Mayor of London Boris Johnson has written to communities secretary Eric Pickles to formally confirm plans to establish an Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation.
Pickles will now lay an order before parliament early this year to create the OPDC, expected to be granted full planning powers over the site by 1 April.
The 24,000-home plan to regenerate Old Oak Common hinges on a new stadium for Premier League football club Queen’s Park Rangers and an HS2 and Crossrail hub.
However, the plan is subject to a rival bid by local landowner Cargiant, which wants to build 9,500 homes on its holdings in the area.
The firm recently appointed London & Regional as development partner after a short spell in partnership with Lipton Rogers and First Base http://www.estatesgazette.co.uk/news/shake-up-at-old-oak-common/?keyword=cargiant.
The new development corporation is an attempt to recreate the success of the London Legacy Development Corporation, which changed the face of Stratford in east London.
In addition to planning control, the OPDC will take on regeneration, infrastructure, land acquisition and financial powers, as well as setting the community infrastructure levy.
It aims to promote the regeneration plan while safeguarding Park Royal as a key industrial location.
The corporation will be chaired by the mayor of London’s office, covering the Park Royal industrial estate, Stonebridge Park, Park Royal Cemetery, the core Old Oak development site, North Acton station, Wormwood Scrubs Common and the Willesden Junction stations.
