Shepherd's Bush Market

“Plans to gentrify Shepherd's Bush Market have been pushed through by the Council despite overwhelming opposition locally. But the Mayor has the power to stop them. Sign the petition calling on Sadiq Khan to call-in and reject the planning application.

Yoo Capital are a multibillion real estate developer registered in a tax haven who purchased part of the market in 2020. They plan to redevelop the market by overloading it with an 8 storey office building and hugely increase rents for traders. The plans would be the end of Shepherd's Bush Market as an affordable and diverse market serving local people.

Shepherd's Bush Market is a core part of our local community and cultural heritage. As local people, the market holds a special place in our lives and memories. After 109 years of serving the local community, the character of the market is under threat. Yoo Capital's speculative development would push out many traders and communities the market serves for the sake of making profit. 

To maximise the value they extract from the site, Yoo plan to greatly increase rents for traders, put new traders on precarious short-term contracts and overshadow the market with an 8 storey office building. The proposal includes redeveloping the adjacent Old Laundry Site, with over 80% reserved for office and laboratory space, and less than 15% for council housing.

Just 7 years ago a previous redevelopment attempt was thrown out in court, with the judge stating the plans failed to 'maintain the diversity and multi-ethnic culture of Shepherd's Bush Market' and the 'affordable environment not found elsewhere in the area'. This new proposal does not adequately address this ruling.

Shepherd's Bush Market needs positive investment to support the traders, improve the infrastructure, and protect its diversity and character. Yoo Capital's plans fail to do this, leaving the railway arches in a state of disrepair and failing to secure any long term safeguards to keep rents affordable for traders.

In December 2023 Hammersmith and Fulham Council voted narrowly by 3 votes to 2 to approve the plans, failing to consider key objections and evidence. The Mayor must step in to call-in the application and reject it.

Please sign this petition to protect the diversity and character of the market, and ensure it continues to serve our local community for decades to come.”