Taylor Scott International News
One of the largest regeneration schemes in London for decades has taken a further step forward and received the seal of approval from the UK government, it has been announced. The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, intends to establish a Mayoral Development Corporation to lead the transformation of Old Oak Common in West London and create a brand new part of the city with up to 24,000 homes. Now the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles, has confirmed that he supports these plans and an Order has been laid before Parliament to create the new body, which will be known as the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC). Subject to parliamentary approval, the new corporation will come into existence on 01 April 2015 and the Order will be followed by a similar piece of legislation to give the OPDC planning powers. A vast High Speed 2 (HS2) and Crossrail Station is due to be constructed at Old Oak Common by 2026. The new station will be the size of Waterloo, handling 250,000 passengers a day and acting as a super hub between London and the rest of the UK, Europe and the world. Johnson said that this represents an opportunity to bring unprecedented regeneration to the area and he believes that the OPDC is the best way to unlock the enormous potential of the site and deliver a £15 billion boost to London's economy over 30 years. The Corporation will act as a single, transparent and robust body to spearhead the regeneration of the 950 hectare site that straddles the London boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham, Brent and Ealing ‘The vast new station at Old Oak Common presents us with an almost unprecedented opportunity to transform an area the size of a small London borough into a thriving new part of the capital, with unrivalled transport links to central London, the rest of the country and beyond,’ Johnson said. ‘London will shortly become home to more people than ever before and there is no doubt that this scheme will provide a real shot in the arm as we look to provide the new homes and jobs that we desperately need,’ he added. Pickles said house building is a key part of the Government's long term economic plan. ‘This deal will create a whole new community in West London, delivering up to 24,000 new homes and over 50,000 new jobs, with excellent transport links both into the capital and across the country. This is on top of the efforts we've made to get the country building again, which has helped deliver over 141,000 homes in London since the end of 2009,’ he added. The OPDC will look to emulate the success of the London Legacy Development Corporation that continues to lead the post-Olympic regeneration of Stratford and East London. The Mayor's Office believes that the regeneration opportunity could provide almost 14% of Greater London's employment needs up to… Taylor Scott International
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