Petition urges Mayor of London to ‘call in’ Shepherd’s Bush Market plans
A PETITION urging Sadiq Khan to ‘call in’ and refuse plans to redevelop Shepherd’s Bush Market has been presented to the Mayor of London, having garnered more than 1,700 signatures.
Green London Assembly Member Siân Berry read the details of the petition to members during a Plenary session on March 7, and later said the Mayor ‘must turn this application down’.
Real estate firm Yoo Capital’s plans to redevelop the 110-year-old west London market were approved by Hammersmith and Fulham Council last December, with the local authority’s planning and development control committee voting 3-2 in-favour.
As well as a refurbishment of the site, the designs also include the construction of a nine-storey residential building, and a ‘life science incubator’ for Imperial College.
Yoo Capital has also pledged £5.5 million of financial support via packages including rent freezes for legacy traders at 2015 levels, until at least 2031, and no rent or service charges during construction.
The proposals have, however, led to alarm from a number of traders and campaigners, with key concerns around future rent hikes and precarious contracts.
At the committee meeting in December, Jake Simms, a member of the Protect Shepherd’s Bush Market campaign group, said: “This planning application paves the way for the gentrification, the irreversible gentrification of Shepherd’s Bush Market, and the end of Shepherd’s Bush Market as an affordable and diverse market serving the local community.”
Meron Gwiggner, who opened Hone Books Galore on the market in October 2022, was evicted earlier this year having refused to sign a contract she believed was designed to force her from the site. Yoo Capital refutes this, saying the offers made to Ms Gwiggner contained provisions ‘commonly used in commercial property transactions’, and are the same as those given to other traders on the market.
Following the eviction, Ms Gwiggner said she will ‘continue to fight for justice’, claiming there are others who are ‘terrified and have no voice to speak up’. “[It’s] sad the world we live in,” she added.
A petition calling on Mayor Khan to call in and refuse the application, started by Protect Shepherd’s Bush Market, has so far attracted more than 1,700 signatures. Ms Berry presented the petition to London Assembly members at the Plenary session, with the chamber agreeing to refer it to the Mayor for response.
Following the meeting, Ms Berry said: “Too many markets across London are being threatened and harmed by developers who don’t value and respect the life of the existing community. Traders lose their livelihoods and people lose an essential part of their local area.
Shepherd’s Bush Market, which has been going for more than 100 years, is at risk of going this way. The Mayor must turn this application down.”
A spokesperson for Protect Shepherd’s Bush Market said: “Shepherd’s Bush Market is the heart of west London. Yoo Capital’s plans would push out traders, price out locals and attack the markets’ diversity for the sake of lining investors pockets. Traders and locals are clear these plans must be stopped. Sadiq Khan must stand up to corporate greed, stand with communities across London, and reject these redevelopment plans”.
A spokesperson for Yoo Capital told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) the traders ‘are at the heart of everything we do’ at the market, and that it acts with the needs of the local community in mind. They added the firm’s plans were created following a ‘detailed consultation process’ with traders, and that its ongoing engagement is evidenced by the support received from the Shepherd’s Bush Market Tenants’ Association (SBMTA).
“We are committed to maintaining a broad variety of traders at the market and supporting these enterprises that marketgoers know and love and we remain dedicated to preserving the character of the market, investing in its long-term future. Our investment will also see affordable housing and a new commercial building with a life sciences incubator for Imperial College London on land adjacent to the market.
“The housing for the site will be 100 per cent affordable, with all 40 homes set to be managed by the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.”
A spokesperson for the SBMTA added the market has been hit by a lack of investment, Covid and decreased footfall, and that they believe the site is in ‘safe hands with Yoo Capital’.