Old Oak Common development corp set for April launch

Plans to set up a new development corporation tasked with building 24,000 new homes and creating 55,000 jobs in the Old Oak Common and Park Royal area of west London have been formally submitted to the government.

The proposals for overseeing the redevelopment of the 950 hectare site surrounding the huge HS2 and Crossrail interchange earmarked for Old Oak Common won support from London Assembly members last month.

Now Mayor of London Boris Johnson has asked communities secretary Eric Pickles to lay an order for the mayoral development corporation’s establishment before Parliament, with the expectation that it will come into effect on April 1.

The corporation would take over planning responsibilities from the local authorities currently responsible for the area in a bid to better co-ordinate development.

Two rival development teams are vying to redevelop Old Oak Common.

Last month auto-retailer Car Giant, which owns 47 hectares of land in the development corporation zone, entered into a collaboration with developer London & Regional Properties to redevelop its holding.

The move plunged football Club Queens Park Rangers’ earlier plans for a new stadium on the site and a wider regeneration scheme into jeopardy.

Johnson said the corporation would look to emulate the success of the London Legacy Development Corporation in east London, which is redeveloping the London 2012 Olympic Park.

He said: “By 2030 the sprawling industrial land at Old Oak Common could be a thriving new district teeming with tens of thousands of new homes and jobs and a rail station the size of Waterloo.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform this site and there is no doubt that a Mayoral Development Corporation is the best way to unlock its enormous potential.’”

Once it is established, the development corporation will be chaired by the mayor of London or a designate.

It will have a  board that include councillors from Hammersmith & Fulham, Brent, and Ealing councils, all of which currently have jurisdiction over parts of the site.