A year in the shadow of Westfield

By Tom Bishop
BBC News, London

Traffic fears as Westfield opens

The giant £1.7bn Westfield London shopping mall in Shepherds Bush has proved more popular than expected, despite launching during the recession one year ago. Were fears about its impact on the local community justified?

Westfield London opened to huge fanfare at the end of October 2008, as mayor Boris Johnson cut the ribbon to what was billed as Europe's largest inner city shopping mall.

Containing 275 shops and 50 places to eat, the west London mall has also held concerts and fashion shows, sold more than 100,000 glasses of champagne and launched the latest range of eyelashes by pop group Girls Aloud.

It has welcomed an estimated 23 million visitors, 15% more than developers anticipated, despite opening during what has become the longest UK recession in history.

"We are very proud of what has been achieved in the first year," said a spokeswoman for Westfield Development, the firm behind the mall.

But unlike many other large shopping malls such as Bluewater in Kent or Lakeside in Essex, Westfield London is in the middle of a city - a fact that raised concern among some people living and working in Shepherds Bush.

The extra trade suddenly fell away Jamie Bishop, Jumbuck's pie shop

A year ago residents and traders told BBC London they feared the mall would create traffic and parking problems on what were already the busiest roads in London.

Nevertheless, there was optimism that it would create numerous local jobs and that the millions of shoppers coming to Westfield would also boost takings at other Shepherds Bush stores and restaurants. How do those residents and traders feel now?

"It was fantastic when Westfield first opened, the area was mobbed and our sales went right up," says Jamie Bishop, manager of Jumbuck's pie shop on Shepherds Bush Green.

"But after four weeks the bus stops near our shop were moved, so they are now right next to Westfield. The extra trade suddenly fell away."

Mr Bishop says it has been a big disappointment that Westfield "missed the chance" to bring more customers to the district's existing shops and market.

Westfield was accused of being 'closed off' from the rest of the area

Shepherds Bush Labour MP Andrew Slaughter says many of his constituents feel the same way.

"Westfield has built the shopping mall like a fortress, closed off from the rest of the area," Mr Slaughter says.

"The public transport infrastructure has been designed to ferry people directly into Westfield then straight out again, rather than to Shepherds Bush itself."

He admits Westfield did not bring the volume of extra traffic he anticipated, although Mr Slaughter says the mall has exacerbated a "huge" problem residents have with finding parking spaces.

"It seems as if Westfield just landed here of its own accord and was granted everything it wanted by Hammersmith and Fulham Council," Mr Slaughter says. "The people were left out of the equation."

The Conservative-run council disagrees, saying Westfield London was part of a regeneration project that brought real benefits to the community.

'Tough negotiations'

These include 78 new homes and 24-hour policing, plus a library within the mall and a planned £3m revamp for Shepherds Bush Green funded by Westfield Development.

"This is all as a result of tough council negotiations," a council spokesman said.

Westfield London has created a total of 7,000 jobs, he added. When asked how many of these went to local residents, the spokesman said the number was "close to the 1,000 mark".

Council leader Stephen Greenhalgh says: "We have done everything possible to get as many local jobseekers into the jobs created by Westfield London."

Westfield Development also invested £200m in public transport, including a new overground rail station, a new Tube station and the refurbishment of Shepherds Bush Tube station.

Westfield has funded a £3m future revamp of Shepherds Bush Green

Hope James lives in a Georgian terraced cottage at Shepherds Bush Place, directly behind Westfield London.

Last year she was seeking compensation for noise and disruption caused during the mall's construction.

"Noise is still a problem," she says. "My neighbours can't sleep at night because of the noise of people at Westfield, and they can't install double glazing because these are listed buildings."

Ms James blames poor mall signposting for an increasing number of people driving down Shepherds Bush Place, and says some visitors urinate in her street because a public toilet planned at Westfield's entrance has not been built.

"We would prefer Westfield not to be here at all," Ms James says.

"We were sweet-talked into thinking Westfield would make things a lot better for us, when in fact it has become much worse."

Westfield Development declined to answer questions raised by BBC London.

People living and working in Shepherds Bush hope any problems associated with the mall will be resolved in the coming year, when Westfield London is due to be enhanced with a gym and cinema.

Westfield Development is also looking to the future. In 2011 Westfield London will be followed by Westfield Stratford, a 1.9 million square feet development in east London, promoted as the "largest urban shopping centre in Europe".