Forum Topic

New Town Hall development 

Having read the news item about the Town Hall development  - I'm a little confused about the plans.It mentions that a piazza will form the centrepiece of the paln and the art deco façade of the original Town Hall will again be visible. I also read that the options for the site will include retail, office and housing and, potentially a new cinema.Although the site is large(ish), I unclear how all these competing objectives could be achieved.

John Kennedy ● 6645d13 Comments

Yes, King Street needs a make over.  The Square by the Lyric is a good start.  If the area they are proposing to develop is done well, it would encourage more locals to use King Street.  I am afraid I don't.  Used to go to the cinema but it is so run down, give that a miss now.  Its such a shame as the riverside is only a stones throw away.

Caroline MacMillan ● 6637d

Blimey, do they really "restrict the number of chain stores operating" in Chiswick ?  I wasn't aware of that...or even that it was possible; does Hounslow restrict chain stores by rejecting their planning requests ?

Andrew Broadbent ● 6637d

Good to see lots of interest in this area. In response to my, perhaps hasty, comment on chain store restrictions in Chiswick, I have no proof of this. I seem to remember reading an article about residents objecting and successfully stopping the opening of yet another coffee chain. Doing a search on the web, other areas such as Portobello and Primrose Hill also have strong residents pressure groups who stop chain stores. I am unsure what authority the council has in this area but a quick search for "councils attract independent retails" showed some interesting results. Councils in areas such as Maidstone, Letchworth, Belfast and Manchester appear to be investing in attracting independent retailers and creating cultural and artistic centres to enhance the area. I am interested to learn the views of our own local councillors on this.I am not against chain stores but I agree with Frances that we have lacklustre versions in Hammersmith. I just feel that the borough has so much to offer visitors, businesses and residents alike but King Street is a bit of a let down. Fulham has a less oppressive shopping area and we have some lovely village style shops around Brook Green and Brackenbury. If we are redeveloping the Town Hall extension, is this a good opportunity to encourage more independents into the area?

Sharon Isaac-Upton ● 6638d

Although I too would prefer more individual outlets (and in fact the small shop units of the western end of King St lend themselves more to small traders than large chains), I'm not totally against chains if they're of good enough quality.  A lot of the branches of large retailers we have in Hammersmith are small, unnatractive and just not very good, e.g. small M&S, small Dixons, scruffy WH Smith etc.  Even the coffee chains are lacklustre versions.  I also think it's a shame that the western end of King Street seems to have so many fastfood places.  It would be nice if the new development, whatever it turns out to be, incorporates some proper landscaping and attractive human space too.

Frances McAllister ● 6638d

Welcome Sharon too. Great to see another member. Don't believe there are any planning restrictions in Chiswick on chain stores  - in fact there are quite a few. Yes there appears to be more independent stores - I suspect this maybe more do with income levels or the demographic profile of the area. Barnes is pretty similar in this respect. There certainly is an increasing profileration of restaurants in the area making it more of a lesiure than a retail destination. In fact many of these are chains e.g. Chez Gerard.

John Kennedy ● 6638d

It's great to see some one new joining the online debate - welcome, Sharon! I agree that the redeveloped Lyric Square was a huge step in revitalizing the King Street area, and I think the new proposals can only lead to further improvement.Perhaps some one from the council will address the other matters you raise, or at least point you in the direction of answers, but I was curious about your assertion that "the number of chain stores operating in...Chiswick" is restricted. What proof do you have of this?When the Westfield Shopping Centre opens in Shepherd's Bush next year, it has announced that it will have several major national retailers (M&S, Next, Debenham's, Waitrose) as its anchor stores "complemented by over 265 speciality stores".While the inclusion of independent and specialist shops is obviously to be welcomed in the interest of diversity, I doubt their presence is being facilitated by excluding well-known chains such as Boots, WHSmith, Currys etc. I expect to see those names there amongst the smaller shops.I may be wrong about this, but I assume that the retail properties in Chiswick have mainly private owners who wish to attract recognized names as profitable and reliable long-term tenants. Does their council really interfere with whom private landlords may choose as their tenants, or do they in fact leave this up to market forces?

