Thinnest House in Britain for Sale for Just Under £1m

skinniest house in Britain?

The "Thinnest House in Britain" is on the Goldhawk Rd, and is yours for just under £1m.

According to an article in the Daily Telegraph a few years back, the house is just 66 inches wide, and was last sold in 2009 for around £500,000.

Needless to say Faron Sutaria, the estate agents who sold it, said that its small size "adds to its charm".

The house on the Goldhawk Road apparently used to be a hatshop, and there is a nod to this ancestry in the form of the hat still hanging in what used to be the shop window.

What Happened to Our New Park?

Proposed public park. 

Back in 2016 we reported on a new park which was promised for Shepherd's Bush.

It was all part of the new Westfield development, and that of St James to the north - on the old M&S warehouse site east of Wood Lane.

The park was the price which was exacted by our former Conservative Council from the developers, in return for planning permission to redevelop the area.

It was never intended to be a big park; rather it would be a small green space tucked under the redeveloped Hammersmith and City tube line, running through the Westfield redevelopment.

The photo above shows what it was supposed to look like.  So, where is it? And what happened to it?

Hoxton Hotel Wins Planning Permission

The developers of the proposed Hoxton Hotel at 65 Shepherd's Bush Green have at last won their fight to secure planning permission to demolish the old buildings and build a new hotel.

Planning permission for the site was originally granted back in 2017, but the owner of a flat in nearby Pennard Rd successfully challenged it by way of Judicial Review, and managed to get the plans quashed, forcing the developers to re-apply for planning permission with revised plans.

Walkabout Demolished

Walkabout demolished

The old Walkabout pub which, prior to its conversion into an Aussie watering hole, was a historic movie theatre, has been almost completely demolished.

All that is left is a part of the front facade; even the side elevation advertising seats for "1/-6d & 3d" has gone.

It was, of course, a condition of the planning permission granted by LBHF back in April 2017 that the side elevation would be retained. So what happened?

West 12 Shopping Centre to be Redeveloped

W12 viewed from Rockley Rd

Landsec, the company that owns the West 12 Shopping Centre ,has revealed plans to demolish the back half of their shopping centre site and build a new tower.

During the redevelopment, some businesses will have to close - at least temporarily - such as Vue, Fitness First and Lidl.

Go around the back of the West12 and you can see why they might want to do this. The pizza Express restaurant (which would presumably also have to go) is only a one-storey building. Building up definitely makes sense for the developers.

Elephant Cafe - How it Turned Out

Elephant - how it was meant to look

Last summer the old Esso petrol station on Wood Lane got taken over by Elephant Magazine, who promised to turn it into "a new space to act as a meeting place and hub for performance, discussion, film screenings, talks and workshops". Plus, of course, a  "café, shop and outdoor garden area". As often happens these days, the plans were accompanied by a shiny digital image of what the development might actually look like. So, how did it actually turn out?

Westfield Jobs - Jan 30 & 31

Westfield is hiring

Westfield is growing, and will require thousands of new employees to staff its massive new northwards expansion up Wood Lane.

To put it in context, Westfield will become Europe's biggest shopping centre when all is done.

Come along to Westfield on January 30 and 31 to find out if there is a role for you. To find the details, follow this link.

DIMCO Buildings to become Events Venue

DIMCO Buildings - an entertainment venue?

Westfield, as anyone in our neighbourhood can hardly have failed to notice, is building. But the great northwards expansion of the UK's sixth largest shopping centre does not include the DIMCO buildings, a former electrical station for the central line which (slightly curiously) has listed building status.

Westfield now wants your views on what the future of the DIMCO buildings should be. The current proposal is to turn them into a new entertainment venue.

Shepherd's Bush Market Plans Killed by Council

Shepherd's Bush Market

Pity any developer trying to do business in our Borough. LBHF has, once again, declined planning permission for the redevelopment of part of Shepherd's Bush market. 

The idea was to turn the old laundry site - currently just an empty space behind the Market - to rival Shoreditch's Boxpark.  Developers had applied to open cafes, restaurants, artists’ studios and co-working spaces in 74 glass-fronted containers designed in a similar style to Pop Brixton and Shoreditch's Boxpark. 

But the Council says no. So, having killed off the last attempt to redevelop the market, LBHF now kills off another one. Is there anything developers can do to get their plans past our do-nothing Council?

White City Ziggurat Towers 34 Stories Over Wood Lane

34 storey tower on Wood Lane

The new 34-storey tower rising at the top of Wood Lane is politely described by the Hammersmith Society as "controversial".

"Very ugly" might be a better word for this weirdly asymmetrical ziggurat which now dominates views north from Shepherd's Bush and White City.

