[2][3] Unusually for a shopping centre of its type, the site includes a number of council flats at its western and northern edges.

In 1973, plans by architects Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano, later famed for their Pompidou Centre in Paris, were approved by the city council.

[6] During the preceding decade, plans for the development of this approximately "kite"-shaped area of land (at that time dominated by terraced houses dating from the tail end of the previous century, and extensively used for student lodgings) were met with controversy and opposition.

[7] During a decade dominated by national indebtedness and economic decline, with investment funds in short supply, progress towards commencement of the development was slow.

[8] In August 2022, Trinity Investment Management, backed by Angelo Gordon, completed the acquisition of The Grafton shopping centre from Legal & General's LGIM Real Assets for £61.4 million, representing a 50% loss of value in 5 years.