Council Approves Westfield's Expansion Plans
Scheme includes 1,500 new homes,shops, offices and public space
Westfield’s £1bn plans to extend its Shepherds Bush shopping centre and build 1500 new homes, have been given the go ahead by Hammersmith and Fulham Council.
The plans will create 1,522 new homes, and 550,000 sq ft of retail, along with restaurants, offices and new public open space on the site to the north of the existing shopping centre.
The £1 billion regeneration masterplan seeks to redevelop a nine hectare site, either side of Ariel Way, into a "vibrant new pedestrian quarter".
Westfield submitted plans for redeveloping the site after the area was earmarked last year for regeneration by the Greater London Authority and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham with the publication of the White City Opportunity Area Planning Framework.
The number of homes has scaled down slightly from the original application, but still includes around 250 affordable homes. The development ranges from four to 12 storeys in height with one feature building 20 storeys high.
H & F Council says the project will be built in phases over the next 17 years and will bring up to 6,700 jobs to the area.
Westfield will also contribute £20m toward improvements to the community, including £3.9m for works to Shepherds Bush overground train station, with an extension to the ticket office, a new entrance and for lengthening the platform.
A new bridge and pedestrian footpaths linking east and west of the site will also be built, connecting H&F with Kensington and Chelsea.
Duncan Bower, Westfield's Director of Development and Asset Management, said: "We are naturally very pleased with the decision by Hammersmith and Fulham Council to approve the scheme which will provide a further £1 billion investment in the area and create 6,700 jobs plus new homes and retail. We now await the decision of both the Mayor and the Secretary of State.”
" In just over three years from opening, Westfield London has established itself as an important new retail and leisure destination for West London with almost £1 billion in sales and over 27 million customer visits last year. The incorporation of quality housing of this scale will further complement the vibrancy of the location and provide a further catalyst for the ongoing regeneration of the White City Opportunity Area."
Cllr Harry Phibbs, H&F Council’s cabinet member for community engagement, said: "This development is bringing positive change, improvements and jobs to an area that needs revitalising. It fits in with our vision that H&F should be a borough of opportunity for all, and this will be a welcome boost to the local economy and community."
