THE regeneration of Hammersmith will put the town in good shape to rival Westfield as a shopping, leisure and night-time destination, a new report has claimed.
Hammersmith is riding high on a wave of investment, with massive refurbishment projects at the Lyric Theatre and the Kings Mall shopping centre, and the office blocks and public plaza at Hammersmith Grove are due to be completed in the next year.
Business Improvement District HammersmithLondon claims that for the town to thrive and ward off the double threat of London’s premier shopping centre and the recession, it needs to ensure these projects further enhance the town for residents, visitors and workers.
It is hoped that with the current developments as well as plans for Hammersmith Town Hall in the pipeline – which will include flats, council offices, a public piazza and new restaurants and shops near the bottom of King Street – the town could become a thriving night-time location.
In a report made to the transport, environment and residents select committee of Hammersmith and Fulham Council on Monday, Arun Sondhi, executive director of the organisation, said: “Hammersmith town centre faces growing pressures from both recession and competition, and the town centre will have to make more efforts to attract and improve the retail and leisure/night-time economy offer of the town centre.
“The main challenge for the area now is the need for regeneration and better utilisation of sites within the town centre.
“The proposed town hall development and £1million regeneration fund for improvements in the town hall’s vicinity should help bring long overdue and much-needed injection of funds and fresh life to the bottom end of King Street.”
Restaurants such as Nando’s and Wasabi have arrived in Hammersmith in the past year and popular fashion store H&M will front the new-look Kings Mall when it is completed this summer.
HammersmithLondon organises an annual big screen and summer festival in Lyric Square, which aims to increase footfall.
Last summer Hammersmith bucked the trend of most town centres in London by reporting an increase in trade and Mr Sodhi reiterated that improving Lyric Square was also important to strengthening the draw of the town, as was improving its green infrastructure.
