Hammersmith and Fulham Council rejects community bid to protect Shepherd's Bush Market

Highlights

• Hammersmith and Fulham Council have refused to list the 110-year-old market as an asset of community value.
• The market serves diverse communities with African, Caribbean, and Asian goods including traditional foods and hijabs.
• Major redevelopment plans approved in 2023 will see construction begin in early 2026.

Hammersmith and Fulham Council has rejected a community group's application to protect Shepherd's Bush Market as an asset of community value (ACV), dealing a blow to efforts to preserve the historic multicultural marketplace.

Friends of Shepherd's Bush Market applied for ACV status earlier this year, hoping to safeguard the site's future amid concerns over approved redevelopment plans by developer Yoo Capital. The group sought community ownership of the market, which has served diverse communities since opening in 1914.

The council cited three reasons for refusal, primarily stating the application "fails to demonstrate why the markets are considered to be 'social interests' and not standard retail services." Officials also noted the inclusion of operational land belonging to Transport for London and discrepancies in the application documents.

---

Community response deepens

The market, located between Goldhawk Road and Uxbridge Road, is renowned for its variety of traditional foods used in African, Caribbean, Asian and other minority ethnic dishes, along with goods such as haberdashery and hijabs.

The Friends' application referenced Greater London Authority research highlighting the market's significant social value.

Atila Kirilov, a market tenant representing the Friends, expressed disappointment that the council "has sided with billionaire developers over market traders and the local community."

He stated that, where the council has failed, Friends of Shepherd's Bush Market will continue to bring traders and community members together to safeguard the culture, diversity and social value of our historic market.

However, the Shepherd's Bush Market Tenants' Association, which claims to represent a majority of traders, dismissed the application as "another PR stunt" designed to delay much-needed regeneration.

Yoo Capital's redevelopment plans, approved in December 2023, include new stalls, 40 council homes, a nine-storey commercial building, and aesthetic improvements. The developer confirmed construction will begin in early to mid-2026.

Green Party London assembly member, Zoë Garbett backed the Friends, saying "London councils must prioritise communities over developers and properly engage with local people who use and depend on these spaces."

LDRS (Local Democracy Reporting Service)