Crossrail the key to Old Oak regeneration
by Hammersmith and Fulham Press Office
24/02/2009
Calls for a high speed rail hub in the north of the borough linking Heathrow with rest of the country have intensified.
H&F Council wants a high-speed rail link, potentially linking Heathrow to Birmingham in the north and Gatwick to the south, as a way of bringing thousands of extra homes and jobs to the borough.
Hammersmith & Fulham Council’s Leader, Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh, told transport minister Lord Adonis that the link in the Old Oak area, north of Wormwood Scrubs, could become a major new transport hub for the UK.
On a tour of the West London railway line, Cllr Greenhalgh pointed out the massive potential of the Old Oak site and urged the minister to throw his weight behind creating a hub with a Crossrail station.
This would allow future passengers to switch to a key north-south route. Crossrail will run from Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west – through the north of the borough – across to Essex and Kent in the east.
The council chief believes the 32-hectare site, mainly owned by Network Rail, could become one of the capital’s busiest interchanges, with train links to Heathrow and Bristol to the west, Birmingham to the north, and Clapham and Gatwick to the south.
“I met Lord Adonis to try to convince him that if a Crossrail station was built here it will release the area’s untapped potential and make it a very attractive site for new homes and businesses,” said Cllr Greenhalgh.
He also told the minister that the site’s potential as a high-speed rail interchange was not the only attraction. Its economic potential is underlined by the fact that it sits in the shadow of the White City Opportunity Area – one of London’s key strategic sites – which is set to deliver 4,000 new homes.
“Regeneration to the north of Wormwood Scrubs would help us build 6,500 new homes in the next 10 years,” he added. “We will continue to lobby for a Crossrail station as we believe it could unlock huge benefits for local residents.”
Cllr Greenhalgh said that improved transport links could pave the way for the expansion for world-class medical research and bio-tech industries in the Old Oak area. Immediately to the south of the northern site lies Hammersmith Hospital, run by Imperial College NHS Healthcare Trust. Imperial is the largest NHS trust in the country, with Britain’s first academic health science centre.
Meanwhile, the West London Line will soon connect the north and south of the borough. The new station planned for Imperial Wharf in Fulham is set to open later this year, and will link Sands End and Shepherds Bush by rail for the first time.
