It is hard to imagine, but by 2030 the sprawling industrial land at Old Oak Common in West London could be a thriving new district with up to 24,000 new homes and more than 55,000 jobs.
With Crossrail and HS2 due to arrive in 2026, this once-forgotten corner of London will become the home of a new interchange station the size of Waterloo, handling 250,000 passengers a day and acting as a super-hub between London and the rest of the UK, Europe and the world.
The big opportunity from HS2 is regeneration, and the London mayor is determined to ensure that opportunity is not missed. We believe that Old Oak Common and neighbouring Park Royal have the potential to supply up to 2.5% of the Greater London housing requirement and almost 14% of Greater London’s employment need up to 2031.
However, regeneration on this scale will not happen by chance. It will not happen without a single robust plan with clear direction and governance.
Set up an MDC
The mayor believes that the best way to maximise the enormous potential of Old Oak Common and Park Royal is to set up a mayoral development corporation.
Covering an area of 950 ha straddling the boroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham, Brent and Ealing, the MDC will look to emulate the success of the London Legacy Development Corporation, which continues to lead the post-Olympic regeneration of Stratford and east London.
It will promote and deliver physical, social, economic and environmental regeneration and secure high-quality sustainable development and investment for the benefit of the area and the communities that surround it. It would also safeguard and develop Park Royal as a strategic industrial location and attract long-term investment to the area, including from overseas. In addition, it will also promote world-class architecture, sustainable place-making and urban design to deliver a new, high-quality part of London.
The aim is to have the MDC up and running by 1 April, 2015 – with approval granted by the London Assembly
and government. We already have a director appointed, together with an expert planning team. Momentum is building as we seek to maximise this once-in-a-generation opportunity.
Once established, the MDC could automatically take on various statutory powers relating to infrastructure, regeneration, land acquisitions, streets, business and financial assistance. It would also take on planning powers across the Old Oak and Park Royal area, including determination of planning applications.
But this is certainly not about taking powers away from the local boroughs involved. On the contrary, the MDC board would include local councillors and representatives from the local community. The corporation’s planning committee would also include local councillors and would also delegate certain planning applications back to the local councils for determination. We are already working closely with local businesses, residents, landowners and councils.
Leadership required
Working collaboratively with all stakeholders will be vital to the success of the scheme – the huge scale of development will require strong strategic leadership and governance to ensure consistent delivery.
London is experiencing an unprecedented population boom and will become the first city in Europe to be home to 10m people by 2030. We have to create more than half a million new jobs over the next few years and a million more people will have to be housed.
Old Oak Common and Park Royal represent part of the solution and we look forward to working with all stakeholders to create a new city quarter that will bring long-lasting benefits locally to London and to the country as a whole.
Sir Edward Lister is chief of staff and deputy mayor for planning
