Old Oak Common

History

Originally, Old Oak Common was a stretch of land defined by what became the Harrow Road at its northern end, and its eastern edge was the northern source of Stamford Brook, forming a boundary with Wormwood Scrubs. By 1801, the Paddington Canal had cut it in half, further reducing its size.

The Great Western Railway's Great Western Main Line (GWML) of 1838–1841 from London Paddington to Bristol and the 1903 Acton-Northolt line to the Great Western and Great Central Joint Railway at Northolt divided at Old Oak junction.

Before 1965, Old Oak Common formed part of the Municipal Borough of Acton, and the area thus became part of the London Borough of Ealing that year. Following a revision of municipal boundaries in 1994, Old Oak Common was transferred from Ealing to Hammersmith and Fulham.

The partially singled Acton-Northolt line closed in December 2018 to allow for the construction of Old Oak Common railway station, which will offer interchange between GWML trains, the Elizabeth line and the High Speed 2 (HS2) line heading north. Additional rail interchanges may be provided with the construction of two new London Overground stations, on the West London line and Old Oak Common Lane on the North London line.

In summer 2011, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham launched a wide-ranging 'Park Royal City' plan for Old Oak Common, including the proposed station, and with light-rail lines to the surrounding areas.

Regeneration

In December 2013, The Independent reported that Antony Spencer, founder of Stadium Capital Development, was to head up a £5 billion regeneration scheme in the area, with partner Queens Park Rangers. The proposal included new homes, office, retail outlets, and a proposed football stadium for QPR. The planning application was rejected.

The Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation was established in 2015 to lead regeneration and planning work for an area covering Old Oak Common and much of the Park Royal area. The combined redevelopment area is envisaged to provide 65,000 new jobs and 25,000 new homes. The scale of the developments have led to Park Royal and Old Oak Common being described as a potential "Canary Wharf of West London".

The engineering plans were revealed in 2018 showing a station at Old Oak Common for HS2, the high speed line running from London to Birmingham. Passengers using HS2 will be able to disembark at Old Oak Common and interchange with the Elizabeth line, Chiltern Railways and Great Western Railway services. The station will have a capacity for around 100 million passengers, rivalling London Waterloo in Central London.

Queens Park Rangers F.C. planned to build a new stadium with 40,000 capacity for its club in the regeneration area, but these plans have been hampered.

Politics

Old Oak Common is part of the College Park and Old Oak ward for elections to Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council.

References

References

1. "Sports stadium could be catalyst for transformation of Old Oak Common {{!}} London City Hall".
2. "Common ground".
3. "Decommissioning begins at Old Oak Common to make way for HS2 Rail Interchange".
4. "About Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation". Greater London Assembly.
5. (1993). "The Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, and Hounslow (London Borough Boundaries) Order 1993".
6. "Old Oak Common to Bulls Bridge". Grand Union Canal.
7. "Archaeological Works at Old Oak Common Depot, London NW10 XSU10". CrossRail.
8. "First glimpse of how two new London Overground stations could look". Evening Standard.
9. "Have your say on two potential new London Overground stations at Old Oak".
10. (14 December 2013). "QPR: Club announce 'exciting' plans for a new 40,000-seat stadium in".
11. (11 September 2019). "London regeneration: Old Oak Common, a scheme in trouble?". Property Investor Today.
12. "Vision for the area". From GLA website.
13. Prynn, Jonathan. (27 January 2016). "'Famous institution' will move to Old Oak Common culture zone".
14. Thompson, Barney. (27 January 2015). "Plans to regenerate London's Old Oak Common clear hurdle". Financial Times.
15. Smale, Katherine. (3 April 2018). "Engineering plans for HS2 Old Oak Common station revealed".
16. lucymair. (2013-12-13). "Queens Park Rangers unveil new football stadium plans for Old Oak Common".
17. Clark, Tim. (2014-12-02). "QPR's Old Oak Common plans scuppered by landowner".
18. "The London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham (Electoral Changes) Order 2020". Legislation.gov.uk.