New Hotel Proposed for Shepherd's Bush Green

Proposed hotel on Shepherd's Bush Green

A new hotel is being proposed for the west side of Shepherd's Bush Green, located next to two existing hotels - the Dorsett (formerly the Shepherd's Bush Pavilion) and the Hoxton (formerly the Shepherd's Bush Post Office). 

The new proposed hotel is be built on the side of the current disused building, which until a couple of years ago was a Barclays Bank, but has since sat empty and boarded up. You can find the consultation online here. 

Japanese Garden Gets New "Torii" Gateway

New Gateway for Japanese Garden at Hammersmith Park

The Japanese Garden at Hammersmith Park has been given a new gateway, or "Torii", thanks to a generous donation by former Chair of the Friends of The Japanese Garden at Hammersmith Park, John Gordon-Smith. 

The Japanese Garden at Hammersmith Park dates from 1910, and is the chief legacy of the Japanese-British Exhibition that took place in White City.

New Tennis Courts For Hammersmith Park

Newly resurfaced tennis courts at Hammersmith Park

Thanks to our local council, the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, for the newly resurfaced tennis courts at Hammersmith Park.

The old tennis courts had deteriorated badly and were prone to flooding, collecting mud and debris in wet weather. 

St Stephen's Wins Best Primary School in UK

St Stephen's Church of England School in Shepherd's Bush has won the "TES" Award (the "Oscars" of school awards) in the category of Best Primary School in the UK.   There are around 21,000 primary schools in the UK - so this is a huge achievement for our local school.  

Belinda Mitchell-Innes Wins Community Award

Mitchell-Innes (second from left) receives award

Shepherd's Bush resident Belinda Mitchell-Innes (second from left) was presented with a Community Award on May 9th by the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham.

The award, celebrating "Local Heroes" in our Borough was presented by Councillor Bora Kwon (far left). 

LBHF Civic Honours are nominated by friends and neighbours for "selfless contributions" to the local community, and are intended to acknowledge the "unsung heroes" of our neighbourhood.

St Stephen's School Nominated for TES Award

St Stephen's Church of England school in Shepherd's Bush has been nominated for a "TES" Award (the "Oscars" of school awards) in the category of Best Primary School. Bearing in mind that there are around 21,000 primary schools in the UK, this is a significant achievement in a very crowded field.  

St Stephen's School is affiliated with St Stephen's Church, Shepherd's Bush and was built at the same time, circa 1849-50.  

St Stephen's is led by the charismatic Michael Schumm, a well-respected head whose good nature and pursuit of excellence helps to give the school its unique character. 

Hammersmith Park Outdoor Gym Nears Completion

Outdoor Gym at Hammersmith park

The outdoor gym in Hammersmith Park is almost ready to open.  The London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham consulted with local residents last September on whether to build an outdoor gym in Hammersmith Park and, if so what sort of equipment to install.

The location of the outdoor gym is the small triangle of grass located at the eastern end of the park, near the exit to TV Centre. 

At long last, the gym is just about ready to open to the public. This will - we hope - be a valuable community asset for the park. 

Bush Hall Needs Your Help

Help Save Music at Bush Hall from Bush Hall on Vimeo.

Bush Hall needs your help. Bush Hall is an independent music and events venue in Shepherd's Bush, which is currently "in grave danger of losing its unique live music facility". The owners of Bush Hall, Charlie Raworth and Emma Hutchinson, have launched a crowdfunder appeal at https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-save-music-at-bush-hall, hoping to raise £40,000 to secure the future of Bush Hall. 

Shepherd's Bush Market Meeting Abandoned

A meeting this week to determine the fate of Shepherd's Bush Market was abandoned following vocal protests.

The meeting was held on Tuesday at the Shortlands office building in a large meeting room, with space for LBHF councillors and seating for attendees and speakers.  A number of market traders attended, as well as shopkeepers, and also local residents. The meeting was abandoned following noisy protests that made it impossible to proceed.

St Stephens School Ranked "Outstanding" by Ofsted

Parents at St Stephen's Church of England school are celebrating another success for our local state primary - which was rated "Outstanding" in all categories by Ofsted, the school inspectorate. 

St Stephen's School is affiliated with St Stephen's Church, Shepherd's Bush and was built at the same time, circa 1849-50.  

St Stephen's is led by the charismatic Michael Schumm, a well-respected head whose good nature and pursuit of excellence helps to give the school its unique character. 

1A Macfarlane Rd Case Dismissed For "Improper Service"

The developers of 1A Macfarlane Rd have today won a further round in their legal battle to keep their housing development, first constructed in the Spring of 2020 (see before and after image on left). 

The developers' appeal against the Council's latest Enforcement Notice was upheld on a technicality - for improper service of the notice. 

Deluxe Coffee Works - Welcome to The Bush

Deluxe Coffee Works

Coffee in Shepherd's Bush just got a little bit better (actually, a lot better) with the opening of the Deluxe Coffee Works in Macfarlane Rd.