Edward Noel ● 6638d

Usually I sit quietly at my computer reading other people's views addressing my own opinions on local issues to my long suffering husband.News of the Town Hall redevelopment is exciting enough to get me to post my opinion here for the first time – there may be no stopping me now ;o).For an area that is so central, where property prices are high and the surrounding areas are even higher, it never ceases to amaze me how grim King Street is. With the number of large international companies (such as Disney, L’oreal, Coca Cola, Bechtel, Kvaerner) and the number of media/music companies (Riverside Studios, EMI, AOL, UIP) in close proximity to King Street, I would have expected the area to have a broader appeal. Admittedly, it has all the basics you’d expect from a high street but if you walk from Chiswick to Hammersmith, the most noticeable differences are (in no particular order) lack of trees; too many “chain” stores; very few attractive buildings; narrow pavements.I think the council has made a great start. The Lyric redevelopment and Lyric Square are a huge bonus to the area. Having a coffee al fresco watching the kids play by the fountain is a pleasant way to pass the morning. It is great to be able to enjoy my surroundings rather than visiting King Street to get what I need, then head home as fast as I can.My questions for those in the know are:1) How does the public get involved in the Town Hall redevelopment plan and will we be given the opportunity to comment on the submissions during the tender process? What are the proposed timelines?2) What happened to the talk of pedestrianising King Street? Did this slip off the radar or was a feasibility study carried out?3) Are we ever likely to restrict the number of chain stores operating in King Street (as they do in Chiswick) to make way for smaller, unique retailers?4) Do you have any information on what will be contained in the multiplex in Hammersmith Broadway? Is all of this information contained on a single website, ie. the residents equivalent of the BIDs business regeneration website?

Sharon Isaac-Upton ● 6639d

FrancesDidn't know it was called Beadon Road, but that is the Car Park - which is a bit of a bomb site at the moment.It never fails to amaze me quite how many cinema screens the operators can fit into one small area. The White City development will have one or two multiplexes + there's the existing ones on Shepherds Bush and Fulham as well.

Mark Loveday ● 6644d

Is that correct that there might be a cinema planned for the Hammersmith Broadway Car Park (do you mean the surface car park at the end of Beadon Road)?  I thought that site had been earmarked for a hotel - there'll be another new multiplex cinema of course at the new White City development but hopefully that might mean that they won't all just show the same films at the same times!

Frances McAllister ● 6644d

Don't forget that, unlike the town hall, people actually live in those 'monstrous' tower blocks. Impractical though they may be for families, they're also not actually that badly designed and they constitute a major instantly recognizable landmark. 'Tall' isn't automatically bad or badly designed. The Town hall on the other hand is just plain ugly no matter what way you look at it.

Frances McAllister ● 6644d

This is very much in the early stages and we are leaving our options open.The basic idea would be to demolish the extension (which because of neglect over the years needs over £10 million spent on repairs) and the careers office. That's where the piazza would go. There could be small shops and cafes around the piazza.We would then build on the car park at Nigel Playfair Avenue and make Nigel Playfair Avenue (a horrible little street) into a covered atrium.The tricky part is the western side of the site - where the cinema currently is. That is owned by a firm of developers who can evict the cinema at 3 months notice. Whatever is built here needs to improve the lot of residents in Cromwell Avenue, improve the whole of that end of King Street and of course to pay for the whole scheme including the piazza.We want to see what potential developers come up with as ideas - and unlike the last time around, we are being open and inviting in residents groups to say what they want ahead of any scheme being drawn up.  Options might include retaining a cinema (although there is going to be a big new multiplex at Hammersmith Broadway on the NCP Car Park site). A supermarket would be another option - but if we don't like what is proposed we simply won't go ahead with it. We will have to see what developers can make work and what they propose.

Mark Loveday ● 6645d

I don't think anyone will miss such a hideous building. It would be great if those monsterous poorly designed tower blocks above the shopping centre in Shepherd's Bush were  also subject to the wrecking ball.

John Kennedy ● 6645d

Tearing down the brutal sixties extension at HTH is something I've long dreamed of, but never thought would happen.It's nice to know that the council headcount is diminishing (thus reducing the council tax burden), and the new scheme sounds like it would revitalize the King Street shopping experience.I don't see why the mixed usage could not be achieved - just include a little bit of this and a little bit of that! Sounds good to me.

Edward Noel ● 6645d