- Jeffrey BOATENG 75
- Andrew Timothy DONALD British National Party 45
- Andrew ELSTON UK Independence Party (UKIP) 122
- Jamie McKITTRICK Conservative Party 251
- Max SCHMID The Labour Party Candidate 1419
- Chris WHITTAKER Liberal Democrats 209
Labour win safe seat shocka!
Labour have retained the Wormholt &White City Ward with an epic landslide not uncommon in these parts. The results of the ballot, in which a woefully low 24.7% of voters took part, were:
£90m ‘cash injection’ saves Charing Cross Hospital
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| Charing Cross Hospital: Saved |
NHS North West London (NHS NWL) will formally announce its plans for the future configuration of hospitals and A&E services in the area on Tuesday February 19 but ahead of that, the council has revealed that it has secured a major U-turn on proposals that would have seen the effective closure of Charing Cross Hospital.
Hammersmith Hospital in our part of the borough, however, is not mentioned once in the Council's euphoric press release announcing the breakthrough. Which it undoubtedly is for the people of Fulham, but it does rather appear as if the north of the borough - where life expectancy is up to eight years shorter - has lost out again.
Tonight (February 7) NHS NWL confirmed to North West London's Joint Health and Overview Scrutiny Committee that the previous proposal to designate Charing Cross a 'local hospital' has been ditched in favour of it being designated as a 'Specialist Health and Social Care' hospital with cancer and teaching specialisms retained.
Councillor Marcus Ginn, Cabinet Member for health and social care at H&F Council said:
"The massive opposition from local people to the original proposals has forced NHS managers to rethink their plans."
"The £90million cash injection now proposed by the NHS would secure the hospital's future for generations to come and the top priority was always to save Charing Cross and the services so many of our residents rely on.Under the original plans to demote Charing Cross to a 'local hospital' the footprint would have been reduced to 4,300 square metres. The new recommendation would mean that the newly rebuilt hospital is four times larger.
"In return, we have agreed to halt our legal challenge to the NHS proposals as all but the most complex emergencies will continue to be treated at Charing Cross. We believe that we have secured the best possible deal for our residents."
Charing Cross will now also become a specialist centre for community services which means that the many thousands of older and chronically ill patients, who need regular visits to hospital, will have less far to travel. It will mean local people will be better supported to live independently at home and will relieve some of the pressure on already over-stretched GP practices that downgrading Charing Cross would have caused.
This is a major victory for our Council - and I congratulate them. They genuinely seem to have pulled off something that appeared extremely unlikely and have done so just as the political unity that was a feature of the local opposition to the cuts had fractured. People from the north of the borough use the services there too so I am not being churlish in raising the white elephant in the room - which is Hammersmith Hospital.
Cllr Ginn in his quote tonight rather lets the cat out of the bag when he says quite openly: "the top priority was always to save Charing Cross".
I set out here back in June how the Council's campaign always gave me the impression of being more concerned with the fate of Charing Cross rather than Hammersmith Hospital, and I get the impression from talking to officials there this evening that they regard their campaign as essentially over. What remains to be seen is what the residents campaign now decide to do.
Stick, or twist?
2255 UPDATE - Wow. I think there may be a problem. I have just seen an exchange between the office of Andy Slaughter MP and the Business Director of NHS NW London,Lynne Spencer. As far as they are concerned, and I quote: "nothing has been decided." The decision, according to them, "has not been made".
A full answer will be forthcoming tomorrow, I understand.
0920 FRIDAY UPDATE - It gets curiouser. The residents campaign to save both hospitals is this morning smelling a very large rat. Not only does NHS NW London apparently say there is no deal, but the one being trumpeted by the Council, according to the campaigners involves cutting the 500 beds currently there to just 60. They allege the Council is putting spin before the facts, and vow not to be hoodwinked. Unraveling..
Meanwhile, the local Council-funded Chronicle are reporting that the campaign was "led by the Council", which ignores the fact that it wasn't, and simply announces that the hospital is "saved". No questions asked. Simples. Naffink to see 'ere Guv. Move along now.
By contrast even Conservative MP Greg Hands, who campaigned for Charing Cross to be closed in order to save neighbouring Chelsea & Westminster hospital, is less sure:
Future of TVC unveiled
Property developer Stanhope and the BBC have today launched their vision and outline proposals to open up and transform Television Centre into a mixed use development including office and studio space for the BBC, complementary entertainment and leisure facilities, public open space, offices, housing and a hotel.
For the first time, Television Centre will be opened up to the public and the famous forecourt remodelled and enlivened by new retail, leisure and entertainment uses and access through the site providing connectivity with the local area, including Hammersmith Park. The BBC will remain at Television Centre operating studios and BBC Worldwide will consolidate their new home at Television Centre, following refurbishment. The remaining offices are aimed at occupiers in the creative sector providing new employment opportunities and there will be a variety of public uses, including a cinema, health club, restaurants and cafes, which will benefit the local community. The much loved listed buildings at Television Centre will be retained.
