Westfield London expansion plans approved
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson has approved plans to extend the Westfield London shopping centre in Shepherds Bush.
The £1 billion scheme will be anchored by a John Lewis department store and will also include new restaurants, cafes, office space, a children’s play space and a leisure complex. It is expected that the expansion will create around 6,700 permanent jobs.
The 230,000 sq ft John Lewis store will operate over four floors and offer 600 new jobs.
Tim Harrison, head of format development at John Lewis, said: “This is very positive news. We look forward to bringing our offer closer to customers in West London. We will continue to work closely with Westfield during the next design stage and towards delivery of the shop for 2017.”
The extension will also include developer Westfield Shopping Towns building 1,347 homes, 162 of which will be affordable homes with 40% of these social rented.
Johnson said: “Westfield has had a transformational impact on Shepherds Bush and White City, kickstarting widespread social and economic regeneration. This expansion will create thousands of much-needed new homes and jobs and ensure that the area remains one of West London’s leading shopping destinations for many years to come.”
The development sits within the White City Opportunity Area – one of more than 30 areas designated by the Mayor as having significant capacity for new housing, commercial and other development.
The Opportunity Area seeks to build on White City’s heritage in creative, media and entertainment industries. Other elements include the redevelopment of the former BBC Television Centre in Wood Lane and a new campus for Imperial College, Imperial West.
