PRBG hosted two breakfast forums in October 2024.
Never an opportunity missed to meet with like minded individuals and companies in the Park Royal area, share ideas and collaborate with neighbouring businesses.
PR2 was the site of the first PRBG breakfast forum on Infrastructure which also hosted the Faster Britain Broadband bus.
Speakers were Bob Hendy from Cerberus networks, Philippa Illingworth from OPDC and Sammy Spaine from WSP.
The other business breakfast was an opportunity for businesses in Park Royal to meet with Rupa Huq, MP for Ealing and Acton which includes part of the Park Royal Estate, Cllr Kam Nagpal from Ealing, Paolo Nistri, Head of Regeneration at OPDC and Catherine Howe from Ealing Council. The Park Royal Business Group board was represented by Wilda Haddad from Dina Foods, Roger Brown from Bibby Financial and Tony Mulvahil from Planning for the Best with Sally Smith present from West London Chambers.
The event was hosted by Deanna Myers who is the owner and manager of One, a community space located in the Foundry in North Acton. With around 30 attendees, One offered us an excellent space for free-flowing networking amongst the business representatives from Park Royal. Businesses attending ranged from the BBVS team at Old Oak Common through to smaller ones such as Machine Shop, Fashtag, and The Metal Roofing Company.
Rupa Huq, MP for Ealing and Acton, talked about the work she does as our parliamentary voice at Westminster. Rupa’s parents were small business owners and this gives her unique insight into the challenges facing small business owners. Rupa is a passionate supporter of small businesses and talked with the audience about her work representing her constituency.
Rupa highlighted that her case work includes individuals as well as businesses that sit within the constituency boundary. Ealing and Acton is home to around 75,000 residents as well as over 2,500 businesses. During her time as MP, Rupa supported a local business who needed to relocate at short notice. Thanks to Rupa’s intervention, the business found a new premises and continues to trade successfully.
Cllr Nagpal revealed the news that Ealing is now a Living Wage Place and the first borough in West London to achieve this accolade. Ealing Council are offering a series of incentives for businesses to become London Living Wage (LLW) employers. Paying your staff the LLW is an investment in your team and research shows that living wage employers attract more customers and enjoy better staff retention. This offer is available to the first 250 businesses to apply and more information is available at What is the London Living Wage? | London Living Wage business rate discount | Ealing Council
Paolo Nistri covered the first phase of regeneration plans for the OPDC at OId Oak West which covers the area from Willesden Junction to the planned Old Oak Common Station and into North Acton. This work represents a step up in the pace of the ODPC delivery and will see the implementation of a heat network, the creation of over 9,000 new and affordable homes and a substantial increase in local jobs. Paolo highlighted that the OPDC works closely with their counterparts in Brent, Ealing, and Hammersmith and Fulham and will be engaging with local businesses as the work progresses. Paolo noted the increasing reach of the Imperial College West Tech Corridor and the opportunity this brings for hi-tech jobs. Food manufacturing is a leading industry in Park Royal and Paolo informed attendees that studies suggest London food production would grind to a halt in 48 hours if Park Royal was to move from the area.
The OPDC also manage TheForge@ParkRoyal, which is a skills and enterprise hub for local businesses. TheForge offers free recruitment services for local businesses who are looking to hire and works closely with employers such as HS2 and BBVS to offer good jobs to local residents. There is access to business support expertise that targets specific interventions for local businesses and more details can be found at Park Royal portal (theforgeparkroyal.london)
Within the OPDC Regeneration and Economic Development team, the focus on Jobs and Skills and business growth is a key to ensuring that businesses are able to expand in the area. In addition, there is a focus on working with partners such as the Park Royal Business Group and the Park Royal Design District to build the business community capacity that will underpin economic growth. The final piece in the puzzle is the focus on improving the public realm though placemaking to create a sense of belonging and developing the canal area and greenspaces as part of the green agenda.
A final note from Paolo is the OPDC Loan Fund for small businesses in the Ealing Creative Enterprise Zone looking to grow and needing capital. The Expression of Interest form is available at Loans for Small Businesses | OPDC have your say (london.gov.uk).
Catherine Howe presented the current feasibility study to launch a Business Improvement District (BID) in North Acton. A BID is a joint venture between a council and private enterprise that delivers projects to improve the public realm and benefit local businesses. The current proposal covers the North Acton area including the Victoria Road estate down to Gypsy Corner and a portion of Park Royal Road. BIDs are set up as limited companies and the directors are appointed from businesses within the BID zone plus a representative from the council. The BID directors work with a BID manager to set the scope and priorities of the projects delivered by the BID. This enables the BID to enhance the appeal of the area and leads to increased footfall.
Park Royal is one of the largest industrial estates in Europe, housing over 2,500 businesses from creative startups to food manufacturers employing hundreds of staff. The arrival of HS2 at Old Oak Common and the creation of the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) will see the Park Royal area transformed over the coming decades. Major change is already in place at North Acton and the recent completion of Icon Tower, One West Point in Portal Way enabled the OPDC team to relocate from its office in The Drum at Brent Council, Wembley.
Catherine covered the Ealing Council plans to introduce a Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ). The CPZ covers the Ealing part of Park Royal in the NW10 postcode and aims to address issues concern local parking and access to premises for loading and unloading. The scheme is open for feedback from local businesses to shape the proposal. Local businesses should review the proposal for more information about the details of the scheme.
