Shepherd's Bush Blog

Tuesday, 9 November 2021

St Stephen's Church Celebrates its New Roof

St Stephen's church on the Uxbridge Road has finally completed work on the new church roof, a £250,000 project 10 years in the making.

Following a decade of fund-raising efforts, the church at last raised the £250,000 needed to re-roof the church buildings, the money coming from a blend of private donations, charitable grants, and church funds.

It has taken the best part of a decade to raise the money, largely through the efforts of Juliet Byford, chair of the St Stephen's Roof Committee.

Japanese Garden Gets Annual Clean-Up

Japanese Garden Annual Clean-Up

On October 10th the Japanese Garden got its annual clean-up, organised by the Friends of the Japanese Garden, led by John Gordon-Smith, assisted by the Nippon Club.

More than 60 volunteers turned up to help clean the pond, trim back the shrubs, and generally tidy up.

Here at the Shepherd's Bush Blog we warmly thank the volunteers who regularly give up their time to maintain and preserve the Japanese Garden at Hammersmith Park.

Josiah Braithwaite Community Garden

Shepherd's Bush is full of surprises, and even a few hidden treasures, some of them not well known or well publicised.

One such treasure is The Josiah Braithwaite Community Garden, part of the Nubian Life Resource Centre in White City, located a little north of Wormholt Park, next to the Janet Adegoke swimming pool.

The garden is open to visitors, and is a great place to bring children, who can meet Percy the rabbit (see left), and various other characters, including some chickens and a guinea pig.

For urban children who don't get a lot of wildlife or furry friends, the Community Garden is a small treasure in our neighbourhood.

No Petrol in Shepherd's Bush

BP at Shepherd's Bush Green - No Petrol

There was today no petrol to be had in Shepherd's Bush at any price. Last night desperate drivers (including me) were scouring our neighbourhood - as it became clear that to follow Government advice and not panic buy was, regrettably, not the sensible choice after all.

This morning, no petrol was available anywhere. The Government says there are "no supply problems" but even the petrol stations don't seem to know when supplies are due.

Community Science Day at the "Tiny Forest" 29 Sept

Community Science Day at H&F Tiny Forest 29 Sept

On Wednesday 29th September Earthwatch and our local council LBHF are hosting a "Community Science Day" event at the "Tiny Forest" in Hammersmith Park. Each session includes the collection of data to monitor how the trees are doing and what creatures are starting to cal the forest home. You can sign up here.

The event is sponsored by local business Fever Tree, who will also be running the early sessions, and the afternoon is open to our local community.

Wood Lane BBC Car Park Demolition - Latest

The old BBC Car Park on Wood Lane is being demolished, and a lot of locals aren't happy about it. In particular, those living at the top of Macfarlane Rd are experiencing considerable noise, disruption and damage. One local resident even had a ceiling collapse, caused by the vibrations from the demolition.

Demolition of the site is being carried out by Cantillon, overseen by developer Stanhope, who publish a regular newsletter (see left) to keep locals abreast of events.

What should local residents do if their pictures fall off the walls and the ceilings cave in when demolition begins? The answer to the problem is not clear. The car park is a massive reinforced concrete structure and demolition was always going to be a nasty business. Should we seek to have it stopped? Or speeded up?

For now, it seems likely that all that most of us can do it grit our teeth - and hope the job gets done soon.

Shepherd's Bush Saturation Zone Expires

Cumulative Impact Saturation Zone

Recently LBHF ran a consultation over the continuation of the so-called "Shepherd's Bush Saturation Zone", the special licensing policy created by our Council in 2010 to restrict the expansion of licensed premises in an area which was already "saturated" with places to eat and drink, especially late at night.

The policy was an attempt by the Council to keep crime and disorder in Shepherd's Bush under control, but it appears that the Policy has now officially expired.

Hammersmith Park Japanese Garden September Newsletter

Hammersmith Park

The Japanese Garden in Hammersmith is one of the many pleasures of our neighbourhood.

The Garden gets a regular cleanup by local volunteers; Japanese Garden Chair John Gordon-Smith also writes a monthly newsletter about the Garden. To see the latest news, see John's newsletter below.

George Irvin's Funfair is Back 6-19 September

George Irvin's Funfair 6-19 September

George Irvin's Funfair is back at Shepherd's Bush Green, from 6 to 19 September.

The funfair is not welcomed by many local residents, who live on or near Shepherd's Bush Green and hate the noise and disturbance.

George Irvin's Funfair is a regular visitor to Shepherd's Bush. In recent years they have stayed for up to a full month, but following neighbourhood complaints our local Council scaled them back to 2 1/2 weeks.

