The Planned Development of the Old BBC Woodlands Site on the Corner of Wood Lane and the Westway

Margaret Tyler is a local history tutor who I plan to meet soon. She passed on the following details of further plans to develop yet another area of West London. Apart from giving your support, Margaret would also like to hear from anyone that lives in the area and may be affected by this development.

Steve Russell

Voreda Capital LLP and Imperial College have formed a partnership to develop the old BBC Woodlands site on the corner of Wood Lane and the Westway. This site, just inside the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham and on the border with the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, has been referred to as a campus, but in fact it will incorporate a high level of commercial development in the form of a 35 storey residential tower, a 4/5* hotel and private offices.

The design for this site is monolithic, brutalist and totally unsympathetic to the area of two storey Victorian/Edwardian houses immediately to the north and east of the site. The tower which will be taller than Trellick Tower includes a small number of key worker flats on the lower floors for people who work with Imperial College, but the scheme will not provide affordable accommodation for anyone else.

The introduction of Westfield has increased congestion on Wood Lane therefore the local community is also concerned that the additional 2,500 people proposed for the Woodlands site, will add to this problem. If you would like to learn more about this scheme and see the architect’s illustrations, please look at: http://imperialfolly.org.uk/ which contains information gathered by W10 and W12 residents and includes a link to an e-petition.

If you wish to comment or object to the scheme you will find the planning application on the Hammersmith & Fulham website at:

http://www.apps.lbhf.gov.uk/PublicAccess/tdc/DcApplication/application_detailview.aspx?caseno=LWIDW8BI05Q0

The closing date for comments and objections is 8th March 2012.

Margaret Tyler

(The above pic shows what would be the view from Oxford Gardens)

10 thoughts on “The Planned Development of the Old BBC Woodlands Site on the Corner of Wood Lane and the Westway

  1. What are they doing to my beloved Shepherds Bush. It never used to be cash cow land for developers and retained much of its 1800’s character and proportions.
    Now we have to fight to keep Cookes etc to preserve our heritage.
    So sad.

  2. Colin
    Sadly this particular site is only the beginning and if given permission, will set the precedent for high rise buildings on land to the south along the Hammersmith & Fulham/ Kensington and Chelsea border.

  3. I used to live in N. Acton and I would hazard a guess that population has trebled in the last 20 years. Factories that once employed hundreds are being demolished for more housing, local services are stretched to breaking point, the main reason I said enough is enough and left

  4. Soon to be coming to a plot near you – and that’s a promise.

    Canary Wharf here we come…. The councillor came round to our houses to understand views – he left me with the dark news that this is just the very start of many many high rise buildings to come.¬†

    Forward the clock and imagine our world of:

    – reduced light in the day
    – increased beacon of light at night
    – overpowering skyline
    – busy roads
    Рnoisy evenings 

    ….our village atmosphere lost to a mountain of concrete.

    We really have very little voice in all of this. Imperial started work on the new site presenting everyone with rose tinted glasses. We now learn that this was a screen for something very different indeed. Local residents support no more, although do they need our support now? Dumb we now become Рhope also that we will be able to become blind to this.  

    Let this development commence and we are soon all to be ‘enjoying’ this in our own back yards – and that’s a promise from your local councillor….

    Where do you live Mr councillor – soon to be coming to a plot near you??

    A desperately unhappy and betrayed Resident of Shinfield Street.

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