The centre takes its name from the former Liberty of Havering and is owned by the Cosgrave Property Group.

The Liberty Shopping Centre was first opened in 1968 in a joint deal between Hammerson and Standard Life Investments.

The changes undertaken in the 2000s included the covering of the main part of the centre with a glazed roof, and the development of a new car parking facility, plus new large stores for Next and H&M.

Several existing stores were remodelled or relocated, or received other modernisations, as part of the redesign, including Boots, BHS and W H Smith.

Once the planning application had been granted for the transformation of the centre, work started in August 2001.