Beautifying the Uxbridge Road and Goldhawk Road

Uxbridge Road - in need of beautification?

One of the more positive developments put into place by the outgoing Council administration in our Borough was a road beautification program for Shepherd's Bush - in particular the Uxbridge Road and the Goldhawk Road, near the point where they connect to Shepherd's Bush Green. Plans to improve the Goldhawk road are already under way, with Uxbridge Rd due to be improved in early 2015. So what can residents of The Bush expect?

Uxbridge Road - after the works. Wider pavements, and more trees

The Scheme has the snappy title of The Shepherds Bush Town Centre West Regeneration Scheme.  You can read more about the details here: http://www.lbhf.gov.uk/Directory/Transport_and_Streets/Roads_and_pavements/Transport_projects/182859_Shepherds_Bush_Town_Centre_West_regeneration_scheme.asp

Shepherds Bush Town Centre West Regeneration Scheme - a bird's eye view

A leaflet was pushed through our door a year or two ago, but I hadn't heard much lately, so I emailed a couple of Council officials to see what was up.  

Here is what Clayton Wong, of Transportation and Highways in the Transport and Technical Services Dept of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, recently had to say in response to my request for an update for our local residents:

"We have started the construction works in July 2014 and the scheme will be carried out in phases aiming to completed by March 2016. The major improvement works will be first on Goldhawk Road, once completed moving on to Uxbridge Road. We plan to start work in Uxbridge Road in earlier March 2015. Works will be carried out in sections, to minimise traffic disruption."

According to the Council's website, the proposals will include:

• De-cluttered and widened footways
• Feature paving at the front of the Bush Theatre
• New and revised pedestrian crossings
• Cycle lanes
• Upgraded street lighting
• Tree planting, Sustainable urban Drainage schemes (SuDS) and pocket parks
• Road improvements, including raised tables and removing unnecessary signs
• New pavements
• Improvements to the bridge facades in Uxbridge Road and Goldhawk Road
• Potential feature shared space at the front of the University of the Arts London College of Fashion.

Shepherd's Bush is an area which almost everyone agrees is badly in need of regeneration. That is not to say that everyone agrees on how regeneration should take place. In particular, the mix of private investment versus public spending is hotly contested. Should the priority be for private developments which can turn a profit, or for affordable housing? Most new developments try to strike a balance between the two, but precisely where that balance should be struck leads to plenty of impassioned argument.

But the good news is this - things are getting better in the Bush, and residents who are prepared to wait for a few more years should start to see some significant improvements to our neighbourhood.

---Alex