Westfield London - major new shopping centre | Shepherd's Bush | 1.6m sq ft

[querido]

thanks bigbossman ... I will respond over on the other thread in due course (when I've got a minute).

[Trances]

Intergation is very poor with area but then its not in Westfield intrest to get in with the existing green

[querido]

Originally Posted by Trances

Intergation is very poor with area but then its not in Westfield intrest to get in with the existing green

What do you mean exactly Trances?

How – in your opinion – could integration be improved?

Hypothetically … what changes would you have made to the plan to make for better integration?




ps. I think it is in Westfield's interest to get in with the existing green.

[Justme]

Originally Posted by querido

What do you mean exactly Trances?

How – in your opinion – could integration be improved?

Hypothetically … what changes would you have made to the plan to make for better integration?




ps. I think it is in Westfield's interest to get in with the existing green.

Not having seen this development complete yet I can only guess at what he is hinting at. But one thing that comes to mind is how the exterior interacts with the surrounding neighbourhood.

Is it a walled box with the only interaction points the entrances and exits? (Which I assume from what I have seen) or does the external wall also contain shops, offices and services so that it faces humanity rather than shunning it?

[bigbossman]

basically you can easily visit the centre without visiting shepherd's bush, the train and bus stops you outside the gate, and you can drive straight off the west cross route. Most in town shopping centres integrate with their surroundings so you at least have to walk through the town centre to get to the main entrance this one doesn't at all!!

[lasdun]

Went down last weekend.

I like the Hammersmith and City line station, very good work with the original viaduct.

The place itself is, well, ghastly. It had that airless quality that British malls seem impossible to get rid of (are our ventilation standards not up to it or something?) and it displayed all the signs of a rush job, ill fitting fixtures etc. Floors seemed cheap and were allready filthy. I liked the variety of the shop fronts, and the terrace, but the blank walls on three side are unforgiveable - it's an anachronism that should not have got planning permission, and while I reserve the right to go there if it is really pissing it down, I'll stick with Oxford Street thanks!

The village was deserted, can't be long before that becomes a Primark... lots of 'chavs' and very few of the desirably 'sloanes' who seem quite happy on bond street and HSKen.

[DarJoLe]

It's quite telling of the demographic that the most successful eatery in the place is Nando's.

[querido]

Originally Posted by bigbossman

basically you can easily visit the centre without visiting shepherd's bush, the train and bus stops you outside the gate, and you can drive straight off the west cross route.

and doncha just love it? .... no 'scrotes'* and wayward 'sloanes'* looking for a goodtime on the streets of Shepherds Bush.


*no more than usual

this is a respectable area.

[bigbossman]

Originally Posted by querido

this is a respectable area.

shepherd's bush respectable...

[querido]

Originally Posted by bigbossman

shepherd's bush respectable...

.. and you’re resigned to SE18 !!


poor darling.

[bigbossman]

Originally Posted by querido

.. and you’re resigned to SE18 !!


poor darling.

touché

[Madman]

Went to the centre for the first time yesterday and for all the interest i have had in the development over the years came away quite dissapointed. in all its pretty much a standard 2 level mall with central square albeit on a larger scale than most southerners/Londoners have seen. Though there are some nice details such as the chandeliers in the village, the balcony and southern terrace the rest of the place was bog standard retail design if not handed over to the imaginations of the individual shop fitters.

On another note though, the centre was totally packed to bursting point, with hour queues for most sit down restaurants by 2pm and restricted entry to some shops on a one in one out basis, so we know that if nothing else the developers are at least raking it in there.

[mattie!]

I don't know why everyone was expecting something spectacular, it is just a shopping mall. Westfield seem to have taken over everyone's life here in Australia and now I can see it is only a matter of time in England. As the places get shitter and older, it seems as though more people go

Anyway, I am sure with in five years time you will be going there every weekend Hopefully Westfield doesn't infect your country with anymore malls, consider yourself lucky that you just have the one...for now.

