measure intended to disperse groups and restore order. The available reference material describes Westwood Cross as an active shopping and leisure centre but does not establish a complete corporate history, a confirmed current owner, or a named executive leadership team. Its enduring significance is primarily local: it is a prominent Thanet-area retail destination whose development transformed a former hospital site into a mixed shopping, entertainment and leisure complex.
- 2022
Police dispersal order
[1]Kent Police imposed a temporary 48-hour dispersal order in response to reported antisocial behaviour.
- 2015
Historic tunnels revealed
[1]A car park collapse beneath the Primark store exposed underground tunnels believed by researchers to have wartime origins.
- 2010
Additional retail units created
[1]A former adjoining Wickes store was converted to provide additional outlets.
- 2008
Retail and leisure expansion
[1]The centre added a casino, bowling alley, cinema and bingo hall after a controversial expansion process.
- 2005
Westwood Cross opens
[1]The open-air, pedestrianised shopping centre opened at Westwood in Kent.
- 2003
Former hospital site demolished
[1]Haine Hospital was demolished as the land was prepared for redevelopment, including the filling of a deep railway cutting.
- 1997
Haine Hospital closes
[1]The former hospital occupying the future Westwood Cross site ceased operations in June.
Products and positioning
A regional open-air shopping and leisure destination serving Broadstairs, Westwood and the wider Thanet area, with a tenant mix spanning everyday retail, fashion, food and entertainment.
Shopping-centre retail · 2005
Retail stores
Westwood Cross provides a collection of mainstream retail units in an open-air pedestrianised setting. The centre's offer includes fashion, general merchandise, household and everyday shopping, with Primark specifically identified as an occupier. The retail component is the foundation of the destination and is complemented by food, services and leisure venues.
Entertainment · 2008
Leisure and entertainment facilities
The expanded Westwood Cross complex includes entertainment uses such as a cinema and bowling alley. These facilities broaden the destination beyond daytime shopping and support evening and family-oriented visits. The leisure offer was introduced as part of the 2008 expansion.
Gambling and leisure · 2008
Gambling venues
A casino and bingo hall were incorporated into the 2008 expansion. Their inclusion made Westwood Cross a combined retail, leisure and gambling destination and was the subject of local controversy during the approval process.
Brand decisions
2010
Convert former Wickes premises into retail spaceStrategyBackground
The centre sought to increase its retail capacity using an adjoining existing commercial building.
Action taken
A former Wickes store was converted into additional retail outlets.
Aftermath
The conversion expanded the centre's store mix without a separately documented new-build phase.
2008
Add gambling and leisure facilitiesStrategyBackground
Westwood Cross sought to expand from a conventional shopping centre into a broader entertainment destination.
Action taken
The development incorporated a casino, bowling alley, cinema and bingo hall after the expansion received approval.
Aftermath
The plan attracted criticism from church leaders concerned about the accessibility of gambling but was ultimately permitted.
Recent events
- 2022
Kent Police issue dispersal order at Westwood Cross over antisocial behaviour[1]
Regulation · Other
Kent Police introduced a 48-hour dispersal order following reports of teenagers abusing shop staff, shoplifting and causing nuisance with electric scooters. The order gave police temporary additional powers to address disorder at the centre.
- 2015
Car park collapse exposes historic tunnels beneath Primark[1]
Other
A collapse in the car park beneath the Westwood Cross Primark store revealed underground tunnels. Researchers suggested that the structures may have originated as First World War training facilities, later serving as air-raid shelters associated with Haine Hospital.
- 2010
Former Wickes premises converted into additional Westwood Cross retail units[1]
Other
Additional retail outlets were created by converting a former adjoining Wickes store, increasing the centre's retail capacity.
- 2008
Westwood Cross leisure and gambling expansion approved after controversy[1]
Other · Regulation
An expansion of Westwood Cross added a casino, bowling alley, cinema and bingo hall. The proposal drew criticism from church leaders who argued that the location could expose people who had not previously gambled to gambling opportunities. The scheme was ultimately approved through the relevant planning and legal process.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/westwood-cross · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled