26 Oct One Year on from Ballot: Celebrating 20 Years of Hammersmith BID
It’s been a year since we received a resounding YES vote from our levy-paying businesses to secure another five years of Hammersmith BID. This year also marks 20 years of Hammersmith BID, and we’d like to thank our businesses for their continued support, collaboration and trust. To mark the huge milestone, we’re reflecting on our past achievements and future endeavours.
Since 2006, Hammersmith BID has invested £16 million in the town centre, supporting local businesses, improving public spaces, strengthening community connections and enhancing visitor experiences. With a further £5 million pledged for the next five years, we’re building on this legacy and continuing to work towards a thriving Hammersmith.
A renewed focus on Place, Community and Safety
Following consultation with businesses ahead of the ballot, we have streamlined our project areas into three core priorities: Place, Community and Safety.
This renewed focus reflects what matters most to our business community, ensuring our work continues to enhance Hammersmith town centre, strengthen local connections and foster pride of place.
One year on, we are continuing to deliver projects that build on our achievements while responding to the changing needs of the town centre.
A year of progress…
Place
Over the past 20 years, we’ve worked with local businesses and stakeholders to improve Hammersmith’s public spaces, invest in green infrastructure and create a more welcoming town centre.
Our Public Realm Vision for Hammersmith East sets out plans to transform the area around the Lower Bus Station, the Flyover and Butterwick into a greener, more connected space that fosters pride of place.
Alongside these long-term projects, our ongoing place management work helps maintain and improve the town centre, from reporting public realm issues including working with e-bike contractors to manage organisation and tidiness of e-bikes in the town centre, to installing seasonal lighting. Each summer, we are also responsible for the vibrant hanging baskets that line Hammersmith’s central streets.
Most recently, we delivered In Bloom as part of our public realm work. In Bloom is an interactive light and sounds sculpture that has lived in Lyric Square from Sunday 4 October, leaving on Friday 6 November. As we head into the darker evenings, the installation has provided ambient lighting on the Square while giving passersby the opportunity to play with changing the colour of the spheres by touching them.
We remain committed to working with our partners and relevant stakeholders to deliver further improvements that make Hammersmith a greener, more attractive and welcoming place to work, live and visit.
Community
Our work with local businesses extends beyond the town centre, creating opportunities to support the people and organisations that make Hammersmith special.
Our Summer Festival once again brought the community together through free events and entertainment, attracting visitors to Hammersmith and creating opportunities for people to enjoy the town centre and support local businesses. This year we recorded 478,767 visits to Lyric Square during the festival programme – a 4.5% increase from last year.
Through our CRS initiatives and Conscious Hammersmith (our volunteering programme), businesses have helped deliver meaningful community initiatives; from foodbank collections and fundraising to environmental projects. Recent highlights include generating over 574kg of foodbank collections during Q3 alone and collecting 7,688 menstrual products during Period Poverty Awareness Week.
We are also proud to be supporting Young People’s Borough of Culture, an initiative spearheaded by the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre that creates opportunities for young people from less advantaged backgrounds to engage with the arts and explore creative pathways.
Safety
Keeping Hammersmith safe remains a priority. Alongside our continued work with Safer Business Network (SBN), we have introduced a new security partnership with Argenbright Security Europe Ltd (ASEL).
Through a six-month, BID-funded trial, ASEL wardens patrol the BID area five days a week, providing a visible street presence and an immediate response service to help businesses tackle shoplifting, anti-social behaviour and low-level crime.
This builds on our established Business Crime Reduction Partnership and our ongoing work with local businesses, security teams and the police to create a safer town centre for everyone.
Looking ahead
Our YES vote was a vote of confidence in Hammersmith and its future. As we continue our fifth term and 20th year, we remain committed to listening to our businesses, building strong partnerships and delivering projects that make a tangible difference to the town centre.
Our work continues to be shaped by the businesses that make Hammersmith what it is. Thank you to everyone who has supported the BID, contributed to our projects and helped us make progress over the past year.