Plans for the redevelopment of Shepherds Bush market, which have been mired in legal difficulties for the past four years, highlight the challenges of winning over local communities even after early engagement.
U+I finally threw in the towel on the scheme this week, having been unable to take control of crucial land through a CPO and with the only option left an appeal to the Supreme Court.
Outline plans were originally granted in 2012 for 212 homes, a new market and 32,658 sq ft of shops.
However, local traders argued the proposals did not provide adequate safeguards for their future.
At the beginning of the process, Orion Shepherds Bush provided traders with a market charter setting out its commitments to existing traders as part of the regeneration. It consulted the traders throughout the process.
Green Party London Assembly member Sian Berry said: “The general principle of mine is that you get a better result and less painfully if you engage with people from the very start and produce plans with the community: co-production as opposed to consultation.
“You get a better quality of idea that way, higher buy-in, easier consent, and a better community at the end of it as well.”
U+I will now continue the management of the market alone, and work with local traders to improve it. Previous partners Orion Land & Leisure will no longer maintain an interest.
According to Rebekah Paczek, managing director at Snapdragon Consulting, local communities need to feel that development is being done with them, not to them.
“Social media and the internet has facilitated a much more co-ordinated and professional approach towards opposing planning applications. Developers need to catch up to this and manage it from the outset,” she said.
John Romanski, Planning Aid England manager at the RTPI says that waiting until the planning application stage is often too late.
“Involving communities at the point of inception is important,” he said.
“We do not have statutory provisions that require that in planning appeals… But that is important because if communities are involved in the process, spoken to like adults, they are more likely to accept that development.”
Timeline
2012 Plans granted for 212 homes, 32,658 sq ft retail and redevelopment of market
2012 Hammersmith and Fulham council issues CPO to facilitate plans
2014 Communities secretary Eric Pickles confirms CPO
2014 Orion Shepherds Bush formally buys main site from Transport for London
2015 Traders lose claim against the CPO, but appeal
2016 Traders win on appeal
2016 U+I abandons plans
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