Shepherds Bush Market proposal, from Goldhawk Road

Property company Yoo Capital, who are currently undertaking the ambitious expansion of Olympia, bought Shepherds Bush Market in 2020.  Over recent months we’ve advertised and attended a number of public consultations, revealing plans for the area. These include (i) the redevelopment of the Old Laundry site, the triangular area behind the east side of the market, and (ii) the upgrade and renewal of the market facilities.

Two buildings are proposed for the Old Laundry site: (i) a mixed-use commercial building, of 6 upper floors, ground floor and mezzanine, and a full basement floor below, together providing for office space and Imperial College research facilities, and (ii) located on the north end of the site, a smaller building providing 40 affordable flats in 5 upper floors and ground floor.

This is a dense, complex scheme, inserting a substantial building bulk in a site landlocked behind the 2-storey shop terraces of Goldhawk Road, and 2 & 3-storey residential terraces of Pennard Road.  For reference, the main commercial building is the same height as the Dorsett Hotel.

Commercial building

Shepherds Bush Market proposal, looking approximately North from Goldhawk Road

Looking North, this building would be visible from Goldhawk Road, rising above the shop terraces, and the substantial stepped, craggy elevation would not be out of place in the busy mix of style and scale, and could enrich the visual jazz of the area. From the west the building would be seen chiefly from the passing trains, and would form a new, east side to the market thoroughfare, with stalls partly tucked into the ground floor area, this would create an enclosure which could bring a sense of urban intimacy to the market thoroughfare, akin to the feel of Borough market.

On the east side, the building would be a dominant presence for the adjacent terrace of houses on Pennard Road, close to the rear gardens and crowding the outlook from rear windows. The design of the new building acknowledges this problem, and brings some mitigation with progressive stepping back at upper levels, and a landscaped area alongside the Pennard Road boundary: rules for this arrangement are set out in the Local Plan SPD (Section HS6), and the developer advises that the proposals comply with the dimensional restraints required. Resolution of this possible discord is fundamental to the development concept.

Residential building

Shepherds Bush Market proposal, from the Green. Residential building immediately to the right of the commercial building

The residential building presents a simpler, more restrained design,  shown here to the right of the commercial building. It’s finished externally in patterned brick, and neatly planned to optimise the tapering site, wrapping around a planted courtyard deck, with the market stalls tucked in below. Balconies project from stepped bays, and front doors are accessed from a continuous balcony at each level on the market side.

Architecture

The stepped bays and balconies help to relieve the visual bulk of the commercial building, and the balcony planting could transform the appearance while also contributing to biodiversity. A choice of external finishes for the commercial block has been offered during the consultation process, and we understand a plain light colour render or similar is favoured over the alternative brick tones offered. The cantilever building projection overhanging the market stalls creates an uncomfortable condition, divorcing the building from a ground connection which would provide visual resolution.

Circulation

One of the Goldhawk Road shops is now owned by Yoo, and would be demolished to make way for a reception and pedestrian entrance for both the office and residential buildings, opening at the rear into a well-landscaped pedestrian and vehicle open space which wraps around the east side of the buildings. Vehicle access reuses the existing route via Pennard Road with time-based access restrictions planned. The side-access off Goldhawk Road, along the end of the shops, is currently unregistered land which presents a range of unresolved issues.

The Market

The developer has been working with the stallholders to rejuvenate the market area, tidying up the overall layout, installing weather protection on the railway side using a continuous projecting canopy , and on the east side tucking the stalls under the deck of the new buildings. New gateways at the Goldhawk Road and Uxbridge Road Market entrances, new ground paving, and new lighting together should create a more contemporary retail facility whilst maintaining the Market character.

Development history:

The market site was the subject of a major development tussle starting in 2014, when  a scheme for over 200 apartments and 30,000 sq ft of mixed use space won planning consent and a compulsory purchase order:  these were subsequently thrown out by an Appeal Court after examination due to failures in the procedures which had been followed by the Secretary of State.

Conclusion

The Market is a very special feature of Shepherds Bush, and the current scheme would breathe new life to the market environment, supporting and improving the stallholders accommodation and providing new affordable flats. The design of the commercial development provides for the viability of the project, but requires the adjacency to Pennard Road to be shown to be acceptable.

We understand that a planning application will be submitted shortly.