"Work on Crossrail’s surface section in outer London, Berkshire and Essex is now one third complete.
"The £2.3bn upgrade of the existing rail network for Crossrail is being undertaken by Network Rail.
"Matthew White, Surface Director at Crossrail said:
"Crossrail will provide a step change in public transport right along the surface section of the route – for passengers that will mean new trains, better stations and quicker journeys. A huge amount of work has already been carried out to prepare the existing railway for the arrival of new services. Network Rail is now gearing up for a busy time over Christmas and New Year and in 2015 major station improvements will step up.""Matthew Steele, Crossrail Programme Director at Network Rail said:
"£2.3bn is being invested in the existing rail network to deliver Crossrail. Network Rail is upgrading stations, track, signalling and installing new overhead power supplies across the route to enable the new trains to run. We are also building a brand new station at Abbey Wood as well as delivering new flyovers to ease congestion between London and Heathrow airport. As we pass through this milestone the work is on schedule and within budget, so well done to everyone working within the combined Crossrail, Network Rail and supply chain team.""The Christmas and New Year period will be the busiest yet for Crossrail’s surface section.
"Amongst a wide programme of works, bridges at Slough and Iver will be demolished, the new flyover at Stockley will be commissioned and a turnback facility will be installed at Chadwell Heath."
2014-12-18
Crossrail video: "Surface Works: Upgrading the existing railway"
2014-12-16
Wed 17 Dec: London Assembly: "Mayoral Development Area - Extraordinary Assembly meeting on Old Oak & Park Royal"
16 December 2014
"Tomorrow the London Assembly will hold an Extraordinary Plenary session to discuss the Mayor’s proposal for a Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) to lead the regeneration of the Old Oak Common and Park Royal areas of west London. The proposals would lead to 24,000 new homes and 55,000 new jobs centred on the new High Speed 2 station at Old Oak.
"Under the proposals, the MDC would take over the majority of planning powers from the London boroughs of Brent, Ealing and Hammersmith and Fulham and would lead on preparing the local plans and determining large planning applications in that area.
"The following guests will be questioned:
- Sir Edward Lister - Chief of Staff and Deputy Mayor for Planning
- Victoria Hills - Director of the proposed Development Corporation for Old Oak and Park Royal.
"The role of the London Assembly is to act as a check and balance on the activities of the Mayor and the various organisations his office supports.
"The meeting will take place on Wednesday, 17 December from 1.30pm in The Chamber, at City Hall (The Queen's Walk, London SE1).
"Media and members of the public are invited to attend.
"The meeting can also be viewed via webcast."
Notes for Editors:
- Section 197 of the Localism Act 2011 gives the Mayor powers to designate any area of land in Greater London as a Mayoral Development Area (MDA) for the purposes of setting up a Mayoral Development Corporation. In relation to the proposal to designate a MDA covering Old Oak and Park Royal, that process has now reached its final stage. At this final stage, the Act requires the Mayor to lay his proposals for designation of the Area before the Assembly in order to afford it the opportunity to reject the proposed designation within the following 21 days. The Mayor may only proceed to designate the MDA if, after the 21 day 'consideration period' has expired, the Assembly has not rejected his proposals. In accordance with Section 197, the Assembly may reject the proposed designation by a two thirds majority of Members present and voting. A formal motion to reject may be moved by any single Assembly Member during the meeting, and if seconded, will be considered and must be voted upon by the Assembly.
- Full agenda papers
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
2014-12-13
Evening Standard: "Peter Bill on property: Teamwork the key for QPR to win in Old Oak Common clash"
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| Link to web site |
"The chairman of Queens Park Rangers, Tony Fernandes, and the owner of Car Giant, Geoff Warren, need to be locked in a room at City Hall by London's Deputy Mayor, Sir Edward Lister, who should then depart the room, uttering the words: 'Nobody gets out until you (stabs finger at Warren) agree to give him (stabs finger at Fernandes) enough of your land to build his new stadium at Old Oak Common. Is that bloody clear?'
