Labour Holds Hammersmith and Fulham

Congratulations to our local candidates Mercy Umeh and Zarar Qayyum who have been re-elected as councillors for Shepherd's Bush Green Ward.

Overall, the Labour Party has maintained control over our local Council, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, bucking the national trend.  

Flyers from both Greens and Lib Dems claimed to have a polling lead, but these claims turned out not to be true. There was no "Turquoise Wave" here for Reform, and the Conservatives remain the main opposition party to the ruling Labour administration. 

Local Elections - Who Will Win in LBHF on May 7?

LBHF Seats by Ward - Wikipedia

On May 7th we have local council elections, and all 50 seats on our council the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham are up for grabs. The question is - who will win?

LBHF has been Labour-run since 2014; Labour currently holds a commanding majority.  At the last election in 2022, Labour won 40 of 50 seats, with the Conservatives taking the remaining 10 seats, mostly in the leafier southern wards in Fulham. Take a peek at the map to the left to see the spread of votes. 

Despite a more difficult national picture for Labour, local projections still suggest the party is likely to retain control in LBHF. 

Pollcheck.co.uk suggests that, while opposition to Labour is strong, the opposition vote is split between the four challenging parties - Conservative, Reform, Lib Dem and Greens. 

Hammersmith Bridge - Closed Forever?

Hammersmith Bridge - closed since 2019

Hammersmith bridge remains closed to vehicles (though not to pedestrians and cyclists), and despite many years of discussion it seems that no progress on re-opening it has been made, and no viable solutions found. 

The cost of full repairs remains huge, and no money appears to be available to fund it. 

Our local MP Andy Slaughter wrote the following update in his latest newsletter: 

"Hammersmith Bridge remains one of the most important unresolved transport issues affecting west London, and an issue I am continuing to raise with government at all levels.

Campaign To "Fix Uxbridge Road"

Fix Uxbridge Rd 

In 2025 a campaign was launched by a number of Shepherd's Bush residents to clean up the Uxbridge Road, hoping to persuade our council the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham to take action to improve our local street scene.  

We invited campaign organiser Noor to share her thoughts on what the "Fix Uxbridge Rd" campaign is all about, and what it hopes to achieve.

 

Free Sunday Appliance Repair at Livat Hammersmith

Our local council the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham now hosts free monthly appliance "repair parties" at the Livat shopping centre in Hammersmith.  

So, rather than landfill that faulty printer, toaster or desklamp, you can take it down to King St on a Sunday afternoon while your local Mr Fixit takes it apart and gives it a new lease of life - completely free.

You will find the LBHF "repair party" opposite the new IKEA on the King St mall, near Sainsburys.

Petition to "Save Uxbridge Road"

Local Shepherd's Bush residents have raised a petition to clean up Uxbridge Road, one of our neighbourhood's main East-West arteries.

The purpose of the petition is to encourage our local council, London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, to focus on cleaning up the Uxbridge Road, dealing with some of the anti-social behaviour and generally tidying things up.

Local residents have long complained about social problems on Uxbridge Road.  Back in 2021 the Uxbridge Rd Police Station closed and was put up for sale, a decision which did little to deter crime and disorder.  

In 2022 Jonathan Pearl, chair of FOSGB (Friends of Shepherd's Bush Green) highlighted the growing problem of anti-social behaviour. 

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. 

Hammersmith Park Outdoor Gym Needs Your Help

Proposed site for outdoor gym

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 will be the small triangle of grass located at the eastern end of the park, near the exit to TV Centre. 

Unfortunately, LBHF say that the response rate was too low to justify the spend.  The council have re-opened the consultation, so it's important that we get a bigger response this time around.

Shepherd's Bush Market Plans Given Green Light by LBHF

Yoo Capital, owners of Shepherds Bush Market and neighbouring land, have won their battle for planning permission to redevelop the Market.  The vote in Hammersmith and Fulham Planning Committee was 3-2.

The redevelopment scheme involves the construction of forty new flats to be managed by LBHF.  Paying for the new subsidised flats is a large new commercial building.   You can read the full story at Time Out here and also at the Evening Standard.

