BORIS Johnson said he would do ‘whatever he can’ to protect Goldhawk Road traders after he came under fire for refusing to answer their questions at a public meeting.
The mayor of London was heckled at a People’s Question Time in Hammersmith last Wednesday after he was confronted about the council’s plans to rebuild Shepherd’s Bush Market and knock down a row of shops.
But Mr Johnson, who was at Westfield the following morning to launch the western extension of the cycle hire scheme, insisted the planning application was on his radar but that it is hard for him to speak about live development cases.
He stopped short of saying he would step in and block the scheme, as he did earlier this year with the Hammersmith Town Hall regeneration, but told the Chronicle: “I will do whatever I can to protect the traders at Shepherd’s Bush Market. I was delighted we were able to protect King Street because I thought the scheme was not appropriate.”
He would not answer when asked whether he thought the Shepherd’s Bush Market scheme, backed by the council, was inappropriate.
Audrey Boughton, of the threatened Cooke’s Pie and Mash Shop in Goldhawk Road, said she was not convinced after the meeting that the mayor is on the traders’ side.
“He just didn’t seem to have been briefed about it, saying there were hardly any objections, but he was so wrong – there were 114,” she said. “He said he didn’t want to ‘bind his hands’ by talking about it, but this is a huge issue. I think he has lost votes in the borough. A lot of people were irate.”
Mr Johnson admitted he had had a rough ride at the public meeting, at which he was also confronted by protesters against the Thames Tunnel, Crossrail and the Occupy London Movement.
He said: “There was a bit of argy bargy but in general I thought it was a good meeting and a good opportunity for people to raise issues. There was a measure of agreement as to the way forward for London.”
Mr Johnson gave his support for super sewer opponents, saying the 20-mile long tunnel could ‘unnecessarily whack up water bills’ and that he ‘would not tolerate’ disruption in Carnwath Road, Fulham, one of three locations earmarked to house a main building site.
The mayor was talking alongside one of four new Boris Bike docking stations, later to become five, at Westfield. Next summer the scheme will be extended throughout Hammersmith and Fulham at a cost of up to £2million to borough taxpayers, rather than being entirely funded by sponsors Barclays.
He said: “The only other way of doing it was at taxpayers’ expense, so you either don’t do it or you do it with as much private sponsorship as you can find. The bank has helped keep costs as low as possible.”
Some 600 new docking points have been built in a new western ‘spur’ to connect Westfield with central London. An extension was also launched in Tower Hamlets, bringing the total number of points to 2,700, and 2,300 new bikes, while a redesigned saddle and bell have been added.
