Chelsfield has been given the final go-ahead by Hammersmith and Fulham council for its £1.5bn White City scheme (pictured).
The scheme will include 1m sq ft of retail, car parking and transport facilities, including an extra London Underground station.
Nigel Hugill, Chelsfield’s managing director, said: “The decision means that we can now build it all in one go. But the most heartening thing is the change of opinion. It appears that people now recognise that the scheme will be a spur for further regeneration in the area by opening up the whole channel between Wormwood Scrubs and Shepherds Bush Green.”
The BBC is thought to have decided to redevelop its premises at White City partly because of the Chelsfield retail scheme. Construction will begin on the site in April 2002 and is likely to continue until late 2006, with the realignment of London Underground’s Central line expected to take two years.
The retail centre, compared to Covent Garden by Chelsfield, has been the subject of opposition, including a judicial review called forby the Council for the Protection of Rural England, since plans were first presented to the council in March 1999.
EGi News 14/11/01
