GOLDEN Square shopping centre will open the doors to its new £120m extension on May 24, the Warrington Guardian can exclusively reveal.

( Click here to watch exclusive video of the fire )

High street giants H&M, Jane Norman and Oasis will be among the 61 new names unveiled to shoppers along with flagship store Debenhams at the launch.

Developer Lend Lease believes the extension, which will double the size of Golden Square, will catapult Warrington into the top 40 largest shopping destinations in the country and rival Liverpool and Manchester for choice.

"This will really put Warrington on the retail map," said managing director David Allinson. "With the new bus station and the building of a 1,700-space car park, it will be a huge benefit to the town.

"We want people to feel as though they are moving through part of the town centre rather than into a separate space. Warrington has a massive amount going for it with its large, fast-growing population.

"We're not claiming to be a direct competitor to Liverpool or Manchester but what we are going to offer is a top-class alternative for people right on their doorstep."

The 365,000 sq ft extension will complement the original 310,000 sq ft site, which has undergone a £6m refurbishment, allowing Golden Square to house 130 retailers in total.

Debenhams alone will take up 115,000 sq ft in housing designer brands like John Rocha, Jasper Conran and Julia MacDonald.

The development, which has overrun by two months due to a number of construction delays', has created more than 200 jobs on-site, as well as 100 in retail.

The only thing Lend Lease remains unh- appy with is the notoriously slippy floor.

"We're not happy with it at all," Mr Allinson admits. "But it's a temporary issue.

"The reason it feels slippy is the dust contamination from the construction work going on.

"It already falls within the safety limits but will improve once work stops and the centre is open."