Two Days Left to Support Kid's Network!

The Kid's Network

There are two days left to support Kid's Network, a local Shepherd's Bush charity which supports at-risk 8-11 year olds by mobilising local heroes to be their mentors.

The charity have received £5,000 (the maximum possible) from the LBHF (our local council) to deliver their project, but they still need to raise the remaining amount. The link to the project is here: https://www.spacehive.com/supporting-hammersmith-and-fulhams-children.

Walkabout Pub Reborn as "The Palladium"

Palladium reborn

The old Walkabout pub was demolished back in 2019, only the front facade being retained, but a new building has now risen from the rubble, a handsome addition to the West side of Shepherd's Bush Green.

This historic building originally began its life in 1910 as the Shepherd's Bush Cinematograph Theatre, owned by the entrepreneur Montague Pyke.

Later in the 1920s it became the Palladium, and eventually - after many changes of ownership, a Walkabout pub.

Finally, in 2013 the Walkabout closed for good.

Motorcyle Parking Consulation in Shepherd's Bush

Area affected by LBHF proposed restrictions

Our local council, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham (LBHF), are proposing new restrictions on the parking of mopeds and motorcycles in and around Shepherd's Bush Green.

The proposals are in response to complaints from local residents, especially those in the "Caxton Village" area, about mopeds working for the food delivery companies at all times of day and night.

LBHF have proposed two new "Motorcycle Parking Areas" in Macfarlane Rd and Uxbridge Rd which would be specially designed areas for motorcyles and mopeds.

Copper Chimney Offers Locals 20% Off

Copper Chimney - 20% off for locals

Local Indian restaurant Copper Chimney is offering Shepherd's Bush locals 20% off your next food bill at the restaurant - exclusive to readers of the Bush Telegraph.

Just quote the code "The Bush Telegraph", and you'll get 20% off your food bill.

Some T&Cs apply - this offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers or deals. Find Copper Chimney here at the official site.

Sisters of Nazareth in Hammersmith

Few inhabitants of Shepherd's Bush likely know much about the Sisters of Nazareth in Hammersmith, a Roman Catholic Order founded in the mid-19th Century and still providing residential care to the elderly today.

I found myself knocking on the rather forbidding main entrance on Hammersmith Rd (see photo left) as I searched for the W6 Physio Centre, deftly hidden behind its walls, where I was to be treated for a dodgy knee.

But, once inside, the residents could not have been friendlier, and I quickly found my way through the beautiful gardens to the physio centre at the back.

Hammersmith Bridge to Re-Open for Pedestrians

Hammersmith Bridge

Local residents in Hammersmith and Barnes will breathe a sigh of relief now that Hammersmith Bridge is to re-open to pedestrians and cyclists, as early as this coming weekend.

Hammersmith Bridge has been closed since 2019 to vehicles, with the closure being extended in 2020 to bicycles, pedestrians and even river traffic.

The bridge remains closed to vehicles indefinitely, as our Council, TFL and central government argue over who should pay.

Last year there were protests over the failure of the responsible authorities to tackle the problem, but these have not yet resulted in a successful plan to re-open the bridge to cars and buses.

EV Charging Stations Coming to the Bush

EV charging station

Across Shepherds Bush, Electric vehicle ("EV") charging stations have been springing up. Recently our local council, LBHF, ran a consultation with residents in our streets regarding a new charging station for EVs.

"We're in favour", said locals, "but can we keep our existing residents' parking bays please?" Luckily for us, LBHF said "yes", and put the new charging bay in a place where it didn't take up any existing residents' bays.

Demolition of BBC Car Park Begins

Scaffolding is up, and the long process of demolition of BBC Car Park on Wood Lane is underway.

Work began in mid June 2021, but the work will take some time; the old car park is a massive structure filled with concrete ramps, and with deep foundations.

It will take "at least 35 weeks" to remove it, so local residents in Macfarlane Rd are bracing themselves for many months of noise, mess and general disruption.

ITV Moves to White City

ITV moves to White City

Some good news for our neighbourhood; ITV is moving operations to White City. ShowBiz is back in the Bush.

The broadcaster has signed a 13-year lease on Broadcast Centre in White City from the BBC, as it moves all of its London based staff into one location for the first time.

Last Chance to Have Your Say on Old Oak Plans

Old Oak plans

Now is the last chance to have your say on the future of Old Oak.

In the guest blog below, Henry Peterson, advisor to the Old Oak Neighbourhood Forum, argues the case for why the current development plans are flawed - and should be opposed.