2019: First Tom Ryland Award for Conservation – St. Augustine’s

St. Augustine’s interior

Hammersmith Grove Parklets – West

Hammersmith Grove Parklets – East

Plants not pollution – Hammersmith Flyover

Paintbox Studios and Coffeeology

Planters under flyover

We were pleased to announce our 2019 Awards at the AGM at Olympia on Wednesday 12th June, introduced by committee member Derrick Wright and presented by our President, Prof. Hans Haenlein. The large number of members present were provided excellent hospitality by Olympia in their Apex Room. Full details and a narrative are posted on our 2019 Awards page; the AGM photos and administrative documents are posted on our 2019 AGM page.

Summary

In our 30th year of Awards, we renamed our Conservation Award the Tom Ryland Award for Conservation in honour of our past Chairman. We were delighted to present it for the first time to St. Augustine’s Church in Fulham Palace Road.

There were four Nancye Goulden Awards this year, in two distinct pairs, all are projects which have made positive contributions to the Hammersmith streetscape.

The first two are King Street shop fronts: Paintbox Studios and Coffeeology. The other two awards recognise another type of improvement to the streetscape in the form of the Hammersmith Grove Parklets and The Planting under the Flyover.  The wooden spoon went to phase 1 of Sovereign Court.

We were also given a detailed presentation by SSPARC architects covering the history of Olympia and the extensive redevelopment plans, followed by an update from RSHP architects covering the Town Hall redevelopment plans. In a Q&A session, Councillor Wesley Harcourt kindly gave us an impromptu update on the Hammersmith Bridge situation.

Members of the Committee visited our 30th Annual Award Nominations on Sunday 19th May and shortlisted them. They’re all shown on the nominations page in their categories, with a selection here.

If you would like to comment on them, or make suggestions for winners, please use the comment form on the above page, or on Instagram.

Savoy Circus: Chapter student accommodation

Maison Samadi

Hammersmith Grove Parklets – West

Sovereign Court South

Plants-not-pollution under flyover

Paintbox Studios and Coffeeology

Saffron – refurbished

Imperial West residential tower

Dalling Road Open Space, St David’s Day 2019 [Photo: Richard Jackson]

Planters under flyover

st-augustines-church interior

Paradise gardens

White City Campus: Molecular Sciences building

Award winners will be announced at the AGM at Olympia on 12th June. 

Members, guests, and friends will be warmly welcomed.

Click on the newsletter image to open the pdf 

The Special 20-page Anniversary Newsletter has been published, celebrating 30 years of Hammersmith Society Awards. Printed copies are being distributed to subscribing members.

Hammersmith Highline location (photo: Hammersmith BID)

We’re intrigued by the possibility of a linear park or alternative use for the disused part of the District Line viaduct between the Kings Mall flats and the new Sovereign Court, as proposed by Hammersmith BID and West London Link (known for the Flyunder concept) as part of the London Festival of Architecture 2019.  Inspired by the New York highline and the Promenade Plantée in Paris that preceded it, there’s a competition open for ideas – details here. The project has it’s own Twitter page, where you can follow progress.

Given the challenges of the location and some of the similarities, we’re attracted to the new tropical roof garden above the Crossrail station at Canary Wharf as a source of inspiration, but the site will lend itself to many interpretations, so do please take part if you have ideas.

TfL has issued its response to previous consultations on the cycle route from Kensington Olympia through Hammersmith and Chiswick, and says construction of the route on the north side of the Hammersmith Broadway gyratory will begin this year.

There are no substantial alterations to the section from Hammersmith Broadway to the end of King Street. Local criticism had centred on the congestion of traffic and pedestrians, and the  likely delays for buses if the roadway is narrowed at the east end of King Street to make space for a segregated two-way cycle lane: TfL says delivery vehicles will use parking bays or park in Blacks Road or Angel Walk. We are sceptical as to whether that message will get through to security service vans delivering to banks, for example.

There were also worries about  increased risk to pedestrians from cyclists. TfL has decided to drop the term “Super-Highway”, saying it sends the wrong message. A local family cycling group has welcomed the scheme, so let’s not forget it is not just fast commuter cyclists who want cycle lanes.  But the TfL report specifically excludes the option of a commuter route parallel to the length of the A4, and is vague about the prospect of a fast route in Hammersmith,  which the Council announced last month. 

We understand LBHF is having further discussions with TfL.

 Click on the report image to download it from TfL.

Magistrate’s Court site (graphic: JLL/HM Courts service)

An exhibition of plans for a new development on the site of the former Hammersmith Magistrate’s Court is being held on Friday 23 November 3-6pm, and Saturday 24 November 12-3 pm at the adjacent Lila Huset Professional Centre, 191 Talgarth Road W6 8BJ.

This site is between the Ark/Lila Huset and the Talgarth Road BP garage as shown. The planning consultants say: “The proposals include two complimentary hotels which will bring with them significant community benefits. The site has potential to deliver a significant number of jobs, community meeting space, rehearsal space for local performing arts groups, a rooftop bar and terrace, the largest living green wall in London, affordable workspace to meet the needs of the Council’s Industrial Strategy and a new publicly accessible garden square”.

Do go and look at the exhibition – as always, keep an eye out for height and density, and check to see if the fine view of the unique Ark is still retained as one approaches Hammersmith.

Update – we wrote this letter of objection in March 2019, the application was subsequently withdrawn in October 2019 before reaching the planning committee. We understand a revised application will be submitted in due course, on which we will report.

This site (between Hammersmith Library and the Broadway) is a 1960s office building, and developers are proposing to re-clad it and remodel the interior as a Premier Inn hotel. Members of the Committee attended an exhibition of plans. 

The scheme does not involve redevelopment from the ground up so offers limited scope for a major improvement to the street scene, however we consider that the proposals are particularly bland and an opportunity has been missed to make a positive contribution to Shepherds Bush Road. We will be asking for improvements to the design.  The developer’s illustration is shown above.