Old Oak Common and Park Royal, London NW10

Old Oak Common and Park Royal form a large west London development area, north of Acton, west of North Circular and south of Stonebridge.  The district is in the spotlight as one of London’s top ‘opportunity areas’ with great capacity for new commercial and housing developments.

Park Royal and Old Oak Common are part of a same district that was formed at the start of 19th century with the opening of the Paddington arm of the Grand Union Canal in 1801, as well as the launch of the rail network link between London and Birmingham in 1838.  As soon as the canal and the rail cut though the area, investments followed.  The capital infrastructure improved the area’s connectivity and immediately attracted various industrial and residential investments. Today, the area is home to 2,000 businesses (McVities, John Lewis, Kolak, Diageo etc) employing over 40,000 people.

At the heart of the current transformation of this district is the construction of the brand-new Old Oak Common Railway interchange station. The area will become a major NW transport hub once the station opens (2026 expected time) to the public serving trains on the Great Western Mainline to Birmingham and Manchester, Crossrail, Heathrow Express and the HS2. Inspired by the industrial history of the area, the new station design by WSP and WilkinsonEyre architects will have a glass roof ensuring a concourse flooded with natural light.

The OPDC (the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation) is the mayoral development corporation which oversees future investments in this ‘opportunity area’. However, since 2015 and its inception, there have been many interventions and changes to the original Old Oak and Park Royal development strategy, often branding its master plan as “overambitious”.

The OPDC development site measures over 1500 acres, it spans boroughs of Brent, Ealing and Hammersmith and Fulham and has a potential to deliver over 20,000 new homes and thousands of new jobs in the next three decades.

This new district is envisaged as a well-connected, vibrant and thriving neighbourhood close to the great open green spaces of NW London and offering new homes at the more attractive price, compared to the inner-city area. The original version of the master plan includes provisions for the Old Oak High Street, a wide pedestrian area dotted with shops, community and sports facilities; a new public space called Central Square; a new cultural hub; a number of residential parks and bridges and a 1km stretch along the Grand Union Canal with space for cafes, restaurants and art.

Currently, Park Royal is the major job generating district and home to some of the UK’s leading manufacturing and logistics firms. The area is convenient for White City, Ealing to the south and Wembley to the north.

On the north-west edges of the area, closer to North Circular and along Lakeside Drive are two interesting new homes developments.  

Royal Waterside development by Redrow completed earlier this year delivering over 260 residences.

Regency Heights by Fairview and L&Q is another major residential project with over 800 new homes. Developed on the site of the former Guinness Brewery, a short walk away from Park Royal station, the development will complete in 2022.

CLICK HERE to find out more about Regency Heights development.

CLICK HERE to register for new homes to buy at Old Oak and Park Royal.