Project frequently asked questions

White City is changing, and we have an exciting opportunity to improve the public spaces in the area.

We want to improve the public spaces in White City to make them more welcoming, and well-used throughout the day. We also want to make it easier for people to walk and cycle between key local spaces like the Old Oak Common HS2 and Elizabeth Line stations, Shepherds Bush, Hammersmith Town Centre, and Hammersmith Hospital. We also want to improve the air quality and make sure the area can deal with climate change.

Therefore, the council is developing a strategy for the public realm in the White City Regeneration Area, which is focused on making it safer, more connected, and accessible with a clear identity. 

Hammersmith & Fulham Council will soon create a strategy for improving the streets and public spaces in White City. 

To help us do that, we are asking people about the five following themes:

• Getting around – which routes you use and how easy or difficult is it to use them;
• Quality of the area – what you consider to be important features of the streets and spaces you use, such as seating, lighting, planting, or art work; 
• Environmental matters - how quiet the spaces are, and how green they are; 
• Public places and destinations – where are the places and buildings you like to spend time at, and is the signage good enough to find them;
• Safety –  where do you feel safe and how we can improve safety in the whole area.

We don’t have fixed plans currently, they are being developed, which is why we are asking for your feedback on this currently.

The term generally means the space between buildings that the public has access to. That would include public parks, publicly owned streets, pathways, rights of way and open spaces. There are lots of these in White City, and that is what we are focused on improving.

Your feedback is extremely important, as the project team will be using it to create a draft strategy that will be consulted on in early 2024. Once the consultation period has closed, your views will be analysed, and a report will be shared publicly that summarises what was said. 

The strategy will set out short and long-term improvements that can be made to public spaces in White City that will make the area safer, more connected, and accessible, with a clear identity. The strategy will help to inform the council’s future decisions, and guide developers when they are designing spaces around their new buildings within White City, to make sure we are working together to make the area attractive, welcoming, and well-used at all times of day.

A wider programme of improvements are coming forward in the White City area, including the proposed new cycle superhighway along Wood Lane (CS34), Shepherd’s Bush Green projects; White City Central estate regeneration; initiatives to tackle congestion, station enhancements, and improvements to air quality, biodiversity, and climate adaptation.  

The area we are looking at covers the White City Regeneration Area, from Shepherd’s Bush Common to Wormwood Scrubs. Back in 2018, the council’s Local Plan identified this area as one that has exciting opportunities that could include:  

• A new development at White City East that will bring new homes and new jobs to the area. 
• A major research/academic location with shops, community, and open spaces to support it. 
• More money for Shepherd’s Bush Town Centre and the White City estates to improve the lives of people living and working there. 

This map shows you where we are looking at: 

View larger versions of the map here. 

The area has also been identified in the Mayor’s London Plan as an Opportunity Area (OA) with potential for 7,000 new homes and 2,000 new jobs by 2041. The OA was designated in 2004 and is part of the Heathrow/Elizabeth Line West Growth Corridor. See Figure 1 and 2 on this link White City Opportunity Area | London City Hall.

We will be consulting on the draft survey in Spring 2024 and will update the consultation page with the draft strategy as soon as it is ready in the Spring.

We will aim to implement any “easy win” proposals as soon as possible but it could take 5 or more years for more substantial projects.

The council will use a combination of money that comes from developers who get planning permission in the area and through grants from the Greater London Authority and central government.