Sunday 21 December 2014

What's Up With the Weird Shed on Shepherd's Bush Green?

Sad looking shed
Shepherd's Bush Green (or Shepherd's Bush Common, as it is also known) was completely refurbished last year, a major undertaking which was apparently funded largely by the developer of our shiny new Westfield Centre.  However, in the course of fixing the place up (which is much nicer than it used to be), someone forgot to renovate the dilapidated shed which is currently decaying on the north west side of the Green. So what happened? did someone forget? Or did the Westfield money just not stretch that far?


Dodgy roof tiles

It's not at all clear what the shed is for - or indeed if anyone ever uses it. Right now it is completely boarded up, and the roof tiles are falling off.  And there is grass growing out of the roof which, though sort of charming in its own way, isn't what roofs are really for.

Sad shed with hoarding
Victorian and Edwardian London generally scrubs up pretty well if it is given a chance, and the sad shed on the Green might look nice if it was properly looked after.

What is most odd is why no-one saved £10k from the budget for the refurbishment of the Green to fix the windows and roof, and generally make it look a little less un-loved.  It surely wouldn't cost that much.

Maybe it could even be a little cafe - and sell us ice cream in summer.


---Alex

2 comments:

  1. It is an electricity sub-station. It was meant to move as part of the Green redevelopment. See below for planning decision:

    13.The electricity supply company, EDF, occupies the existing sub-station sited on the common. It is proposed that this facility will be re-sited as part of theworks and the company does not object to this proposal
    http://www.scribd.com/doc/57513796/Shepherds-Bush-COM-193-Decision-09-06-11-Final

    Not sure why it never happened...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Jim F, thanks for the clarification! Perhaps EDF could be persuaded to spend a few quid on it to fix it up?

    ReplyDelete