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.

The Council has launched a 12-week consultation on the future of Linford Christie Stadium at the edge of Wormwood Scrubs here. The present stadium is dilapidated but heavily used by Thames Valley Harriers athletics club and other local groups. the options offered are:

• Do nothing – but the council says it is not viable;
• Improve existing facilities, probably in partnership with a sponsor, such as Imperial;
• A major redevelopment with up to 45.000 seats, accommodating a sports and entertainment venue as well as athletics tracks.

Wormwood Scrubs Pony Centre (photo: © David Hawgood)

This will be a highly charged debate with competing demands. On the one hand, H&F Council like all other councils is facing a severely squeezed budget. On the other, Wormwood Scrubs is a green lung for west London with a special character that has been described as “more wild than tamed” . Placing a 45,000 seat sport and entertainment venue at its very edge will bring huge numbers of people to a place which is used and valued for quiet recreation, low-key amateur sports, dog-walking and bird watching, and its designated Local Nature Reserve areas. 

The Hammersmith Society’s response to the consultation is here: 

Hammersmith Society – consultation response.pdf

Olympia Way

Olympia – View of theatre

Olympia Way – New entrance

Olympia 1930 frontage & hotel

Olympia – View from rail bridge

Olympia – View up North End road

Olympia – Hotel

(Click on images for full-sized versions, then scroll through the set)

The big and complex application for redevelopment of the 14 acre site, which includes a cluster of Listed Buildings, was approved by the Council’s Planning Committee on 30 January, having been been given a very speedy journey through the planning process.

In our view it was not fully ready to be approved, and we had hoped to gain some modifications on height and architectural detail. There are also serious concerns about how the local area will cope with the numbers of additional workers and visitors to the exhibition halls and performance spaces, while TfL has stated that there is no prospect of extending regular District Line service to Kensington Olympia station in the immediate future, and adjacent bus routes have been recently curtailed.

In our comments we stated that the new development would breathe new life into a very special part of Hammersmith. But the proposed theatre block on Hammersmith Road, the height of the central office building rising above the original Olympia buildings, and the Thomas Heatherwick – designed hotel extension on the south-east corner, which will date very quickly, should have been given more time and thought to get right.

King Street West. Block B (image: LBHF)

The application will go to the Planning Committee on Tuesday 12 February. If approved, work on site could begin later this year. 

It has been a long time coming, after extensive public consultation,  and the feedback we have from members is that they are keen to see the new open space opening up the Town Hall to King Street, high-quality new building, new and innovative access to the Town Hall interior and the return of a cinema.

Town Hall Redevelopment November 2018

The revised, and likely final Town Hall plans, filed under ref. 2018/01500/FUL, are being exhibited this Friday 4-8pm and Saturday 10am-2pm – details in our diary.  You are doubtless familiar with the project’s development over the years, and the changes brought about after consultation with members of the public, the volunteer Town Hall Commissioners, this Society, and Historic England.

The following significant changes are listed:

• Reduction in the height of the town hall roof extension by one storey (compare April 2018 version).
• Reduction in the size of the shading around the roof of the new glass extension.
• Improvements to the lighting for the Assembly Hall and Courtyard.
• Addition of new winter gardens on the new homes facing King Street and the A4 to improve air quality.

In the invitation (full details), the leader of the council says:

We propose to demolish the ugly Town Hall extension and bring Hammersmith:

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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.

Town Hall Redevelopment February 2018

There will be a drop-in exhibition at the Town Hall of the latest plans for the redevelopment scheme, on Friday 20 April 4-8pm and Saturday 21 April 10-2 pm, as shown in our diary. The plans will be on the Council website thereafter. The designs will form the basis of the planning application so it is not a consultation event – but there will be the opportunity to submit comments as part of the planning process.  The Council’s letter of invitation sent to the areas closest to the Town Hall is attached.

For reference, the visualisations shown here are from the February 2018 consultation – we understand that these have been updated subsequently.

Hammersmith Bridge 2017, © Jane Bain

Members of the Hammersmith Society, Historic Buildings Group and HAMRA committees met the team in charge of the major works planned for Hammersmith Bridge.

Jane Bain of HAMRA delivered an  impressive visual presentation about the effect of surrounding developments on the Bridge silhouette and general loss of visibility over time, using archive photographs (small selection shown below) to support our contention that the paint treatment of the Bridge should be revisited so the Bridge is visible, distinctive and can be fully appreciated in longer views. The agreement of Historic England will be needed to any change in the colour treatment, which may be a challenge.

Hammersmith Bridge 1950 © Hammersmith Archives

Hammersmith Bridge 1964 © Hammersmith Archives

Hammersmith Bridge 1986 © Hammersmith Archives

Hammersmith Bridge 2003 © Jane Bain