Q: Have residents been involved in developing the programme?
A: Yes, we have held more than 100 meetings, workshops and drop-ins with local stakeholders to develop the plans which attracted over 2,200 attendees, where residents assisted in the design process whilst telling us their priorities for the area and the facilities they would like to see included.
Residents can continue to get involved as we approach planning submission, and residents are currently involved in the selection of the main contractor for the programme.
Q: How has resident feedback influenced the plans?
Residential buildings
• The council increased the amount of social housing from 50-60% of affordable homes following local feedback. Unit mix responds to local housing needs.
• Buildings have been designed to blend in by using similar tones of brick and architectural detailing.
• The approach to height informed by resident feedback to reduce impact on daylight.
• The location of the buildings is designed to work in harmony with existing elements of landscape and trees retained where possible.
Community buildings
• Community buildings have been designed without housing above and with connection to key outdoor spaces.
• Addition of community café, teaching kitchen and workshop space based on local feedback.
• Feedback gathered from all onsite operators enabled their priorities to be incorporated so that services can continue to operate in spaces suited to their needs.
• More storage has been incorporated in the hub building and on the rooftop. Iterative changes to distinct spaces has been made with operators, prioritising flexibility and mix-sized spaces. Considerations around access, overlooking and internal intercoms/reception system have been updated based on feedback.
• Inclusion of changing places facility, and accessible water tap near entrance based on feedback from local disabled people.
Landscape
• Parking removed from Bridget Joyce Square.
• Green, active and open routes improving connectivity - paths straightened following feedback about safety.
• Increased connections to nature, with community garden and nature garden, edible landscape and community growing.
• Boundaries reduced whilst making key spaces safe for children
• Play on the way and adventure play emphasised and increase in publicly accessible open space.
• Landscape features co-designed with young people and residents including:
- Playground designs inspired by local children’s ideas.
- Stage, social spaces and seating.
- Public art in enhanced public square with space for markets.
- Tree and sensory plant species including edible planting.
- Improved outdoor gym area where style of equipment and surfacing chosen based on local gym users feedback.
Ask us a question:
If you would like to get in touch, please email us at WhiteCityCentral@lbhf.gov.uk
Meet the team
Hammersmith & Fulham Council
The council officers leading on the project
Mae Architects
The architects researching and designing the new spaces
Farrer Huxley
The landscape architects working on outdoor and play spaces
FAQs
Aims of the project
Q: What are we planning to build on this site?
A: As part of Hammersmith & Fulham council’s strategy to ensure 3,000 new energy-efficient affordable homes are built or underway over the next four years, we are planning to redevelop the site to provide much-needed new homes in the borough, as well as future-proof community facilities and play spaces.
The project will:
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provide 253 new homes, a new nursery, a new community hub, and new play spaces including a public, open-access adventure playground
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be self-financing to avoid putting pressure on council taxpayers
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support a thriving neighbourhood with high-quality communal outdoor space, and
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be built to the latest sustainability and accessibility standards
The homes will have 1-4 bedrooms. The number and size of social rent homes has been designed based on local housing needs.
Q: Are any existing Council homes being demolished?
A: No existing council blocks will be demolished. The project is looking to build new homes and re-provide new community facilities in the area between India Way and Canada Way. The only residential property that would be demolished is the former Randolph Beresford caretaker's house. The former caretaker has been rehoused and the property is currently vacant.
Q: Are private developers involved in the programme?
A: No, the council is the lead developer of the scheme and there are no private developers who will benefit from the programme. No private developers will be involved at any point.
We will not be selling any land; the council will always remain the freehold owner of the site and will manage all the affordable homes along with the maintenance of communal and external areas.
Q:How much will the project cost and how is it paid for?
A: Subject to planning, the council will invest more than £140million to develop and deliver the White City Central project. In the long term, the project will pay for itself by making some of the homes available to buy.
Some of this money will come from a grant from the Mayor of London to pay for genuinely affordable housing. Some funding the council can access from the sale of other homes in the borough to invest in your community.
By including some homes for sale in the scheme, we can deliver new council housing and community facilities without any impact on rents, service charges, or council tax rates in the borough.
Q: How much affordable housing is part of the development?
A: The tenure mix of the new homes will meet the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham’s Local Plan and at least 50% of the homes will be affordable.
