Hammersmith & Fulham Council has launched a new programme intended to speed the reuse of underused commercial buildings as affordable workspace for start-ups, makers and small firms. The Affordable Workspace Activation Fund was announced at Huddle Fulham on 24 June and is intended to remove the initial costs that often prevent conversion projects from getting underway.
What the fund will do
The council says the initiative will help local businesses, operators and property owners to repurpose vacant or underoccupied premises into affordable lab, office and maker spaces. The scheme is aimed particularly at firms in innovative and STEM-led sectors and is part of a broader strategy to strengthen the borough’s business ecosystem.
- More than £8 million has been set aside to support new start-up and scale-up spaces.
- The funding has been secured via negotiations with developers and will be ringfenced for affordable workspace.
- An operators forum will help shape how the fund is allocated to ensure it meets local needs.
Partners and local context
The council says it is working with a range of partners on the scheme, including academic, commercial and industry bodies. Those named by the authority include:
- Imperial College London
- Olympia
- Yoo Capital
- West London Chambers of Commerce
- Local workspace operators
An Affordable Workspace Operators Forum has been created to invite input from potential operators and ensure allocation is fair and responsive to entrepreneurs on the ground. Businesses and organisations interested in joining the forum have been invited to contact the council at affordableworkspace@lbhf.gov.uk.
Scale and ambition
The activation fund sits within the borough’s wider industrial strategy, Upstream London, which the council points to as already securing large amounts of affordable workspace across west London. Hammersmith & Fulham says its wider programme has delivered significant space and attracted private investment.
| Metric | Progress |
|---|---|
| Ringfenced funding | £8m+ |
| Affordable workspace secured (to date) | 85,000 sq m |
| Additional pipeline | 33,000 sq m |
Examples of existing local projects highlighted by the council include creative and production spaces that have grown to meet demand. The ambition is to replicate and expand those successes by lowering barriers for new operators and enabling quicker conversions of buildings into affordable workspaces.
What this means for local businesses
For small businesses and local entrepreneurs, the fund could mean more affordable premises and an expanded choice of work environments — from labs and studios to shared offices. For owners of empty or underused properties it provides a route to find partner operators and access capital to adapt buildings.
Those interested in the initiative should contact the council to learn more about eligibility, application processes and membership of the operators forum. The council has framed the fund as a practical tool to support start-ups and scale-ups and to make Hammersmith & Fulham a more competitive place to start and grow a business.