1A Macfarlane Rd Appeal Hearing Tuesday 5 Dec 2023

Appeal Hearing Tues 5 Dec 2023 at 10am

Back in 2020 a new building was completed at 1A Macfarlane Rd, after the old Edwardian building was demolished. 

The new building is mainly of interest because the owner, having got planning permission to demolish the old two storey Edwardian structure and build a new four storey building, built something that was quite different from what was approved.

Eventually our Council, London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, issued an enforcement notice against the building. That notice was appealed by the owners, and the Inspector must now make a decision as to how to move forward. 

Tomorrow Tuesday 5 December there is an "informal hearing" at the Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith to hear local views. All are welcome to attend and have their say. 

Outdoor Gym for Hammersmith Park - Have Your Say

The London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham is consulting with local residents 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 would be in a small triangle of grass located at the eastern end of the park, near the exit to TV Centre. 

You can have your say by emailing parks.projects@lbhf.gov.uk. 

The deadline for comments is today, Friday 15th September 2023.

New Tennis Nets at Hammersmith Park

Old (top) vs new (bottom)

Many thanks to the Parks Team at the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham for the new tennis nets recently installed in Hammersmith Park. 

The old nets were in pretty bad shape, with holes so big it wasn't clear whether balls were going over the net or through it.

The tennis courts in Hammersmith Park are one of our best local amenities. 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.  

Public Consultation on Alcohol in Shepherd's Bush Green

Public Consultation on the Consumption of Alcohol

Our local council - The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham (LBHF) - is running a public consultation on the Consumption of Alcohol on Shepherd's Bush Green.  The consultation runs until 2 April 2023. 

If you would like to comment, use the following link: https://haveyoursay.lbhf.gov.uk/. 

You will see a number of consultations currently ongoing; just scroll down to the relevant link.

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.

 

Work Begins on Hammersmith Park "Old Bowling Green"

Felled brush at Hammersmith Park

Work has begun at last to improve the "Old Bowling Green" in Hammersmith Park - that's the overgrown area beyond the tennis courts that hosts the so-called "Tiny Forest". 

Years of unplanned growth of shrubs and small trees have been cut down to make way for a more curated environment - you can see the plans from our council, the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham (LBHF) below.

No Lights for Shepherd's Bush Green Again

Westfield sparkles

Once again this Christmas, Westfield sparkles, but there are no Christmas decorations on the shopping streets around Shepherd's Bush Green.

Every year, Westfield puts on a display of light and colour, while Shepherd's Bush Green and the surrounding streets are left with nothing at all.

Even though local businesses pay business rates for local services, our Council appear unable to hang any Christmas decorations in our shopping streets.

FOSBG Gains Formal Recognition from LBHF

Can Shepherd's Bush Green be a better place?

The Friends of Shepherds Bush Green (FOSBG) has now been formally recognised by The London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham as the “principal user group” for Shepherd's Bush Green.  

This means that from now on FOSBG will be the main point of liaison between our local council and local residents - when it comes to matters concerning The Green.

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.

Have Your Say on the Saturation Zone

Make

Cumulative Impact Saturation Zone - should it be re-instated?

sure to have your say on the renewal of our local licensing policy. The consultation by our council ends at the end of June, so now is the time to let LBHF have your views. 

Why does this matter? Because the Saturation Zone, which for a decade prevented the opening of late night bars, has expired, allowing bars and fast food joints to open late in Shepherd's Bush.

To find out more, follow the link below:
https://www.lbhf.gov.uk/business/licensing/licensing-policy/licensing-policy-consultation

Westfield Sparkles But No Lights for The Bush

Westfield sparkles

Once again this Christmas, Westfield sparkles, but there are no Christmas decorations on the shopping streets around Shepherd's Bush Green.

Every year, Westfield puts on a display of light and colour, while Shepherd's Bush Green and the surrounding streets are left with nothing at all.

Even though local businesses pay business rates for local services, our Council appear unable to hang any Christmas decorations in our shopping streets.