60% of these affordable homes will be for social rent levels and the remaining 40% will be shared ownership.
A local lettings policy will prioritise social housing for residents of the estate in housing need. This will be developed about 12 months before completion of the scheme.
The number of social homes increased from 50-60% of affordable homes following local feedback.
Q: Why are some of the new homes for sale as part of the development?
A: There is a pressing need for affordable housing across the borough. To avoid putting pressure on other front-line services, the council’s housing developments are planned to be self-financing. This means that the sale of the private housing on the site, will fund the cost of building the affordable homes. We will continue to look at the costs of this development and if it is possible the amount of affordable housing could be increased. Private and affordable homes will look the same and will be mixed across the site.
Q: What is Social Rent?
A: ‘Social rent’ is a category of genuinely affordable housing. It is calculated by using 30% of the property's relative value (based back to 1999), 70% of the relative local income levels (based back to 1999) and applying a weighting based on the number of bedrooms so that smaller properties will have lower rents. Social rent homes will be prioritised to local residents in housing need using a local lettings policy to be developed 12 months before project completion.
Q: What is Shared ownership and how does it work?
A: Shared Ownership allows people with household income below £90k p/a to buy a share of a newly-built home and pay rent on the remainder. You can buy between 10% and 75% of the property and you can buy more shares over time to reduce rent paid. If you sell the property, you’d keep the percentage of property’s current value that you own.
Q: How do I find out more about getting a new home?
A: It is not yet possible to register specifically for any proposed affordable homes. If the project gets planning permission the earliest any homes would be available is 2027.
The council have committed to a local lettings policy that would prioritise local residents on the housing register for any social housing built in the central area of white city estate. The policy will be developed with residents after planning permission approximately 1 year prior to homes being completed.
Finding out if you are eligible for the housing register:
For further information and to apply to join the Housing Register:
https://www.lbhf.gov.uk/housing/housing-register
Housing Advice Tel no: 020 8753 4198 (Option 1, Option 1)
Affordable Ownership in Hammersmith and Fulham
Finding out more information about Shared ownership in the borough through the Home Buy team:
https://www.lbhf.gov.uk/housing/finding-home/buying-home
Home Buy run an appointment only service. Arrange an appointment with a Home Buy Officer on 020 8753 6464 or email h&fHomebuy@lbhf.gov.uk
Q. How tall are the proposed buildings?
A: The Community Hub and Nursery are 1-2 storeys high. These are proposed next to St Johns xxiii primary school and opposite Cornwallis house.
The residential blocks will be 5-6 storeys high. The heights of the new buildings will be five storeys around the edge to match the existing height of Denham, Champlain, Evans and Mackay House. The six storey buildings will be located toward the centre of the site.
Other options were explored however they would have led to a loss of trees, less open space, or that the community buildings had residential above them.
Q: Will there be any overlooking onto neighbouring properties or an impact on daylight?
A: The buildings have been designed to minimise overlooking the neighbouring property by:
· Having distances of between 18-23m from the nearest buildings, which is the same as the distance between other buildings on the estate
· Positioning balconies and trees to minimise overlooking neighbouring properties, especially those nearest the Nursery/School.
· Giving a great amount of consideration to the impact on daylight/sunlight on neighbouring homes during the design of the development.
The massing and form of the building has been directly influenced by following BRE (British Research Establishment) daylight and sunlight guidance for an urban area. A Rights of Light Surveyor has been appointed to test the massing throughout the design process and ensure it falls within the BRE guidance. A report will be publicly accessible as part of the planning application submission.
Q: Will there be parking provided on the site?
A: In line with planning policy the development will be mainly car-free and there will only be 27 parking bays for blue badge holders. New residents will not be able to apply for resident parking permits.
There will be 3 parking spaces provided for the community hub staff and 3 for visitors and 3 for the nursery.
19 Existing parking spaces opposite Denham house and Mackay House affected by the development will be re-provided like for like.
Q: What will happen to the existing community facilities?
A: A new forest school nursery will be provided for Randolph Beresford. Pending Management agreements with the council, all other in-use community facilities (White City Community Centre, The One O’clock Club, Family Annexe, The Housing Office, The Play Association) will be provided with a space within a new community hub. The new facilities have been designed based on the needs of these local organisations and their feedback on the proposals.
