Shepherd’s Bush is a West London neighbourhood nestled between White City and Hammersmith. Conveniently serviced by two tube stations - Goldhawk Road and Shepherd’s Bush - the area is popular amongst students and young professionals who commute into central London. With artsy cultural institutions like the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, it’s no surprise that the neighbourhood draws in so many young residents. Families looking for a more diverse and interesting pocket of west London are also attracted for that reason. If visiting on a typical weekend day, you’ll find yourself feasting over delicious Colombian food at Donde Carlos, catching a play at the Bush Theatre, or roaming the stalls at Shepherd’s Bush Market. After rounding all of this out with a cocktail at Sindercombe Social, you’ll be considering a move in as well!

Shepherd’s Bush was largely rural until the late 1700s when houses began to pop up in the area, most of which were semi-detached houses for the middle-classes. Later on, in 1864, the Hammersmith and City Railway arrived in the neighbourhood, drastically impacting the rush to develop the still semi-rural area. Shortly after, in 1900, the Central Railway’s ‘tuppenny tube’ arrived as well. By the 20th century though, the area had begun to deteriorate. The council tore down a good portion of the buildings and replaced them with blocks of flats for residents in need. Today, the area is quickly changing into an affluent inner-city neighbourhood and tourist hotspot, but still offers a good amount of affordable housing.

It’s believed that the Shepherd’s Bush neighbourhood got its name because of the many shepherds that would stop to rest at the area’s inns and fields throughout the 17th century. These shepherds would have been en route to Smithfield Market to sell their livestock.

Unfortunately, crime in this area is higher than that throughout the rest of the borough. However, most of these crimes have been classified as shoplifting or theft. Since this neighbourhood has many retail shops, it’s not unusual to see higher rates of this type of crime. Residents in the area generally feel very safe.

The renovation and redevelopment of the former Palladium, built in 1910 and once home to the Cinematograph Theatre, one of London’s earliest cinemas, was recently completed, seeing its original facade and historic aesthetic details restored, and its interior converted into apartments. An eight-storey building was constructed atop the site to accommodate the space needed for the new residences. It is also connected to the adjacent Shepherd’s Bush Pavilion Hotel.

Plans were also submitted for the regeneration of the former Shepherd’s Bush Police Station site on Uxbridge Road. These plans seek approval to demolish the existing building and provide a new development of 54 high quality homes, together with a new 300 sq m flexible commercial/community space that contributes to the commercial vitality of Uxbridge Road. Not too far off, near Westfield White City, the owner of the shopping centre has unveiled updated plans for a large complex of 9 blocks, including 46-storey tower that could become the tallest building in all of West London. Westfield wishes through this scheme to build 1,760 flats, 355 of which would be discounted from market rates (with 89 classed as “affordable” and 266 as “intermediate”). The plans have proven to be controversial considering that they only offer 20% of total housing as affordable, far below the council’s targets. The Council’s final decision on both proposals has not yet been announced, but it is clear that interest in the area’s development has not only been consistently strong, but it is also increasing.