David Akan - Green Party Candidate for Shepherd's Bush

David Akan of The Green Party

David Akan is the Green Party candidate for our local constituency of Hammersmith, hoping to unseat incumbent Labour MP Andy Slaughter. We asked David the same questions we put to the other candidates - questions which focus on local rather than national issues. After all, our local neighbourhood is where we live and work - these are the problems that we face every day.  So, what do the Greens offer the Shepherd's Bush voter in the upcoming election?

Construction on Westfield Extension To Begin in May

Westfield expands northwards

Construction work on the extension to Westfield Shopping Centre is set to begin in May.  Demolition work has of course already begun, with great swathes of brownfield land north of Westfield turned to rubble. Construction is scheduled to begin in the second half of May and continue through until October 2017, if our Council gives the green light. So should we welcome this massive expansion of what is already one of Europe's largest shopping centres?

Does Shepherd's Bush Market Need Saving?

Shepherd's Bush Market in April 2015

The plans for the redevelopment of Shepherd's Bush Market are controversial, not least because they involve the demolition of the much-loved Cooke's Pie and Mash shop on the Goldhawk Road, featured in the classic film Quadrophenia. Recently some of the Market traders went to the High Court to fight against its redevelopment.  The legal action was begun in the High Court on March 26 against the Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles, to quash a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) issued by the Government for the development. But is this proposed development really so bad, and should local residents oppose it?

Hummingbird Deli Opens in The Bush

Hummingbird Deli

Until a few days ago, we lacked a decent deli in Shepherd's Bush.  We had plenty of supermarkets, and lots of places to buy hummus and flat bread, but nowhere could you find a good old-fashioned delicatessen.  Now, the Hummingbird Deli has opened up on the Uxbridge Road, bringing yummy things to our high street and making our local neighbourhood even more of a foodie's paradise than it already was.

Who Ruined The Imperial War Museum?

Imperial War Museum - photo by Chris Gunns

Recently I took my nephew, visiting London from California, to see the refurbished Imperial War Museum in Southwark. I'd been telling him how great it was, and indeed it used to be one of my favourite museums in London - bright, airy, full of fabulous stuff like Spitfires and Sopwith Camels suspended from the ceiling in its cavernous interior.  The museum was closed for well over a year for an extensive (and expensive) refit and the result is that it has been completely ruined. How could this happen? How could so much public money have been spent on such a horrible mistake?

Free Stuff to Do in Shepherd's Bush - Chiswick House

"Chiswick House" by Patche99z via Wikimedia Commons 

Yes, I know, Chiswick House is definitely not in Shepherd's Bush, but it's not that far away and it is situated in the middle of one of the most beautiful and least-visited parks in West London. Chiswick House itself is a stunning neo-Palladian mansion built in a visually harmonious classical style, a perfect example of 18th Century architectural and landscaping. The gardens surrounding the house are gorgeous; right now the camellias are in bloom, occupying the extensive greenhouses which have been recently been restored to their early 19th century glory.