Plans to regenerate Old Oak Common and Park Royal have been given the seal of approval from the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.
Eric Pickles gave the thumbs up to the scheme which promises to boost the economy in the area by £15billion through the creation of a brand new city with up to 24,000 homes and more than 55,000 jobs.
Two new train stations which interchange with railway projects HS2 and Crossrail could be built in Harlesden under the plans drawn up by the Mayor of London Boris Johnson.
Mr Johnson intends to establish a new body, known as the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC), to lead the transformation and following the approval from Mr Pickles an order has been laid before Parliament to pave the way of its creation.
The regeneration of the 950 hectare site that straddles Brent, Hammersmith & Fulham, and Ealing will take place over a 30 year period.
Under the scheme, one of the largest regenerations in the city, a vast High Speed 2 (HS2) and Crossrail Station will 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.
Mr Johnson said: “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.
“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.”
OPDC hopes to enjoy the same success of the London Legacy Development Corporation which carried out the regeneration of Stratford and East London for the 2012 Olympics.
The scheme is predicted to boost the economy in the area by £15billion over the next 30 years.
Mr Pickles said: “Housebuilding is a key part of the Government’s long-term economic plan – so it is absolutely right that delivering new homes is at the heart of this exciting regeneration scheme.”
A figure on the cost of carrying out the regeneration is yet to be revealed.
Related link: Two new train stations could be built in Harlesden
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