Community asset application for market rejected

Shepherd's Bush Market Tenants' Association said it supported Yoo Capital's plans

A west London council has rejected an application to list Shepherd's Bush Market as an asset of community value (ACV).

Earlier this year, Friends of Shepherd's Bush Market applied for ACV status in an effort to "protect" its future, after major redevelopment plans from developer Yoo Capital were approved.

The group said ACV status would be the first step towards community ownership of the site, amid concerns that Yoo Capital intended on selling.

Yoo Capital denied plans to dispose of the market and said the redevelopment was for "preserving the market's heritage and securing its future".

The Friends and supporters believe the market redevelopment will see the area "gentrified" and the site's cultural importance diluted.

However, the Shepherd's Bush Market Tenants' Association said the Friends were holding up much-needed regeneration. Both sides said they represented traders.

Hammersmith and Fulham Council said its reasons for refusing ACV status included that the application "fails to demonstrate why the markets are considered to be 'social interests' and not standard retail services".

The council also noted the listing incorrectly included land that belonged to Transport for London.

The market could look like this once redevelopment work has been done

Atila Kirilov, a market tenant speaking on behalf of the Friends, said they were "deeply disappointed" that the council "has sided with billionaire developers".

A spokesperson for the campaign group Protect Our Places said the decision indicated "a clear disregard" for the market's economic, social and cultural role.

The Shepherd's Bush Market Tenants' Association, which said it represented the majority of traders, described the ACV application as "another PR stunt and attempt to delay and frustrate the process of moving forward".

Yoo Capital's plans for the market, which runs between Goldhawk Road and Uxbridge Road, include the introduction of new stalls, 40 council homes on the adjoining Old Laundry Yard, a nine-storey commercial building, and cosmetic works such as new entrance signs.

Yoo Capital told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the developer "intends to begin construction in early/mid 2026.

"The revival of Shepherd's Bush Market should be shaped by the market traders, their customers, the [Shepherd's Bush Market Tenants' Association] and the residents.

"Our mission is to work closely with the above groups, sharing the common goal of preserving the market's heritage and securing its future as a much-loved London destination."