[ben77]

Trouble is that this country loves being infected by rubbish from anywhere else whilst quite happily getting rid of anything good we have.. I think there are at least 2 Westfields up and running with another 2 being built and one (Nottingham in the pipeline)..

[querido]

There are 7 in the UK …. so far … I think they’ve just started building one in the eastend …. Olympic fever.

http://uk.westfield.com/ukcentres/

Originally Posted by mattie!

..... I can see it is only a matter of time in England. As the places get shitter and older ...

which reminds me ... Westfield has provided S. Bush with the most luxurious public toilets

[Amuse2000]

Originally Posted by lasdun

The place itself is, well, ghastly. It had that airless quality that British malls seem impossible to get rid of (are our ventilation standards not up to it or something?) and it displayed all the signs of a rush job, ill fitting fixtures etc. Floors seemed cheap and were allready filthy. I liked the variety of the shop fronts, and the terrace, but the blank walls on three side are unforgiveable - it's an anachronism that should not have got planning permission, and while I reserve the right to go there if it is really pissing it down,

could not agree more myself. i went there on the 3rd week after it opened, however all the shops and the cinema were not opened yet. Didnt like the place at all, just big and a sense of no soul. one thing i did like is the improvment of the shepard bush station i used that day. the fact that this opening of westfield coincided with the credit crunch is unfortunate also i prefer lakeside shopping center in Thurrock essex more for some reason.

[wjfox]

I went there today and saw it for myself. Suffice to say, it blew me away. In fact I absolutely loved it. Wonderful ambience, really spacious and airy; gorgeous lighting and decorations, outstanding range and quality of shops, easy to navigate around, plenty of seating and other areas to relax; not too crowded. The architecture is magnificent and in places it reminded me of the Beijing stadium.

I can't believe some of the negative comments in this thread... Are we even talking about the same building here?!

I don't normally agree with the Daily Mail, but they have it pretty much spot on in this article:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/ar...tmosphere.html

Oh, and I went on a massive shopping spree - bought some really nice trendy shirts, trousers, T-shirts and shoes. Came away feeling like it was the best shopping experience I'd ever had, TBH...

[Justme]

I agree with you. I saw it a few weeks ago, and as far as Malls go, this is one of the best I've seen. It certainly is a very pleasant place to shop.

Why so many negative comments? I guess it has more to do with some people's political or ideological opposition to malls in general. When Ideology comes into play, it doesn't matter what something is, their minds are already made up.

[Manuel]

Originally Posted by Justme

I agree with you. I saw it a few weeks ago, and as far as Malls go, this is one of the best I've seen. It certainly is a very pleasant place to shop.

Why so many negative comments? I guess it has more to do with some people's political or ideological opposition to malls in general. When Ideology comes into play, it doesn't matter what something is, their minds are already made up.

I hate out of town shopping mall in general, I'm ok with those in the city centre. But Westfield is a league on its own. Stunning for what it is. But frankly I would rather shop in Bond Street if I had the money.

[Justme]

Originally Posted by Manuel

I hate out of town shopping mall in general, I'm ok with those in the city centre. But Westfield is a league on its own. Stunning for what it is. But frankly I would rather shop in Bond Street if I had the money.

Your points about out of town malls is certainly valid. I am not fond of those either. The best location for a mall is urban and in particular, located close to or within an existing shopping area. Although this westfield mall is slightly away from the main part of Shepards Bush, it is still close enough that they can work together. Couple this with the excellent public transport options.

Although I like Bond Street, it doesn't offer a wide enough range of shopping for me. Nearby Oxford Street has pretty much everything I need, but it is so crowded with people and cars, and stretched out for so long it can be quite impractical and sometimes uncomfortable to shop there. Now, if Oxford Street was turned into a successful pedestrian street, then it would once again in my opinion be a great place to shop.

When I last visited that Westfield Mall, I also visited Oxford Street on the same day. It was raining. The mall was environmentally controlled and relaxed. I got soaked on Oxford street and it was still crowded. If I lived closer to the Westfield Mall, I would certainly shop there over Oxford Street, unless of course they improve Oxford Street by turning it into a pedestrian zone.