The Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation

The objective:

The Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation is set to develop a whole new centre and community for west London. The project envisions it to be only place where HS2 meets Crossrail. The landmark regeneration scheme is expected to deliver around 25,000 new homes and 65,000 jobs, and is planned to complete in 20 to 30 years’ time.

Steel Associates was brought in to lead OPDC’s involvement in all activities related to the development of the Old Oak South area with a focus on influencing the ongoing projects, mainly HS2 Station and the Crossrail Depot.

The Challenge:

The High Speed 2: Get Ready, HS2 Growth Taskforce report found that HS2 stations and the land around them offer a unique opportunity to transform cities and regenerate urban areas. Its recommendation was that “For each HS2 station there needs to be established an ‘HS2 Growth Strategy’ (…)  to explain how High Speed Rail will generate local jobs, growth and regeneration.” As a result of OPDC’s extensive research and analysis, it has been determined that the only way to realise the full potential of Old Oak Common would be to develop the Old Oak Common and an Over-Station Development above, adjacent and next to the tracks.

The overground development has to take place at the same time as High Speed 2 construction and cannot be retrofitted later, thus making it a ‘one-time only’ opportunity. This poses a challenge to the planning process as the project must not affect HS2 delivery deadline.

The Solution:

Steel Associates acted as Programme Manager for Old Oak South, skilfully leading this complex project towards successful completion. With numerous stakeholders involved, from the Mayor of London, through local authorities down to private contractors, the Old Oak and Park Royal Development project requires a great deal of organisational skills and subject knowledge.

The Outcome:

Steel Associates acted as the client manager for all relevant consultancy appointments, provided integrated & coherent reporting of all activities and interface and stakeholder management. With her help, the Technical and Financial Viability of Over-Station Development Report was presented to the Board. As a result, a recommendation was made to the Mayor to agree in principle to underwrite the costs for the enabling works for Over-Station Development at Old Oak Common.