David Camp, chief executive of Stanhope Plc, said:
“Stanhope is working in partnership with the BBC to deliver a publicly accessible mixed use remodelling of these iconic buildings and redevelopment of the adjoining land. The BBC will continue to have a significant presence at Television Centre and we will be bringing new life into the site with new public routes, spaces and uses. We will be introducing a vibrant and exciting mix of new retail, leisure, office and residential uses whilst keeping and enhancing the famous original BBC buildings and retaining key operational BBC studio and office facilities on site. Television Centre will be a great place to live, work and visit.”Paul Monaghan, Director of Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, said:
“We are delighted to be working with Stanhope and the BBC on the redevelopment of the historic Television Centre in West London. This unique opportunity will see the creation of a masterplan which will open up this much loved site, and the iconic buildings set within it, to the public for the first time and reconnect it with the surrounding neighbourhoods. We look forward to developing the exciting proposals as the project moves through planning and onto site.”‘Studios 1-3’ will be refitted as ‘state of the art’ studio space and will continue to be operated by BBC Studios and Post Production (S&PP), together with opening up the site, and the audience experience will be greatly enhanced
BBC Worldwide’s new headquarters will be housed in a refurbishment of the ‘Stage 6’ building fronting Wood Lane, with the internal works designed by HOK
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| Click on the pic for a detailed overview of the site |
The ‘inner ring’ of Television Centre will be refurbished to provide space for a hotel and residential apartments
The current ‘Stage 4 and 5’ buildings will also be refurbished to provide speculative office space, targeted at being a new media or creative hub for businesses in the area.
The ‘Drama Block’, ‘Restaurant Block’ and Multi Storey Car Park on Wood Lane will be replaced with new residential buildings and townhouses and the ‘East Tower’ will be replaced with a more slender and appropriately positioned residential building
A ‘Village Green’ of town houses for families with private rear gardens will be created to the south of the site
There will be approximately 1,000 new residential units and townhouses in total, including affordable housing and car parking, and all the housing will benefit from new open spaces and courtyards in the development as well as access to Hammersmith Park
New built residences will have the use of terraces at ground floor levels and balconies, winter gardens or roof gardens at upper levels
RIBA award winning practice Allford Hall Monaghan Morris are Stanhope’s lead architects on the project, supported by Macreanor Lavington and Duggan Morris
The scheme will aim to achieve an ‘excellent’ rating and Code for Sustainable Homes ‘level 4’ and follow sustainability best practice
The Television Centre site is 14 acres and was the former site of the 1908 Franco-British Exhibition. It officially opened in June 1960 and was designed by the architects Norman and Dawbarn and appears to be like a question mark in shape. The central ‘ inner ring’ of the building and the front flank of Studio 1 are Grade II listed as special interest and these listed elements of Television Centre will be retained and enhanced, including the instantly recognisable exterior view. The site has been expanded over the last 60 years and there are currently 1.6m sq ft of existing buildings dating from the 1950s-1990s, and operates as one building from a services point of view. The site is designated for employment, media/creative and residential uses in the GLA’s White City Opportunity Area Planning Framework which also envisaged the opening up of the site. The uses identified for Television Centre will complement the other regeneration sites in the White City Area.
Stanhope and the BBC will be holding a public exhibition on the outline plans at:
Reception BBC Television Centre, Wood Lane, W12
- 5 February 2013 14.00 – 20.00
- 6 February 2013 10.00 – 20.00
- 7 February 2013 16.00 – 20.00
- 9 February 2013 10.00 – 16.00
Boris Bikes in the Bush ... or not
Our council is spending 2 million of our very own pounds to bring Boris Bikes to our borough, but Shepherds Bush is largely forgotten.
Boris Bikes are great. They are a easy way of getting around. They are a bit heavy, but they are also quite solid. It is very liberating to be able to pick up a bike at one location and drop it off at another one, without having to worry about locks or punctures.
Cyclists are not universally popular, and there are definitely a good number of idiots amongst them, but if all cyclists would start driving cars, our streets would be totally clogged up.
All in all - a nice addition to the Hammersmith and Fulham landscape.
However, if you look carefully at the map of the extension you will notice something a bit odd.
Apart from the Green and Westfield, Shepherds Bush is almost completely forgotten. It is almost as if one of the planners cut it neatly out with her scissors. (The map is a bit hard to read, this one is much more detailed - essentially the boundaries are at Shepherds Bush Road and Glenthorne Road - look how nicely Fulham and West Kensington are going to be covered, and we are putting 3 stations in the Holland Park bit if W12)
It is really a shame. To the best of my knowledge, all inhabitants of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham are equal, but I guess some might be just a little bit more equal.
The Hammersmith and Fulham press office have explained that TFL is in charge of selecting the sites, following a consultation. The press office also added that the money was raised via “Section 106” (meaning developers paid for it). That may be so, but any money that the council spends or allocates to a project is our money. The notes of the relevant cabinet meeting do not mention the fact that a big chunk of our borough is not covered.
