The infamous shopping centre, designed by architects Boissenvain & Osmond for the Willets Group, was opened in March 1965. It was the first covered shopping mall in Europe with 120 shops on three levels and a two-storey underground car-park. In the sales brochure (1963), Willets claimed it to be the “largest and most ambitious shopping venture ever to be embarked upon in London. In design planning and vision it represents an entirely new approach to retailing, setting standards for the sixties that will revolutionise shopping concepts throughout Britain.” However when it opened, budget restrictions had meant that the proportions and finishes of the building had had to be scaled down and only 29 out of a possible 120 shops were trading. One of the various schemes to try to regenerate the ailing venture famously included painting it a bright pink.