If only. Fernandes is spending millions, working up a planning application for the 25,000 homes across the entire 345 acres of land, due to be declared to the Mayoral Development Corporation next week. The centrepiece is a 40,000-seater football stadium which QPR’s advisers insist can go in only one spot: on five of the 47 acres of land owned by Warren.
"The 59-year-old car salesman, who earned himself a £220 million fortune dealing from his Old Oak acres, said here three weeks ago: 'The stadium is just not going to happen. We have a compelling vision of our own.' Warren wants to build 10,000 homes on his land. He has hired two of the property industry's most formidable negotiators in the shape of Ian and Richard Livingstone of London & Regional."
New Queen's Park: "QPR’s plans for a stadium-led regeneration of Old Oak receive overwhelming community support"
"Thank you for responding to our consultation earlier this year.
"As you will remember, QPR’s plans involve regenerating Old Oak. We plan on building a new 40,000 seat stadium for QPR FC, creating 50,000 new jobs and building 24,000 homes.
"The stadium will be the beating heart of the huge regeneration scheme planned by the Boroughs and the GLA. It will generate activity, excitement, publicity, jobs and spin-off businesses; ensuring that the new development is a real place and not just another dormitory town of buy-to-let flats leaving little for the local community.
"In order to sustain a top-flight football club, QPR need to move on from Loftus Road and Old Oak is the only realistic place for us to move.
"As you know we have held an extensive consultation which involved a six-day public exhibition and 50,000 newsletters. We have had fantastic feedback from our consultation, almost 3,000 of you have got in touch. The key findings are:
- 2,524 (89%) people agree with QPR’s vision for Old Oak while just 302 (11%) say they disagree.
- 2,484 (88%) people support Old Oak as the location for a new QPR Stadium while just 332 (12%) say they disagree.
2014-12-04
2014-12-03
24dash.com: "Doubts raised over new QPR stadium as former sponsor seeks to fast-track rival scheme"
"Queens Park Rangers' plans to build a new stadium at Old Oak Common have suffered a major setback after a rival landowner announced it was seeking to fast-track rival proposals for the site.
Cargiant, a west London-based vehicle warehouse which owns 47 acres of land in the area, had previously ruled out working with the Premier League club and said it would fight any plans by QPR to gain a compulsory purchase order (CPO) for the land.
But now its managing director Tony Mendes has upped the ante even further by unveiling a partnership with developer London & Regional Properties to build 20,000 'affordable' new homes.
In November, QPR were confident their stadium-led regeneration plans were on track after a local consultation revealed 90% of residents backed the proposals.
If it goes ahead, the project would be the UK's biggest regeneration project since the Olympic Games with a new 40,000-seat stadium included alongside 24,000 homes and major leisure, retail and community facilities.
It remains to be seen whether the announcement by Cargiant will put the brakes on QPR's plans but Mendes is confident that his own scheme will get the nod against the club his company used to sponsor.
Tony Mendes said:
"I am delighted to have London & Regional and DP9 on board and look forward to working with their team. Cargiant has been part of the local community for over 30 years, and brings with it land, property expertise and local knowledge, and with London & Regional bringing along their development skills and extensive experience, Old Oak Park is destined to become a model community.A spokesman for QPR said:
London is in desperate need of more houses and the Mayor and the GLA are working hard to resolve the shortage. By appointing London & Regional at this early stage we will be accelerating the process of delivering our scheme and thousands of affordable houses for Londoners by at least 12 months."
Old Oak Park is destined to become one of the largest car-free and safest developments in London, with the needs of the local community at its heart.
This development will encompass a large proportion of affordable homes for the local community with waterside living and access to the 170 acre Wormwood Scrubs Park, which is four times the size of Green Park.
I am very grateful for the excellent initial stage work carried out by First Base and Lipton Rogers which has allowed us to get to this transitional stage quickly."
"The future regeneration of Old Oak requires everyone one to work together for the common good - the boroughs, the Mayor, landowners and the local community.
Our consultation attracted the views of almost 3,000 local residents with almost 90% in support of our stadium-led regeneration.
The future of Old Oak lies in the regeneration of the entire area and not the uncoordinated and piecemeal development of individual land holdings."
