Mayor Criticised for Approving Westfield Expansion
Local MP wants retail group to think again about affordable housing
London Mayor Boris Johnson has been criticised by Labour for approving plans to expand Westfield in Shepherds Bush.
The plans which were already given the go ahead by the previous Tory administration at Hammersmith and Fulham Council in April this year, would create thousands of new jobs and more than 1,300 homes.
However, out of the total of 1,347 homes, only 162 are described as affordable.
This figure falls far short of the Mayor's own target, which states that 40% of new homes in London should be affordable.
Describing the number of affordable homes as "woefully inadequate", Tom Copley, London Assembly Labour group housing spokesman, said: "By approving yet another development where the vast majority of homes will be beyond the reach of people on low and middle incomes, he has shown himself to favour big profits for developers over the needs of ordinary Londoners."
Meanwhile Hammersmith MP Andy Slaughter told BBC London: " I hope that we can persuade, or in some way insist that Westfield go back and look at this again.
" If they are going to be a good neighbour in West London they ought to think about not just the people who shop there but the people who live there."
The new Labour council in Hammersmith and Fulham has already stated its intention to review many of the major developments in the borough over concerns about lack of affordable housing. You can read this full story here
Westfield London received outline planning permission to further expand its £1 billion development on land north of the shopping centre, including the White City Industrial Estate, from the Planning Applications Committee on Thursday April 3.
Plans are to demolish existing buildings on the site and build new ones, ranging from two to 23 storeys, with up to 1,347 new homes and 61,840sqm of shops, including anchor department store John Lewis.
There will also be cafes, restaurants, offices, a public square, spaces for community, health or cultural use, leisure facilities, along with new pedestrian routes and open spaces, cycle parking, car and motorcycle parking, and new roads.
Westfield has said it hopes to create three separate zones – a retail quarter centred around John Lewis, a residential quarter around a green square, and a piazza around the existing, grade II listed Dimco buildings that would be focus for small shops, leisure and community space. The Dimco piazza does not, however, form part of the current planning application.
Westfield expects to begin building work this year with John Lewis and other new stores opening in time for Christmas 2017. The scheme will bring thousands of jobs to the area, including 600 through the arrival of John Lewis.
In April Westfield said it was seeking a residential developer to take on the construction of the new homes, with further detailed planning applications following once the developer was chosen.
You can find out more about Westfield's plans at the dedicated website.
June 9, 2014
