Initial consultation by the Mayor of London and GLA on the next London Plan ended on June 22nd. The publication Towards a London Plan offered Londoners to comment via a survey and questions on all the main policy areas to be covered.

A ‘call for evidence’ invited more detailed responses. This exercise began back in 2022, as part of the Planning for London programme of workshops and seminars.

The StQW Neighbourhood Forum has worked closely with the Old Oak Neighbourhood Forum over the past decade, in tracking the progress of Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation. We made joint comments at all the stages of preparation of the OPDC 2022 Local Plan, and have responded to applications for individual developments on the eastern side of the OPDC area, in Scrubs Lane NW10.

It has been a difficult decade for the OPDC. Having submitted for Examination a Draft Local Plan in 2018, the Planning Inspector concluded that OPDC proposals for the 45 acre Cargiant landholding were not viable, and must be withdrawn from the Draft Plan. OPDC then switched its focus to the landholdings owned by the Department for Transport and in use as HS2 construction compounds, in East Acton.

OPDC has since acquired more sites and has assembled a substantial portfolio of development land, to the west of Old Oak Common station (under construction). These sites are shown below:i

At the very moment in 2025 when OPDC is poised to publish its ‘masterplan’ for this area, and is seeking a ‘master developer’ for a long-term partnership or joint venture, the Secretary of State has announced yet further delays to the HS2 project. Deemed an ‘absolute mess’ by Heidi Alexander, it will be late 2025 or early 2026 before a ‘comprehensive rest’ of the HS2 project is concluded. Meanwhile no firm end date or revised budget can be provided for completing the HS2 project. £25bn of extra funding has been added to the overall budget, as part of the June Spending Review.

We share the view of the Old Oak Neighbourhood Forum that now may no be a good time for OPDC to enter into agreements with a master developer (or developers). The lack of clarity over the opening of Old Oak Common station adds risks for developers. As does the lack of an updated OPDC Strategic Transport Study, and any forecasts of passenger numbers wishing to use a Birmingham to Old Oak HS2 line.

What happens if developers exploit these uncertainties in the agreements reached with OPDC? Is the Development Coporation vulnerable to the same commercial behaviours within the supply chain which have left the original HS2 budget in tatters?

The joint OONF and StQW submission of evidence to the GLA can be read and downloaded below.