Deluxe is located in a former light industrial building tucked in among residential houses in a small corner of The Bush - just off Shepherd's Bush Green. 

Deluxe is mainly a BtoB (Business to Business) operation, importing and roasting their own beans on the premises, but they also sell delicious fresh roasted coffee directly to the public. 

And, today, the opening day of the new "roastery", they are offering free coffee to locals.  But there is no sign on the door - you'll just have to follow the crowds. 

Ukraine Open House Friday 7 July

On Friday 7 July The Ukrainian Open House will be held from 3.30 to 6.30pm at 30-32 Bradmore Park Rd, W6 0DT. The Open House events take place monthly, and are open to everyone - with Ukrainians being especially welcome. 

On Friday 9th of June the eighth Ukrainian Open House was hosted by the Hammersmith Business Meeting

Other attenders include local volunteers, a number of Councillors, the Ukrainian Embassy, the LBHF Refugee team, the Red Cross and the EERC (East European Resource Centre).

The Open House events offer opportunity to meet friendly faces and talk to English people who know the local area as well as to Ukrainians who are learning navigate their way around the UK and how the various systems work. 

All are welcome. The event is free.

Macfarlane Place "Ready by March 2024"

Macfarlane Place, as proposed, from Macfarlane Rd

Macfarlane Place, the new development on Wood Lane, is now well underway, following the year-long process of demolition of the old BBC car park.

The basic structure is almost complete, and the process of fitting out the new flats will last into early 2024. 

The new development will also offer a new route to TV Centre from Wood Lane, and a new pedestrian access to Hammersmith Park, underneath the railway arches. 

The new building will surely be a handsome addition to the neighbourhood. 

Beware Uxbridge Rd Speed Cameras

Speed Camera on the Uxbridge Rd

New speed cameras are in action on the Uxbridge Rd - enthusiastic harvesters of tickets that will hunt you down if you go as fast as... 25mph. 

Most of the time you can't travel over 5mph on the Uxbridge Rd due to the weight of traffic, as it's usually pretty much gridlock. But on rare occasions - like Sunday mornings when the road is free of traffic - you can travel faster than a crawl, and whizz along at - the excitement! - more than 20mph.

 

Hoxton Hotel Brings Glamour to Shepherd's Bush

The new Hoxton Hotel at 65 Shepherd's Bush Green is finished at last, having opened its doors on Monday night to local guests and visitors. 

The result is everything our neighbourhood could hope for, a lively, bustling bar filled with energy and life.  Who knew that going out for a drink in Shepherd's Bush could be so civilised?

With the lovely Albertine wine bar having closed earlier this year, the Hoxton adds glamour and fun to Shepherd's Bush nightlife.

Friends of Shepherds Bush Green Public Meeting Nov 24

Jonathan pearl, Chair of The Friends of Shepherd's Bush Green, is hosting a Public Meeting on 24th November to discuss FOSBG plans for the improvement of Shepherd's Bush Green. 

The meeting will be held at The W12 Centre on 24 November, starting at 6.30pm.  Plans will be presented for a community garden, and local businesses are welcome to attend and help generate support. 

FOSBG is very grateful to LandSec for providing the meeting room.  

In recent months Friends of Shepherds Bush Green has gone from strength to strength, building a strong network of local supporters.

Why is Ginglik Still Closed?

Ginglik - long derelict

Why is the former Edwardian loo-turned nightclub Ginglik still closed and derelict?

In 2021 an appplication for planning permission was put in for a change of use, the change of use being from a nightclub to a restaurant.  

Permission was for this granted by LBHF (who own the site) in September 2021, but since then nothing has happened. 

The former Ginglik site occupies a long-neglected corner of Shepherd's Bush Green, which has become a site for rubbish dumping and rough sleeping.  Surely something can be done to find a use for this most central location in Shepherd's Bush? A new restaurant would be good news - if it can be pulled off.

Hammersmith Park Tennis Court Needs Resurfacing

Soggy tennis courts in Hammersmith Park

The tennis courts in Hammersmith Park are one of our best local amenities, at least when it hasn't rained for a while. The best thing about the courts is that you can't book them in advance - meaning that anyone can drop in at any time and play.  You might have to wait a few minutes, but spontaneity is rewarded for the patient.  

The downside is that the tarmac on the courts has bizarrely been designed to drain into the centre of the courts themselves (rather than drain towards the verges, as you might expect), turning the courts into a wet sludgy mess after every rainfall.  

Hoxton Hotel (Almost) Complete

Hoxton Hotel

The exterior of the Hoxton Hotel at 65 Shepherd's Bush Green is almost finished. 

The Hoxton Group have at last completed their long held ambition to build a new hotel on the western edge of Shepherd's Bush Green. 

The scaffolding is down, and the new building looks to be a handsome addition to the neighbourhood.