Protect Shepherd's Bush Market!

Shepherd's Bush Market is under grave threat. Redevelopment plans by billionaire developers Yoo Capital would push out traders and destroy the markets' diversity and character.

Hammersmith and Fulham Council approved the plans. But we are fighting back. We are preparing a legal challenge against the Council.

We need your help to raise legal funds.

What are the redevelopment plans for Shepherd's Bush Market?

Yoo Capital, a multibillion property development firm registered in the tax haven of Jersey, plan to overload Shepherd's Bush Market with a 9 storey office building.

The plans involve pushing traders onto precarious contracts, allowing the landlord to greatly increase rent and other financial costs. This would push independent traders, many of whose families have traded for generations, out of the market.

Shepherd's Bush Market is one of London's oldest and most important markets. For 110 years it has served a crucial role for local people, providing a wide range of affordable goods and acting as the heart of our community. The development plans would not only push out traders but destroy the diversity and character of the market.

The development aims to exploit the Old Laundry Site land adjacent to the market, with a commercial building that will dwarf other buildings in the local area. The plans fail to meet local council and GLA carbon reduction targets and fail to provide any community benefit to the people of Shepherd's Bush.

Already, traders including Meron Gwiggner, who ran a beloved children's book store in the market, have been pushed out and the market deliberately run down by developers.

For two years the local community have fought back, with over 2000 Londoners signing our petition, 3000 writing to the Mayor of London, and market traders opposing the plans. In recent months, traders and community members have united to form Friends of Shepherd's Bush Market. We are the leading collective representative group of market traders and aim to protect the long-term future of our market as a diverse and affordable community space for local people.

Have the plans been approved?

In December, Hammersmith and Fulham Council narrowly voted to approve the plans by 3 votes to 2. The standard process is that the plans are referred to the Mayor of London, who then has 14 days to consider objections and make a decision. This week we received the news the Mayor has given the plans his approval. However, the Mayor only notified the public the application had been referred after a decision made, making a mockery of democratic process.

However, there are still conditions that need to be met before any development can start, including market traders signing new lease agreements. Every planning application is also subject to the potential for legal challenge. This is something we may consider looking into. Gaining initial planning consent is only a first step to a redevelopment going ahead and the fight is far from over.

Regardless of the outcome, our campaign to protect traders and the long term future of Shepherd's Bush Market as a diverse and affordable community space for local people will continue.

Why are we fundraising?

Friends of Shepherd's Bush Market is a grassroots local campaign with no funding. We are up against billionaire developers. We need funds to mount a legal challenge.

We are working with the Public Interest Law Centre who specialise in public law and holding local authorities to account. We plan on submitting a claim for a judicial review at the High Court if Hammersmith and Fulham Council refuse to squash the planning permission. Read more about our legal challenge here.

All funds will be spent directly on our campaign and managed in a transparent way by the Friends of Shepherd's Bush Market committee. The committee is composed of 5 long standing market traders and 4 community members.

We thank you in advance for your support.

Read more

Follow the campaign