Buffet Auction on 21st April for St Stephen's Church Roof

St Stephen's

St Stephen's church on the Uxbridge Road is hosting a Buffet Auction on 21st April to continue their efforts to restore the leaky roof of their Victorian home.

The church is welcoming donations from the public. These might include an object of value, such as a painting, but it can also include service of some kind, such as a meal in a restaurant, a haircut, a weekend at a country cottage - anything that has value and can be auctioned off.

Why contribute to St Stephen's?  St Stephen's is a church that welcomes people from many different backgrounds, and is one of relatively few places in Shepherd's Bush where our many disparate communities come together.

Woody Grill Fined £30k

Woody Grill - fined £30k

Woody Grill, the 24 hour halal diner at No 1 Uxbridge Road, has been fined £30,000 after an investigation by Hammersmith & Fulham Council.

The owners of Woody Grill pleaded guilty in court to a total of eight offences relating to food hygiene.

H&F Council’s environmental health team brought a prosecution following complaints from customers who had become ill after eating at the restaurant.

What's Happening With the Westfield Extension?

Westfield expands northwards

Construction work on the extension to Westfield Shopping Centre is under way, but apparently a bit behind schedule.

Demolition work began in 2015, with the brownfield land north of Westfield (mainly warehouses and semi-industrial buildings) turned to rubble.

Ariel way (the route through Westfield) has been closed off, leading to huge traffic congestion on Wood Lane, as anyone driving in our neighbourhood already knows.  Construction was originally scheduled to continue until October 2017, but the latest estimate of completion is now sometime in 2018.

Don't Bring Back The Goaloids - Says Virginia Ironside

Goaloids in 2013

An application has been made by our Council to re-install the Goaloids, the football-inspired sculpture that came to Shepherd's Bush Green in 2013, and was taken down in 2015.

Local author, journalist and campaigner Virginia Ironside is urging residents to oppose their re-instatement by LBHF.

In the guest post below, Virginia makes the case why the return of the Goaloids would not enhance our neighbourhood, and why they should not be re-instated on Shepherd's Bush Green.

Funfair Returns To Shepherd's Bush - But At What Cost?

The funfair is coming back to Shepherd's Bush Green from 24 March until April 10.  Good news then for young children and their families.

Trouble is, these funfairs seem inevitably to cause huge damage to the Green, which even at the best of times could use a bit of love and attention.

What with a daily distribution of litter, a generous helping of winos, and now ash dieback killing the trees, the last thing Shepherd's Bush Green needs is huge lorries to smash up the pathways and the turf even more.

20 mph Speed Limit for Shepherd's Bush Getting Closer

Plans to extend a 20mph speed limit across almost all roads in Hammersmith & Fulham are set to be agreed at a council Cabinet meeting on 7 March, according to our Council.

LBHF began a consultation in June 2015 on plans for a 20mph speed limit throughout our borough.  The results were - according to the Council - that a "staggering" 71% voting for a reduced speed limit on "most roads".

However, the 71% majority is nor quite what it seems, and not everyone is happy. Many residents, especially drivers, are strongly opposed. And how you interpret the poll results depends on your point of view.

Bush Theatre to Close for Renovations in March for One Year

The Bush Theatre - closing in March

The Bush Theatre on the Uxbridge Road is to close for a year for renovation. Just over a year ago they held a public consultation about their plans to redevelop the theatre, and the plans have now been announced publicly.

The project is scheduled to take just under a year, and during this period the Bush will be closed to the public.

They start work at the end of March 2016 and hope to open the redeveloped Bush Theatre to the public at the start of 2017.

Shepherd's Bush Market Back in the Court of Appeal on March 2

Shepherd's Bush Market

Spare a thought, once again, for the Shepherd's Bush Market traders, who will be in the Court of Appeal next week, on Wednesday March 2, to contest the latest High Court decision in the ongoing legal battle over the future of the Market.

They have been locked in a five year battle with developer Orion over the future of the site.

The most recent event in this long-running legal dispute occurred almost a year ago, in July 2015, when market traders appealed the 2014 decision by Communities Secretary Eric Pickles to uphold a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) over the site.

Re-Revised Walkabout Plans Revealed

Re-revised plans for the old Walkabout pub

Dorsett Hospitality International, the group who renovated the old Shepherd's Bush Pavilion and have turned it into a successful upscale hotel, opened their doors yesterday on thursday 25 February for a second public consultation on their new, re-revised proposals for the old Walkabout pub, formerly the Shepherd's Bush Cinematograph theatre. The fresh drawings have taken into account community feedback from the last presentation on January 26th, and aim to make the new building fit better into the context of the existing Dorsett hotel.

China and Co for sale - for £3m

China and Co

China and Co, the props company based in Shepherd's Bush, are selling up and moving their business to Acton.

If you're looking for a spacious post-industrial building ripe for residential conversion, it could be yours - but you'll have to dig deep in your pockets to find the £3m asking price.

