The Mayor of London Boris Johnson has published ambitious plans to redevelop the White City area of Shepherd's Bush and bring thousands of new jobs and affordable homes to the north of Hammersmith and Fulham.

The White City Opportunity Area Planning Framework, which the Mayor has put out for consultation, envisages the regeneration of 20 hectares of under-used land near Westfield shopping centre.

The Mayor says that, working in close partnership with the borough, he wants to help create new communities with new green and open spaces over the next 15 - 20 years.

The plans includes 4,500 new homes, 10,000 jobs, a "vastly enhanced" public realm and new community and leisure facilities.

He says: "Once a part of London’s Olympic history, the home of greyhound racing and more recently BBC Television Centre, White City has seen great change over the years.

"While previous generations of planners have not always left their mark in a positive way, with this new framework we have the chance to build on the area’s rich heritage with exciting new green spaces, thousands of new affordable homes and an inspiring new hub for creative and high-tech industries."

Hammersmith and Fulham Council Leader Stephen Greenhalgh says: "We want Hammersmith & Fulham to become a Borough of Opportunity for our residents and the White City Opportunity Area Planning Framework (WCOAPF) gives us a once-in-a-generation chance to turn aspiration into reality in White City.

" What shines through is the sheer potential to change the lives of thousands of people by providing these better housing and job opportunities."

Building on the presence of key organisations such as the BBC, Imperial College and Hammersmith Hospital, the aim is also to encourage economic growth by developing the area into a world leading hub for the creative, media and bio-tech industries which will create the new jobs.

Regeneration has already begun in the area with Imperial College being given the go ahead tyo to build a new campus on the site of Woodlands, the former home of BBC Worldwide at 80 Wood Lane.

As well as providing a major centre for scientific, technological, business and medical education, the scheme will offer the area new leisure, retail, healthcare and commercial facilities built around a brand new green London square.

You can read and respond to the consultation here.

April 12, 2011