Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) has launched a new Affordable Workspace Activation Fund to help local businesses, operators and property owners turn empty or underused commercial buildings into affordable lab, office and maker spaces.
Announced at Huddle Fulham on Wednesday, 24 June, the fund is designed to remove the upfront costs that often block new workspace projects from getting started.
The council is working with partners, including Imperial College London, Olympia, Yoo Capital, West London Chambers of Commerce, and local workspace operators, to shape the scheme. It has also created an Affordable Workspace Operators Forum, inviting members to help ensure the fund is fair, inclusive and aligned with the needs of local entrepreneurs. Interested partners can join by emailing affordableworkspace@lbhf.gov.uk.
According to H&F, the funding is raised through negotiations with property developers and is ringfenced for affordable workspace. More than £8 million has been earmarked for new start-up and scale-up spaces. The initiative supports the borough’s wider aim of making Hammersmith & Fulham the best place to start and grow a business, with a particular focus on innovative and STEM³-led firms.
The council says its Upstream London industrial strategy has already secured 85,000 sq m of affordable workspace, with another 33,000 sq m in the pipeline. Existing successes include Scale Space White City reaching full capacity, as well as support for Bush Studios, Empress Studios, and other creative spaces.
Since 2017, Upstream London has helped attract over £6 billion of investment and created more than 17,200 jobs.
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