It's a sign how overheated the housing market in Shepherd's Bush has become that such a dizzying asking price is even feasible.

You can see the listing here, described as a "one bedroom commercial property" at RightMove.com.

House Prices Up Again In Shepherd's Bush

Terrace in Shepherd's Bush

According to our local news site, Shepherd's Bush W12, house prices are continuing to rise dramatically in our neighbourhood.  

Data just in for 2015 shows that over the year, the average house price soared by a huge 28.7% to above £750,000. 

Good news perhaps for those who own property, - but very bad news for anyone trying to buy their own home, especially anyone trying to get by on a normal or average wage. 

Ash Dieback Comes to Shepherd's Bush

Ash dieback on Shepherd's Bush Green. There is no cure

Hymenoscyphus fraxineus (that's Ash Dieback to you and me) has come to Shepherd's Bush. Pity poor neglected Shepherd's Bush Green, as its mighty ash trees are turned into firewood.

The trees that line the edges of the park are London plane trees - a kind of super-hardy sycamore, a variety that seems to tolerate all the pollution we can throw at them.

But the ash trees aren't so lucky, and our benighted green will be all the poorer without them.

Shepherd's Bush's New Park

Proposed public park. 

Did you know we're getting a new public park in Shepherd's Bush? It's all part of the new Westfield development, and that of St James to the north - on the old M&S warehouse site east of Wood Lane.

The whole area is being redeveloped, and the price exacted by the Council from the developers was a new public park. It's not huge and, since it runs below the Hammersmith and City tube line, it will be noisy. But still - new green lungs for our very urban neighbourhood can't be a bad thing.

To imagine what it will look like, see the photo to the left.

Public Exhibition of "Walkabout" Plans on Thursday 25th February from 4.00pm to 8.00pm

2016 - new Proposal

Dorsett Hospitality International are opening their doors once again for a second public consultation on their revised proposals for the old ‘Walkabout’ pub, formerly the Shepherd's Bush Cinematograph theatre.

The designs for the new building have been further revised, apparently in response to comments received from the public. So it looks as if Dorsett Regency are taking the process of consultation very seriously.

Anyone who would like to see the new plans should come along to the Dorsett Hotel on Thursday 25th February between 4.00pm and 8.00pm.

Comedy Fundraiser on 15 March For Kids With Autism

Princess Victoria, Uxbridge Rd

Focus West London is holding a storytelling event by way of a fundraiser for their Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Saturday Club on the evening of 15 March 2015.  The event takes place in Shepherd's Bush  - at the Princess Victoria pub on Uxbridge Road.

The event is described by FWL as "an evening of eclectic and fabulous tales", hosted by comedian Sarah Bennetto.  Come to Shepherd’s Bush's finest gastropub and "lose yourself in an evening of stories". And, help support autistic children and their families as well.

TV Centre To Host Resident's Meeting Tuesday 22 March at 7pm

TV centre - as proposed by Stanhope

Stanhope, the developers who are currently masterminding the huge redevelopment taking place on the old BBC site on Wood Lane, are organising a briefing for the residents of Frithville Gardens and MacFarlane Road on Tuesday 22 March at 7pm in the East Tower, Television Centre.

Local residents are invited to come along and share their views on the new development.

Letter from Dunkirk

Sea front at Dunkirk. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Bob Mayo is Vicar of St Stephen's church on the Uxbridge Rd, one of relatively few places in Shepherd's Bush where our many diverse and disparate communities genuinely come together.

As part of his community work, Bob recently visited the refugee camp in Dunkirk, where thousands of desperate migrants hope to reach the United Kingdom.

Hammersmith to Get a Makeover

The Hammersmith Gyratory, that terrifying traffic island that puts fear in the heart of London's cyclists, is to get a makeover from our Council.

The plan by LBHF is to make it safer and more bicyle-friendly.  And who would argue with that? To see the details, follow this link.

The transformation of Hammersmith gyratory apparently include:

48 Hour Tube Strike Planned For Saturday 6 February at 9pm Is Now Suspended

Shepherd's Bush tube station. Closed Saturday from 9pm

Remember the Night Tube? It was supposed to come into force last September, but due to strikes by Tube drivers, it has been (apparently) indefinitely postponed.

Now, drivers threatened to strike again, with a 48 hour walkout starting on Saturday night, but this has now been called off.

The RMT had planned to strike 9pm on Saturday, 6 February, lasting through Monday, and scheduled to finish on Monday 8 February at 9pm.  The strike is suspended pending further talks. 

Return of the Goaloids?

Goaloids in 2013

The Goaloids may be returning to Shepherd's Bush Green.  In 2013 we got a new piece of public sculpture, two rotating giant metal cubes, designed to celebrate the sporting history of our neighbourhood.

The Goaloids were always intended to be temporary, and in early 2015 they were removed by the Council.

Now however, our Council appears to be looking to bring the Goaloids back. A planning application submitted by LBHF has been posted at the Council's web site.