There is a series of arches at ground level, and the main entrance is on the corner where the two roads meet, rounded in shape and surrounded by an ornate architrave and segmental pediment.

A long lasting retail business in Sutton dated back to the 1860s – Pearson Cycles was originally a blacksmith shop, but in the 1890s changed to bicycle making and repair.

Its report concluded that Conservation status was warranted on the basis of the historic importance of the area together with its architectural and aesthetic merit.

[12] In March 2017 it was announced that Sutton town centre had been designated one of the first ten Heritage Action Zones by Historic England.

Gaining this status will unlock resources to enhance the historic environment, including the conservation area, with the aim of encouraging economic growth.

[17] Many of the country's main High Street names are represented in the central area,[18] as are banks, building societies and estate agents.

In 2021, Sutton Council purchased the leasehold interest of the site, aiming to redevelop it into a modern retail, leisure, and community hub.

The redevelopment plans include high-quality retail spaces, new homes, and improved community facilities, reflecting the evolving needs of the local population.

This includes the search for a development partner to redevelop the existing St Nicholas Shopping Centre, Civic Offices, Gibson Road car park, and the vacant Secombe Theatre sites.

The redevelopment aims to create a vibrant and sustainable town centre with modern retail spaces, new homes, and improved public facilities.

This initiative is part of a broader effort to enhance Sutton’s appeal as a place to live, work, and visit, leveraging its excellent transport connections and growing status as a hub for cancer research.

[23] [24] [25] The Sutton High Street area also has a number of restaurants, patisseries, coffee houses, gastro pubs and cafe bars.

Sutton's range of restaurants has expanded in recent years, with culinary offerings from around the world including French, Spanish, British, Mexican, Malaysian, Thai, Pakistani, Portuguese, Turkish, Japanese, Italian, Indian and Chinese cuisine[26][27] These include a French restaurant which is listed in The Good Food Guide and is Michelin-listed.

It was originally installed in the centre of a small "Millennium Garden", but was slightly re-positioned in 2011, since when it has stood on the edge of the new central square, directly in front of the Waterstones bookshop.

One consists of a set of seven individual murals on a side wall depicting Sutton's European twin towns.

The murals were designed and painted (on to plywood) by professional artists Gary Drostle and Rob Turner and were unveiled in 1993 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Sutton's twinning with Wilmersdorf.

This "vertical garden" covers the façade of a large High Street store, and is in bloom all year round.

[18] In August and September the high street plays host to the outdoor "Sunset Cinema," where popular films are shown in the evening after the shops have closed to an audience seated in deckchairs.

The Sound Lounge, a grassroots music venue, opened in December 2020 in Sutton High Street in the former premises of Royal Bank of Scotland.

[57] CNM Estates have redeveloped a site formerly known as South Point at the southern end of the town centre, adjacent to the railway station.

The new development, known as "Sutton Point", is for mixed use and includes a hotel, a health club, apartments, shops, restaurants and offices.

The Cock Hotel in what is now Sutton High Street was the 9 a.m. breakfast stop for coaches leaving the city two hours earlier.

There is a one-way system around the High Street and two main public car parks – Gibson Road[64] and Times Square[65] – with a third serving the St. Nicholas Centre.