High speed rail plan gives Old Oak regeneration a green light
Tuesday January 10, 2012
Swathes of derelict industrial land in one of London’s poorest areas will be transformed after Old Oak Common was named as southern England’s main high speed rail station.
At least 20,000 jobs will be created in one of the capital’s most deprived neighbourhoods after the Transport Secretary signalled the go-ahead for the £32billion rapid rail link between London and Birmingham this morning (Jan 10).
A new generation of high speed trains, running at speeds of up to 250mph, will stop at a major new interchange station just north of Wormwood Scrubs before terminating at Euston.
The Government has recognised Old Oak Common’s vital role in taking pressure off busy central London terminals like Euston – which could not have coped with 13,000 extra passengers an hour.
Around a third of all high speed (HS2) passengers are expected to transfer at Old Oak Common onto the station’s unrivalled rail and road connections, including a new Crossrail and orbital rail interchange.
Five of the nation’s major airports will be linked to the high speed rail network for the first time through the Old Oak interchange. Heathrow will be just 11 minutes away, Birmingham will be 38 minutes direct from Old Oak and Luton, Gatwick and City Airport will all be within 45 minutes. Other rail connections – such as the Great Western and West Coast mainlines, Crossrail, West and North London Lines, Bakerloo and Central Underground lines, and Heathrow Express – all criss-cross the site and the A40 and North Circular Road also border the site.
Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) Council has welcomed the announcement as it has long argued that an interchange station in the area is not just vital to making the overall HS2 plans work properly but that it is needed to act as a catalyst to transform one of Britain’s poorest neighbourhoods. Today’s announcement paves the way for vast swathes of derelict or underused industrial land to be transformed into a thriving new neighbourhood, dubbed Park Royal City, according to the council.
In November last year a House of Commons Transport Committee said that more than half of the 40,000 jobs directly associated with HS2 will be created in London – including at least 20,000 at Old Oak Common.
Cllr Mark Loveday, H&F Council Cabinet Member for Strategy, says: “HS2 is the fastest way to deliver much need new homes, jobs and opportunities in one of London's poorest areas and the Government has recognised that the case for the Old Oak interchange is overwhelming.
“The great Victorian engineers like Brunel recognised the importance of well positioned interchange stations, such as Crewe and Clapham Junction, and in that same spirit Old Oak promises to be the nation’s first 21st century high speed rail interchange.
“The Old Oak interchange will relieve pressure on the overstretched central London terminals and link four airports and existing train lines to the high speed network for the first time.
“In the process, the accelerated and expanded high speed rail programme will regenerate not just parts of the north of England and the Midlands but rundown inner London neighbourhoods right on our doorstep.
“The creation of a new interchange at Old Oak, or Park Royal City International as it will be known, will unleash the creation of a new business hub bigger than Canary Wharf, bringing thousands of affordable homes and jobs to London.”
Around half of working age adults within 1.2miles of Old Oak, including residents in the neighbouring boroughs of Brent, Ealing and K&C, are unemployed and some parts of Old Oak are in the bottom 1% of most deprived areas nationally.
A short film showing a futuristic vision of how Old Oak could be transformed by the high-speed rail hub has been released by the council. The YouTube clip shows new homes, businesses and a new waterside park along the Grand Union Canal as part of a planning vision drawn up by Sir Terry Farrell. Click here to view the film (opens new window).
Download the High speed rail: The Government's decisions leaflet (pdf 573KB)
