White City Community Day this Sat

BBC TV Centre: and the "creative quarter" of W12

A community day is being held in White City this Saturday (July 21st) to encourage local residents to have their say on what they would like to see happen in the neighbourhood.

White City has been granted pilot ‘Neighbourhood Budget’ status by the Government to potentially look at ways of making better use of the public money that is available for the area and to ensure residents have far more say on how that money is spent.

The former Leader of H&F Stephen Greenhalgh was set to lead this initiative, in addition to being the Deputy Mayor for Policing in London, but given the start he has made to that job the residents of White City might count themselves lucky that the law required him to stop being a Councillor and therefore he was unable to lead this project. 

‘Team White City’ is the public face of the Neighbourhood Budget showing how residents, public services and councillors of all sides are working together to look at ways of improving the area.

Poor Mans Shard and its shadow

The area is set for major changes which themselves have proved controversial with residents up in arms about proposed buildings, including the "poor mans' shard" set to overshadow the region as luxury flats are piled high. There is also confusion as to how many of the new houses set to be built will be designated affordable housing, while the Council themselves withdrew their plans for the area from the infamous planning committee at the last minute last week. 

The scale and speed of the changes was underlined this week with the confirmation of the sale of BBC TV Centre for £200 million. Many people I know in this area who work in the industry are former inhabitants of that building and now work in the many independent production companies up and down the Goldhawk Road and elsewhere in W12 doing the same jobs they were before for the BBC but for a hugely higher fee. 

But at least their invoices are processed in Salford.

Way back in 2010 we were being told the Bush was set to become a "creative quarter" once the BBC had left but I'm not sure that was quite what they had in mind. 

The community day, called ‘Open House’, is being held in conjunction with the Big Local Lottery initiative which has allocated £1 million to spend on Wormholt and White City over the next ten years and is looking for residents views on how that money should be spent.

Harry Audley, chairman of the resident-led White City Neighbourhood Forum said:

“There is a huge amount happening in the area and there has never been a better time for local residents to get involved.

“Team White City is about local residents and local community groups first and foremost and how we can help set local priorities and help face local issues and challenges.”

White City is only one of ten areas in the country to be granted pilot Neighbourhood Budget status.

Over the next month local residents will be asked their views on what services they do and do not use, what they would like to see happen and how involved they would like to be in their neighbourhood.

The Team White City/Big Local Open House will held at White City Community Centre, corner of India Way and New Zealand Way, from 12noon – 4pm.

For more details log on to www.lbhf.gov.uk/teamwhitecity