Westfield is a new dawn for W12
by Hammersmith and Fulham Press Office
31/10/2008
Britain’s newest cathedral to consumer capitalism has opened after more than two decades of planning and building work.
Benefits for H&F residents:
» A £200 million boost to public transport in the area
» £4 million for Britain’s first 24/7 beat policing squads
» A £3 million re-vamp for Shepherds Bush Green
» A brand new 21st Century Shepherds Bush Library
» 78 new affordable homes
Europe’s biggest inner city shopping centre – Westfield London – was opened by the Mayor of London who described the £1.7 billion development as a ‘wonderful vote of confidence in London’.
Westfield’s founder, Frank Lowy, and Hammersmith & Fulham Council’s Leader, Councillor Stephen Greenhalgh, were also on hand to unveil the mega-mall.
The enormous shopping centre, in Shepherds Bush, is the size of 30 football pitches and boasts 265 shops, 50 food outlets, an undulating glass roof that could cover Wembley Stadium and the first new Underground station to be built on an existing line in 70 years.
Thousands of eager bargain hunters flocked to see X Factor winner Leona Lewis perform at the star-studded grand opening last week. As she belted out her hits, including Better In Time, Forgive Me and Bleeding Love, a vast crowd gathered.
She told them: “I'm so excited to be here because, I don't know about you guys, but I'm a bit of a shopaholic and I'm performing back in London, which I'm really excited about. So this is the perfect venue for me.”
Dannii Minogue, Erin O'Connor, Gary Lineker, Sugababes, Twiggy, and Yasmin Le Bon were also on hand to open some of the key stores and ensure the launch went with a bang.
The developer, Australian company Westfield, hopes to attract more than 21 million people a year, or 60,000 a day. The anchor tenants – Marks & Spencer, Debenhams, Next, House of Fraser and Waitrose – are in place and are already reporting healthy sales.
Cllr Greenhalgh said: “This is a new dawn for White City. The face of W12 will never be the same again. We will use this fantastic shopping centre as a catalyst to regenerate the wider area and improve the lives of local people further.”
The level of service catering for visitors is unprecedented. Westfield London has valet parking for 220 cars, the centre staff speak 14 languages, goods can be delivered to your car or home, there are 700 wi-fi points and small children will be issued with electronic tags so they can be located instantly should they get lost. The centre has also defied the recession by filling more than 98 per cent of its retail space.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, described the mall as a ‘fantastic achievement’ which would persuade people to come to the shops, despite the credit crunch.
The Mayor also unveiled £200 million worth of new transport infrastructure, including new overground and underground stations, upgrades at two other underground stations and a bus terminal due to open next month.
Mr Johnson said: “The new Wood Lane station and the connection to the London Overground network will radically improve the transport links for people in west London, who have been crying out for better connections for years.
“As well as public transport, there are four new cycle routes, 570 secure cycle parking spaces and upgraded pedestrian access.”
Already thousands of construction jobs have been created by the complex. Now another 7,000 jobs – with 1,000 for local residents – will prove very popular during the credit crunch induced recession. W12 is one of the most deprived parts of London and the council believes that Westfield can act as a catalyst to regenerate the wider area.
Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh, H&F Council Leader, said: “Regenerating our most deprived areas is part of the vision to make H&F the Borough of Opportunity. The estates around White City contain some of the biggest pockets of deprivation in London with twice the average levels of unemployment and a third of households earning less than £20,000. The council wants to use major development opportunities to improve the lives of local people.”
Despite the significant improvements already achieved the council wants more and is lobbying Transport for London (TfL) to ease traffic congestion in the area. As a start, TfL have informed the council that improvements with be made to the junction of Fulham Palace Road and Hammersmith Broadway – one of the most congestion north/south routes in the borough.
Cllr Greenhalgh continues: “It is true that you cannot build something this big – with all of these improvements – without causing some disruption. The council has done all it can to limit the noise and disruption caused by Westfield’s builders. We have also worked hard to ease congestion in the area and now need TfL to do their bit by freeing up north/south routes and improving traffic light phasing.”
The council has also vowed to protect parking bays on residential streets for residents and their visitors, not Westfield shoppers or staff.
Cllr Greenhalgh added: “We will monitor the parking situation around Westfield for a few weeks to allow things to settle down and for parking patterns to emerge. If at this stage residents locally demand urgent changes, we are prepared to cut through the time-consuming pre-consultation and in-depth surveys and act swiftly to put residents’ interests first.
“We will respond responsibly and flexibly to parking issues around Westfield but one thing is for sure, Shepherds Bush will not become a Westfield car park.”