Which is a real shame.
Hospital unity crumbles over by-election
Bitter recriminations have been traded in recent days between former allies who came together across party lines to defend this borough’s hospitals. First Labour put out leaflets in the by-election taking place in Wormholt & White City backing their candidate and saying he would fight what they claimed were “Tory” cuts – both to hospitals and our police station.
This was then repeated by a Labour motion at last week’s Council meeting.
Responding to the motion, which of course was defeated by the Council’s large Conservative majority, Cllr Peter Graham had this to say:
"Tonight, we have seen exactly what happens when you try to work with the Opposition: they throw it back in your face".He recalled this rally when he said:
"For the sake of my hospital, I climbed onto a platform bedecked in GMB flags; in front of a hundred Socialist Worker placards; in the company of Labour MPs, Christine Blower and the Middle Eastern Workers’ Solidarity Network. There they all were, arrayed with Andrew Slaughter to the left of the stage, while, as solitary representatives on the right, it was just me... and Cllr Cowan".adding of Labour:
"their stance is the worst, shameless, knee-jerk, intellectually bankrupt, immature, hypocritical, self-indulgent examples of posturing I can recall".It’s hard to see the two tribes coming together again after that.
Why is this important? Because it is exactly what those making the decisions over which hospitals to cut want to happen. A quick glance over to Lewisham shows that when decision makers are confronted by united opposition they start to back down, whereas our own politicians have now decided to adopt the ferrets-in-sack approach instead.
It’s difficult to see what strategy lies behind H&F Labour’s decision to break ranks and attack, apart from positioning. They chose to do so over a by-election that they are already guaranteed to win, so it’s not as if their hands were forced. Those in the red corner reading this will angrily reply that the cuts are indeed a result of Government policy and they are simply calling a spade a spade.
Which is fine, except for the fact that with a unified local political opposition to them we all stood a better chance of saving the hospitals, and the lives that depend on them. That’s no longer possible, and you have to wonder at the tactical wisdom of throwing that unity away.
Future TVC plans to be unveiled ... near you
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| BBC TV Centre: At the centre of a new Bush! |
Reception BBC Television Centre, Wood Lane, W12
- 5 February 2013 14.00 – 20.00
- 6 February 2013 10.00 – 20.00
- 7 February 2013 16.00 – 20.00
- 9 February 2013 10.00 – 16.00
Shepherds Bush: Postcode of Culture 2013
In the first of the articles from the New Crew running the blog, here is an introduction from Nathalie Bristow...
We put up with a lot living in Shepherds Bush. We are judged, mocked, jeered at, driven straight through and generally overlooked by many as a postcode in our own right. Maybe people are right to simply use us a means to get to Ealing or Notting Hill or the A40? Perhaps all we are is a parking lot for Westfield?
I am here to say. No! Shepherds Bush DOES have an identity and I put it to you, members of the bloggersphere, that it is as a Cultural Centre.
Just think about it… not only have we got the obvious contenders like 02 Shepherds Bush Empire which draws in thousands a year into our patch but look harder and you can hear the hum of a thriving arts community. Bush Theatre, West London Dance Academy, Bush Hall, Ginglink, Bush Studios, Kite Studios, and writers and artists and musicians galore. I am on a mission to gather us altogether and make W12 a cultural destination.
Bush Theatre heads up my list as it is not only held up as the corner-stone of the W12 arts community (SEVERAL estate agent sites say so so it must be true) but it is also where I work. So it is from here that I will begin my quest to bring you all the best the Bush Arts Scene (yes, it will soon warrant capitals. You saw it here first) can offer.
I will eek them out and shout about them. So, all you artists and cultured folk email me at info@ministryofprojects.co.uk and I will report back here. Welcome to Bush – Postcode of Culture 2013 (or something which sound more better n’ catchy. Innit)
We put up with a lot living in Shepherds Bush. We are judged, mocked, jeered at, driven straight through and generally overlooked by many as a postcode in our own right. Maybe people are right to simply use us a means to get to Ealing or Notting Hill or the A40? Perhaps all we are is a parking lot for Westfield?
I am here to say. No! Shepherds Bush DOES have an identity and I put it to you, members of the bloggersphere, that it is as a Cultural Centre.
Just think about it… not only have we got the obvious contenders like 02 Shepherds Bush Empire which draws in thousands a year into our patch but look harder and you can hear the hum of a thriving arts community. Bush Theatre, West London Dance Academy, Bush Hall, Ginglink, Bush Studios, Kite Studios, and writers and artists and musicians galore. I am on a mission to gather us altogether and make W12 a cultural destination.
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| Bush Theatre |
I will eek them out and shout about them. So, all you artists and cultured folk email me at info@ministryofprojects.co.uk and I will report back here. Welcome to Bush – Postcode of Culture 2013 (or something which sound more better n’ catchy. Innit)
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