We Made That (www.wemadethat.co.uk) appointed by Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation as Masterplanners for centre of London’s largest industrial estate.
To continue its commitment to protect, strengthen and intensify Park Royal, the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) appoints ‘We Made That’ as the Masterplanners for Park Royal Centre. Park Royal in west London is home to 2,000 businesses and employs more than 40,000 people. It is the UK’s largest industrial estate with 2,227 ha of industrial land, vacancies at 2% and £17.50 per-square-foot being achieved. Contributing £2.1billion in Gross Value Added to the UK economy, it is where London welcomes the world and where world-leading businesses from Diageo to GSK are proud to call home.
The estate, often dubbed ‘London’s Kitchen’, is situated adjacent to Old Oak, a major development area in London that is set to become home to a world-class High Speed 2 (HS2) and Elizabeth Line (formerly Crossrail) Station by 2026, handling 250,000 passengers a day and acting as a super-hub between London and the rest of the UK, Europe and the world.
Relatively little was known about the diversity of Park Royal’s businesses until the Park Royal Atlas was published in 2014, which identified key sectors including food manufacturing, logistics and the film industry. The Atlas revealed that during the course of a year, Park Royal businesses provide London with 240,000 bouquets of flowers, 300,000 rolls of sushi, 3,000 recording sessions and 24,000 books to university libraries.
To ensure that Park Royal remains competitive into the future, and that businesses can take advantage of the investment at Old Oak, OPDC, established by the Mayor in 2015, to spearhead the regeneration of the area began an engagement and consultation programme to hear about the concerns, challenges and opportunities that companies and the community face. In response to the feedback and to ensure that businesses and Park Royal continues to thrive, the OPDC draft Local Plan formally designated the area around Park Royal Road and Coronation Road as a new neighbourhood Centre.
To develop the new Park Royal neighbourhood Centre, a masterplan is needed to guide the coordinated delivery of 3,000 sqm of new town Centre floorspace, the creation of 1,400 new jobs and 650 new homes. The Park Royal Centre masterplan is, therefore, required to explore:
- How congestion in and around the Park Royal estate can be reduced
- How Central Middlesex Hospital can be better integrated
- How a minimum of 1,400 new jobs and 650 new homes can be accommodated
- How capacity for additional and existing businesses by creating 3,000sqm of new town Centre floorspace can be increased
- What early activation projects and public-realm enhancements can be delivered to create a safer and more improved and pleasant place for people to work and live in and travel through
OPDC, in collaboration with the London Borough of Brent, Brent Clinical Commissioning Group, London North West Healthcare NHS Trust and Central Middlesex Hospital, have appointed ‘We Made That’, an architecture and urbanism practice, that will translate this ambitious vision into a deliverable plan. The emerging masterplan will be discussed at a public consultation event in July, with the final masterplan expected to be completed in early Autumn.
Liz Peace CBE, OPDC Chairman said:
OPDC is working hard to plan for the whole of Old Oak and Park Royal. The Centre of Park Royal is home to the incredibly important Central Middlesex Hospital and an Asda Superstore along with lots of local businesses that are all hugely important in supporting the communities, not only within the OPDC area, but also the wider communities across Brent, Ealing and Hammersmith and Fulham. We have appointed a fantastic team to help us plan a bright future and we look forward to talking to local people, residents and businesses over the coming months to better understand their views.
Oliver Goodhall, Partner at We Made That said:
Park Royal Centre masterplan programme is an incredibly exciting opportunity to bring to fruition some of the crucial early moves in a bold and ambitious project, whilst also shaping its long-term trajectory for a new designated neighbourhood Centre within a unique industrial context.
To find out more, come to an OPDC Local Plan consultation event where you can hear about plans for the local area, including the masterplan and development framework principles for Park Royal Centre and share your views.
- Date: Thursday 12 July 2018
- Time: 6:30pm to 8.30pm
- Location: The Collective, Nash House, Old Oak Lane, London NW10 6FF
- Register to attend online
