The Hammersmith Society is delighted to be a Founding Partner of Hammersmith United Charities’ new project to mark the 400^th year since its founding – what an achievement!  Many people will be familiar with Sycamore House and John Betts House which provide housing for the elderly, as the most visible activity of HUC. UNITED is a new grant-giving charity and a joint venture of HUC and Dr Edwards and Bishop King’s Fulham Charity.  It was inaugurated with a happy and sunny garden party at St Pauls Church Hammersmith last July and is focused on helping people make change for the better, establishing better neighbourhood connections, and building stronger communities.

It aims to encourage local giving: it will support and give grants to charitable projects that are run and developed by local people and which benefit their neighbours and communities in all of Hammersmith and Fulham. It also encourages other forms of giving including volunteering, mentoring, professional pro bono advice and in-kind support.

As part of the refurbishment of the Lyric, Hammersmith BID, – the Business Improvement District group of which Tom was a board member – took the opportunity to sponsor and dedicate one of the Main House boxes to Tom, and the unveiling was held on 29 October. 

Liz Ryland, with Charles Dori12n and Ghada Al-Madfai, both members of the West London Architects Society (WLAS)

The dedicatory plaque and box are shown, with Liz Ryland seated in the foreground – the box itself is a delightful feature of the theatre’s Victorian interior. It is a very fitting memorial to Tom, who greatly enjoyed the theatre and was very supportive of the Lyric.

As one of the ways in which The Hammersmith Society will be commemorating Tom, we plan to erect a bench dedicated to him at a location along the Hammersmith riverside. We know that among the members of the Society there were personal friends of Tom’s, and if you would like to make a donation to the cost of the bench, do please contact Melanie Whitlock ().

Heathrow impact (image: H&F council)

On Thursday 4th Oct all the organisations presenting a legal challenge to Heathrow expansion will be in court seeking permission to go ahead.

H&F Council have now joined 4 other Councils to challenge the Heathrow decision. Friends of the Earth are challenging it on climate change grounds, and Greenpeace on grounds of air pollution.

The judge will decide which, if any of challenges, can proceed to a full hearing. The campaign needs a big crowd inside and outside the court to show public opposition. The permission hearings will be at the Royal Courts of Justice, if you support the challenge and can attend, please be there by 9 am.

Hammersmith takes one for the TEAM

For those in any doubt as to what 3rd runway traffic might look like, this is what TEAM landing patterns already look like at 6.30 am on a Sunday morning even when the alternation schedule plans to only use the southern runway!  See this link for the current alternation schedule and an understanding of the carte-blanche that is TEAM. 

TEAM landings Sunday 30th Sept 2018, 6.30 AM. Image courtesy Flightradar24.com

London Open House offers a wonderful opportunity to explore buildings all over London – including in our Borough. The full listing of 27 buildings open to see in H&F over the weekend of 22-23 September is available here.  Why not also stroll or cycle round the nominations and winners of our own Environment Awards ?

And as the northern boundaries of the Borough become more important, on both dates there is a walk round part of the Old Oak & Park Royal Development Area led by art historian Magdalen Evans, details here

Heathrow noise – Airports Commission final report

You may well be aware that the Government published a document on 5th June which would effectively give outline planning permission for a third runway at Heathrow. Parliament will vote on this in next 2 1/2 weeks. As the Hammersmith Society has said repeatedly, a third runway would have significant negative effects on Hammersmith: increased noise (with the health impacts that brings) from more flights and a new flightpath, increased pollution from more traffic on the A4 and A40 through the Borough, and vastly increased pressure on public transport infrastructure going into and out of central London. If you share these concerns, do email or write, as soon as possible,  to your MP who for most of us is Andy Slaughter (), and the Minister for Transport

The Chair of the  H&F Resident-Led Commission on Airport Expansion, Christina Smyth, has written the following blogpost on the Council’s website: 

Members of the Committee visited this year’s nominations on Sunday 20th May and shortlisted them. They are all shown on the nominations page with just a selection here. If you would like to comment on them, or make suggestions for winners, please use the comment form on the nominations page. 

Award winners will be announced at the AGM in the Bush Theatre on 5th July. 
Members, guests, and friends will be warmly welcomed.

BT InLinkUK “Phone box”

Planters, Lower Mall

LAMDA Wooden Spoon in 2018 – opinions are divided ! It wins awards elsewhere

Ark Conway Primary Academy

2018 Nancye Goulden Award: St Paul’s Girls School Pavilion

2018 Environment Award: TV Centre redevelopment

Guerilla Gardening – tree pits in Galloway Road

2018 Environment Award – Helios / TV centre

Capability Brown wears a tiara for the Royal Wedding

2018 Nancye Goulden Award: 2A Loftus Road

Westfield extension / John Lewis

2018 Environment Award: TV Centre redevelopment

White City Place

Riverside Studios – Crisp Road

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The planning application for the Town Hall development has been lodged, and is available on the council’s planning portal, with listed building consent application here.  A good starting point is the Design & Access Statement.  Summary details are also now available on the council website if you don’t have time to go through all 488 planning documents!

There are a number of design developments: the addition of a brise soleil over the substantial roof extension, and a slight modification of the King Street/cinema frontage following comments by ourselves and others.  The Committee will be studying the application carefully.  The slide show above shows the main CGI images published with the plans.

We would be pleased to hear your feedback.

Conservation Award 2017: Bush Theatre

This year’s award nominations are open – winners of awards and wooden spoons will be announced at the AGM at the Bush Theatre on 5th July.

Please do nominate your choice – see our awards page to understand the process and the various award categories, and review the list of existing nominations which are being added to the website as they come in. Nominations close on 16th May.

It would help us if you can send us a photo with your nomination.