It's yet another example in our neighbourhood of a missed opportunity to build something genuinely attractive. After all, Imperial College had a blank canvas when they started planning their new £200m White City Campus north of the Westway.

Instead of creating something beautiful, their architects have put up - for the most part - bland and characterless high rise buildings. The site is brand new and shiny but it already manages to look dated.

King Street Development Dead - Cineworld Demolished

Cineworld in Hammersmith - demolished for nothing

The Hammersmith Society, guardians of good architecture in our neighbourhood, have reported that the redevelopment of King St in Hammersmith is dead, apparently because of "differences between the Council and the developer". 

What is most disappointing about this is that the Cineworld, the lovely old art deco cinema on King St, has already been demolished, leaving a giant hole in the ground next to the Town Hall, and no prospect of anything good coming of it. 

White City Vision in the Evening Standard

White City - the vision

Another vision of the new White City development has been published in the Evening Standard.

It's a promotional piece, but it has some nice 3D images of the future of White City, and gives a useful impression of how the redeveloped neighbourhood will look.

On the left you can the see the new John Lewis department store, part of the ongoing expansion of Westfield, and further to the left the tall towers of the St James development on the old M&S warehouse site.

Former Unigate Dairy Site Plans To Go On Display

Imperial College Campus

Plans for the old Unigate Dairy site in White City will soon go on display.

Imperial College London, who own the land and plan to develop it, are holding a public consultation on their proposals for what will be the southern part of their new White City campus.

The university, which is building from scratch an entirely new campus in White City, says that feedback from the event will be considered before a planning application is submitted to our local Council (LBHF) later this year.

Wood Lane Esso Station to Become Art Installation

former petrol station on Wood Lane. Google Maps

Anyone who drives in London knows how hard it can be to find a working petrol station these days. The old Esso station on Wood Lane closed a while back (see photo above), and site owners Transport For London (TFL) don't seem to have an immediate plan for what do with it. In the meantime, it's fast attracting graffiti and rubbish. So, White City developers Stanhope have agreed to lease the site so as to "improve the area’s appearance and eventually introduce pop up uses."  Stanhope is taking a three year lease (with a two –year break clause) from TFL, and has appointed artists Craig Redman and Karl Maier to "create an art installation" at the former petrol station.

Hoxton Hotel Proposal for Shepherd's Bush

The Hammersmith Society has revealed details of the proposed Hoxton Hotel on the west side of Shepherd's Bush Green. The proposed new hotel will displace the current Post Office, and the existing buildings will likely be demolished, assuming that planning permission is granted. The image above shows the Dorsett Hotel on the left, and the proposed Hoxton Hotel on the right.

Walkabout Gets Planning Permission

New building viewed from the north side of Shepherd's Bush Green

Dorsett Hospitality International, the group who renovated the old Shepherd's Bush Pavilion and have turned it into a successful hotel, have now received formal planning application to redevelop the old Walkabout pub, formerly the Shepherd's Bush Cinematograph theatre. 

The proposed building, which includes a new tower built into the old facade, took into account extensive community feedback, and aimed to make the new building fit better into the context of the existing Dorsett facade. 

TFL Gets Planning Permission for Railway Arches

Restored arches near Wood Lane - how it might look

In November 2016 Transport For London showcased its plans to redevelop the arches near Wood Lane Tube station, to take advantage of the Westfield extension and the new proposed public park which will straddle the Hammersmith and City railway line.

TFL’s plans to transform 31 railway arches near Wood Lane Tube station into retail units and commercial space have now been granted planning permission by the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham.

W12 is "Getting its Mojo Back" Says Evening Standard

White City - how it might look

According to a recent article in the Evening Standard, W12 is "getting its mojo back", thanks to all the new construction work in our neighbourhood.

"Westfield is expanding, the BBC building is being transformed, and Soho House is moving in — W12 is staking its claim as London’s latest hotspot".

To see the full story, follow this link.

The Trouble With Basements

A basement in Shepherd's Bush

One thing most people can agree on in Shepherd's Bush is our shared dislike of our neighbours digging basements.

If your neighbours are digging a basement, it means noise, dust, and disruption. There will be jackhammers, skips and wall-shaking disturbance. And, worst of all, it all takes a long time.

Listening to voter's concerns, our Council has been consulting on the digging of basements, with proposals to limit the size and scope of basement extensions and generally to try and make it more difficult and restrictive.

Bush Theatre Shines

Bush Theatre

The Bush Theatre gleams as never before as the scaffolding comes down, revealing the beautiful honey-coloured stone of philanthropist Passmore Edwards' original building.

The Theatre itself re-opens in March, with a new season of political theatre, starting with "Black Lives, Black Words" on March 23.

The Bush Theatre's artistic agenda is now to "fight the right wing". You can see the full program here.