JD Wetherspoon Plans Fulham Broadway Comeback
With £2.5 million scheme to take over empty station ticket hall
The interior of the Market Hall
August 7, 2023
JD Wetherspoon is planning to return to Fulham Broadway by taking over the Grade II listed former station ticket hall at 472 Fulham Road.
This site has had a chequered past since the ticket hall closed in 2003, with a number of different operators including TGI Fridays and most recently Market Halls running it as a contemporary food hall. Though it proved popular with Fulham foodies, the Market Hall never fully recovered from a lengthy closure during lockdown, and the site has now been empty for three years.
This is a surprise move by JD Wetherspoon, as it closed its neighbouring site, Lloyd’s Oyster Rooms on the first floor of Fulham Broadway shopping centre - a favourite with football fans - in spring last year.
An application submitted to Hammersmith & Fulham Council reveals that the company expects to spend £2.5 million redeveloping the prime corner site into a pub and restaurant over two floors, while retaining its original features including ticket booths and signs.
The application can be seen in full on the council website using the reference
2023/01868/LBC and is open for comments.
It is for:
Change of use of existing food court (Class E) and ancillary bar and hot food takeaway (Class Sui Generis) into a public house and restaurant use (Class Sui Generis and Class E); external alterations at first floor level to include replacement of single door with French doors and installation of 3no new glazed internal window openings to the rear elevation and replacement of existing timber fencing with new steel/glass screens to the side (west) elevation; external alterations at ground floor level to include installation of a new door opening to the side (west) elevation and installation of a new steel/glass canopy at the front elevation; erection of a replacement rooftop plant; removal of 2no existing awnings and replace with framed fascia panels, and replacement of 2no existing recessed signs with ovolo framed panels at the front elevation; internal alterations erection of staircases, new hoist shafts and hoists from ground to first floor level; internal alterations at first floor level to include erection of new glazed timber framed screen and door to new stairwells, new door openings, demolition of existing partition walls and erection of new partition walls to create staff facilities comprising of wcs, changing rooms, staff room and food facility area; internal alterations at ground floor level to include new door openings, demolition of existing partition walls and erection of new partition walls to create drink service area, cooled bottle store, wash up area, bar, office, kitchen and new facilities, new glazed internal entrance lobby, new glazed timber framed screen and door to new stairwell, replacement of existing glass balustrade with wrought iron balustrade and timber handrail, new cooled store, wc facilities and cupboards; associated internal alterations.
Drawings submitted with the application
A planning statement supporting the application says,“ The Applicant intends to spend circa £2.5m on the Proposed Development and, when operational, the public house/restaurant will create 45-50. full and part-time jobs.
“ The new jobs anticipated within the public house once the Proposed Development is operational will benefit the local economy and continued investment in and continued maintenance of the listed building.
“ The Proposed Development will therefore contribute positively to the local economy through provision of the public house, to the benefit of economic activity, employment opportunities and the vitality and viability of Fulham Town Centre, including its nighttime economy.
“ The local area functions as a service centre for the local catchment resident population and is characterised as a lively and vibrant area, both during the day and at night. The Proposed Development will have positive impacts on the continued vibrancy and vitality of the local area and the vitality and viability of the centre will be enhanced as a result
The Market Hall as it is currently
An accompanying heritage statement says: “ The areas of the building that contribute to special interest, such as the decorative central ticket hall, the timber ticket booth windows, and the decorative southern façade would all be preserved.
“The proposed changes to the exterior of the building,including the introduction of a roof terrace and changes to external signage, would preserve the character and appearance of the Conservation Area and result in no harm to significance.”
The exterior of the Market Hall
An application has also been made to the council for Listed Building Consent.
JD Wetherspoon’s previous pub, Lloyd’s Oyster Rooms has now been converted into offices called Fulham Works by coworking company Spacemade and is open on the first floor of the shopping centre.
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