What's on at the Bush Theatre?

The word from our local temple of culture, The Bush Theatre on the Uxbridge Road, is that the next few plays are going to be good 'uns.

So beat the rush and book your tickets now to see West End quality acting at bargain prices - barely more than the cost of a movie ticket.

So, what is the inside scoop? Which plays are going to be winners?

Special Needs Carol Service at St Stephen's by The Reverend Bob Mayo

In this guest post, Reverend Bob Mayo, Vicar of St Stephen's Uxbridge Road, writes about the recent carol service for children with special needs at St Stephen's, which took place on Sunday 6th December.

The service was part of the excellent community work done at St Stephen's a church with a diverse congregation, and one of the few places in Shepherd's Bush where different communities come together on equal terms.

What is The Shepherd's Bush Conservation Area?

Shepherd's Bush Conservation Area

Shepherd's Bush Green may be a "a windswept traffic island ringed by kebab joints and mobile phone shops" - as the Financial Times memorably put it in May 2014 - but it is also, perhaps slightly improbably, a Conservation Area. Which is odd, given that Shepherd's Bush is also part of the White City Opportunity Area - a area considered part of the masterplan for development in London.  So, our Council has a duty both to protect our neighbourhood, and also to develop it.  Confused? You're not the only one.

Humans of Shepherd's Bush - No 8

"Since I was 16 I've been dressing as my idol Michael Jackson. My cousin was Michael's secretary so I have a link to him!

Everyone calls me Michael.  I listen to Michael all day long every day and I dance to his music. People see me and they dance with me on the streets too.  My favourite song is I Wanna Be Where You Are. I like it because its very bouncy - it's great to dance to.  

I never make any money out of Michael. I do it because I love him and his music. 

What's Going On At Imperial College White City?

Imperial College White City - as proposed at their website

Drive up Wood Lane past the A40 and you can hardly miss the massive new towers thrusting upwards, part of the new Imperial College White City Campus.  Imperial College is expanding its empire, and White City is a big part of the vision.  The style is unabashedly modernist, with concrete, steel and glass being the chief ingredients.  It's all part of the White City Opportunity Area, a redevelopment project set in motion a few years ago by our Council, The Mayor of London, and central government.  Imperial College's goal is to create "create a culture of research and innovation, electric with ideas".

Why is Shepherd's Bush Public Housing To Be Privatised By Our Local Council?

Public housing in Shepherd's Bush. Not for long?

Sometimes politics can be very confusing.  LBHF is about to give council housing tenants a vote on whether or not to "pass the ownership of all of its 17,000 homes to council housing residents by setting up a new housing organisation".

But what does this mean, exactly? And why is a Labour-controlled council wanting to privatise public housing?

Christmas Carols at St Stephen's Uxbridge Road on Sunday December 13 at 5pm

On Sunday 13th December at 5pm St Stephen's Church on the Uxbridge Road is hosting a traditional Christmas Carol concert.  It's a very inclusive event; there is no charge, no need to book ahead and all are welcome. 

The event is part of the excellent community work done by St Stephen's; a church with a commendably broad and diverse congregation.  

Roof Collapses at 220 Uxbridge Rd

Photo: London Fire Brigade

Anyone trying to get home on Saturday night in Shepherd's Bush will have found the roads around the Uxbridge Rd blocked off, as police and the fire brigade worked to clear the debris from a collapsed roof.

The upper stories of a local pawnbroker at 220 Uxbridge Rd were affected when the roof gave way, covering the pavement with debris, and injuring a pedestrian.

What is The White City Opportunity Area?

White City Opportunity Area. LBH&F

The White City Opportunity Area is the bit of Shepherd's Bush and White City that is currently the focus of a number of huge regeneration plans, encompassing new developments up and down Wood Lane, and West from Shepherd's Bush Green into Uxbridge Road.

Taken together, these developments will change the face of Shepherd's Bush completely over the next decade.

According to the Council's official site, the Opportunity Area "covers 110 hectares, including Shepherd’s Bush Town Centre, the BBC and Queens Park Rangers Football Club".

But what do the words "Opportunity Area" really mean in practice?

What Happens if You Park in a Disabled Parking Spot in Brazil. Should We Try This in Shepherd's Bush?

Here in Shepherd's Bush the abuse of Blue Badge parking permits can be a problem.  In my street, parking is free for Blue Badge holders, but in the five years that I have lived here, I have never seen anyone with a visible disability get out of a blue-badged car.  That isn't to say that there are no legitimate Blue Badge users, since many people with disabilities have no visible impairment, but it does suggest there might be more than the odd person using a Blue Badge who isn't necessarily entitled to do so.

New Pavements and a Better Road Surface In Shepherd's Bush

New raised pavements! Yay!

Who says local democracy doesn't work? Our local resident's group, the Macfarlane Road Residents' Association, has spent many years working with the Council to improve our streets, usually in small ways, but always helping incrementally to make life a little bit better.

The latest improvement to come our way is a new raised pavement, built by LBH&F as part of the Shepherd's Bush West Regeneration Scheme, and a genuinely meaningful improvement to our neighbourhood. It will slow down traffic into residential streets, and help create a better balance between road users and pedestrians.