Olympia & Shepherd’s Bush Market – Condition Survey of NR Arches, West London

Client
> Yoo Capital

Sector/Market
> Property

Services
> Inspection

Location
> Shepherds Bush Market, West London (W12 8DF)

Project summary

Yoo Capital, a property developer with a strong heritage-led regeneration, appointed Murphy Geospatial to carry out a visual condition survey of Network Rail arches within Shepherd’s Bush Market. Yoo Capital required a clear understanding of the arches condition as part of its pre-development planning.

Our team combines structural and geophysical expertise with precision reporting and prompt turnaround, so our client receives the facts they need to make effective decisions.

The brief

The purpose of the survey was to conduct a detailed visual inspection of a specified length of NR arches to describe Yoo Capital’s future redevelopment plan. The objective was to document all visible signs of deterioration, such as cracks, faulty brickwork, missing mortar, signs of water ingress, dampness, and vegetation. Each identified defect was recorded with a clear photographic and location documentation of each defect detected. Physical intervention was not required, as the survey was entirely non-intrusive.

The challenges

Access to the nominated arches was smooth and efficiently managed, with no major issues being encountered on site. Given the location of the survey, our team operated in increased vigilance, making all inspections safely and discreetly within inducing public disruption or commercial inconvenience.

Yoo Capital gained access in advance, coordinating thoroughly with the local tenants to facilitate easy access to the units needed. Their cooperation, along with the cooperation and flexibility of the tenants, was essential to the successful delivery of the survey.

While a few arches had limited or restricted access, this was carefully documented. As outlined in the project brief, all the inspection were externally focused and non-intrusive, ensuring no interference with the building or it is use.

Our work

The survey was conducted over various working days and followed the high-standard method of condition survey:

Use of GoPro cameras and manual annotations to capture visible defects and accurately document the observed conditions.
Each finding reviewed and validated by in-house engineers.

Results

The survey report included a combination of photographs and annotated comments. All images and site notes were thoroughly reviewed by our team of experienced engineers. A few visible defects were identified, including missing bricks, damaged brickwork, loose mortar, damp, efflorescence, lime leaching and longitudinal, transversal and vertical cracks.

Certain of these points are listed below to provide some idea of the types of defects encountered around the site.

Conclusion

Visual inspection surveys like this one provide quick, non-intrusive feedback on condition of structural assets. For heritage structures and operational sites, they offer a cost-effective first step in risk assessment and asset planning.

In this case, this survey provided Yoo Capital with clear evidence of extensive damp, infiltration, and surface-brick deterioration, critical information for pre-development and restoration planning. The inspection also avoided disruption local businesses and the public, ensuring continuous access and maintaining community flow throughout.

Contact

For more information on this project, please email info@murphygs.com or call us on +44 (0)192 362 4800