During construction Randolph Beresford Nursery will remain where they are and the former health centre will be replaced by a temporary modular community hub whilst the new space is built. Some services will relocate off-site during construction.
Q: Why are some services being brought together into one building?
A: The central area contains a number of currently, and historically well-loved community facilities and play areas. Some of these have fallen into disrepair, or are disused and it is increasingly hard for the council to fund these services separately.
Bringing organisations together under one roof makes it more efficient and affordable for the council to sustain services. It also makes it easier for the community to know how to access services. It also creates enough space on the site to build more, much-needed homes.
Q: Which services will be in the same building? How will this work?
A: The Community Hub has been designed based on the feedback and needs of the following existing service providers:
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White City Community Centre
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The One O’clock Club
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Randolph Beresford Family Annexe
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North Area Housing Office and LET team
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Services operating out of the Adventure Playground Building:
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H&F Play Association’s Anthony Liliths project
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Harrow Youth Club
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These buildings are all currently owned and maintained by the council and they commission or fund many of services that take place within them. The new spaces in the Community Hub respond to what is currently available but have also been designed with flexibility to accommodate other activities and uses in the future.
The management approach for this building will be decided in consultation with residents and service providers.
Q: Currently there is a lot of outside/ play space in the central area, how is that being re-provided?
A: In order to build new homes there is an unavoidable loss of outside space. We have designed the open spaces to work hard for both people and nature and new high-quality spaces for play, activities, and planting have been provided in a way that makes them more accessible to the community.
As well as dedicated spaces for play, by creating a playable landscape and new north-south routes through courtyards the design will see an increase of 3075m2 in publicly accessible outside space.
Q: How will we address the lack of play provision during construction and before new youth spaces like Ed City are finished?
We are planning to undertake a survey of the existing play spaces as part of the next stage to see which elements would be feasible to be re-used. Then there would be a potential to consult with residents to understand which of the elements they would like to retain and also where best to place them. This might be where the existing play areas currently are or somewhere else on the estate, subject to further consultation and review.
We would also need to consider the safety aspect of moving the play elements and balance this against potential investment into new play elements during construction which then could become permanent and how best to integrate temporary/pop-up play spaces – all of this would require further consultation to ensure we get this right.
Q: Will you be retaining the trees on the site?
A: There are currently 117 trees on site. Surveys have been carried out on these trees and based on their quality, life expectancy and the impact of construction we hope to be able to retain 27 of these. The exact number of retained trees is subject to further ground surveys.
We know how important trees are to local people and will be planting 212 new trees on site, including larger, more mature trees. In line with Hammersmith & Fulham commitments we will be planting a further 253 trees in the local area.
Q: How will these new spaces be maintained?
A: The exact maintenance plan is still being finalised. The majority of maintenance will be done by the council’s Housing department, and their landscaping contractor Idverde as well as the council’s Parking team. Randolph Beresford will also maintain their spaces.
There will be opportunities for community involvement in community planting projects and Phoenix Farm/Soup for Lunch have been consulted about future involvement.
Q: What about the issue of anti-social behaviour in the area? What have you done to ensure this development doesn’t make it worse?
A: With residents help, input from local law enforcement and secure-by-design officers we have been able to design the scheme to address the issue of anti-social behaviour; examples of this include:
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Having an open plan estate entrance and straight pathways with low level planting to prevent there being any blind spots
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Good, consistent and well-designed lighting throughout the development to enhance natural surveillance at night
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Large window spaces with ‘active frontages’ overlooking outside areas to create further natural surveillance
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Landscaping to prevent 'rat runs' by scooters
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New outdoor spaces with play and exercise elements to provide a range of activities for all
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The scheme will be built to achieve the Secure By Design silver standard.
Q: How long will the building take?
A: Subject to planning permission, construction work will happen in 2 phases over approximately four years. We are aiming to start in Autumn 2025 and complete in 2029.
Q: How will you ensure that the noise is minimised during the building stage?
A: Construction will take place in line with Hammersmith & Fulham council’s code of conduct.
Once we appoint a contractor, they will have to produce a construction management plan, which will carefully consider the reduction of the impact of noise and dust on neighbours.
The resident-led Construction Working Group will be involved in the selection of the main contractor who will build the new homes and facilities. Once the contractor is appointed, we will organise an event so that residents can meet the contractor and ask them any questions about how they will minimise disruption for neighbours during the construction.