2014-12-02
House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee: "Economic Case for HS2"
Meeting started on Tuesday 11 November at 3.39pm. Ended at 5.30pm
Witnesses
- Paul Plummer, Rail Delivery Group and Network Rail; Rupert Walker, Network Rail; and Professor Chris Nash, Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds
- Lord Adonis
2014-12-01
CityAM: "Cargiant’s Old Oak Common plans threaten QPR stadium expansion"
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| Link to web site |
"Cargiant, the west London-based vehicle warehouse, is teaming up with the Livingstone brothers’ London & Regional Properties group on one of London’s largest redevelopment projects.
"The plan to regenerate the west London Old Oak Common site with 20,000 new homes is set to clash with rival plans from Queens Park Rangers (QPR) football club chairman Tony Fernandes, who had hoped to redevelop the site with a new stadium for his Premier League team."
2014-11-19
GetWestLondon: "Council works with partners to improve east Acton life"
"Council Leader Julian Bell said they will be more strategic in tackling unemployment, crime and safety at a scrutiny meeting"
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| Link to web site |
"The Local Strategic Partnership’s (LSP) east Acton project is testament to the more hands-on approach the council and its partners are taking to improve the borough, says Ealing’s council leader.
Councillor Julian Bell said three years ago they claimed they wanted to do less talking and more doing, and work undertaken this year to improve lives for people in the chosen area has proved that.
At Thursday’s (November 13) scrutiny meeting Mr Bell said:
"We will have discussions over the next couple of months on how we can be more strategic."... At the meeting, east Acton councillor Kate Crawford asked whether the council would be utilising opportunities surrounding HS2, to which the council leader said they would be looking to maximise opportunities for any future training and apprenticeships around Old Oak Common and HS2."
“Everybody knows there's not any more money but if you pull your money and resources together, we can work in a better way."
2014-11-18
Financial Times: "Qatar looks to back UK high-speed train plan"
"The Qatari royal family has told British ministers it wants to invest heavily in regeneration projects being planned around the hubs of the new HS2 high-speed rail line, with billions of pounds of investment being discussed.
"The emir of Qatar visited the UK last month and told the prime minister he wanted to take advantage of new projects that have sprung up as a result of the £50bn rail venture, which will run from London to Birmingham, then Leeds and Manchester.
"While talks are at an early stage, both sides are keen to do a deal, according to figures in Downing Street, the Treasury and the Qatari royal family. Such an agreement would boost David Cameron’s attempts to improve Britain’s infrastructure using private and international money.
"According to Qatari officials, the potential investment was one of the main topics of discussion during the emir’s visit, and Doha is now waiting for further information from the UK government.
"Documents released by the Cabinet Office last month show how much attention the prime minister has given to attracting foreign investment into the UK. The papers reveal that in the first three months of this year, Mr Cameron organised three Downing Street meetings with external investors, including the Canada Pension Plan, the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.
"That strategy has begun paying off in the past few months. Li Keqiang met Mr Cameron in Beijing last year, after which the Chinese premier singled out high-speed rail and nuclear power as two key large-scale schemes in which his country is keen to put money.
"The Qataris are also trying to take over Songbird Estates, the group that owns London’s Canary Wharf, to add to other holdings in London, including Harrods and Chelsea Barracks.
"The gas-rich Gulf state also opened talks with the Treasury last year to invest up to £10bn into infrastructure projects such as energy plants, transport schemes or the Thames “super-sewer” under London.
"According to officials in the Downing Street meeting, Mr Cameron and the emir very briefly discussed how the Qatari sovereign wealth fund might put money into HS2 and British officials had more detailed discussions with their Qatari counterparts. While the UK government is planning to fund the costs of the railway line itself, trade officials are keen for outside investors to help fund renovation projects at the termini.
"People close to the project said the Qataris appeared to be particularly interested in investing in the renovation planned in central Birmingham, where one of the biggest new stations in Britain in a century will be built at Curzon Street.
"Developers plan to build 2,000 new homes and 600,000 square metres of office space around the new Birmingham station, with the aim of transforming the area using a similar model to London’s King’s Cross station redevelopment.
"There are also plans for a major redevelopment at Old Oak Common in west London, where HS2 will meet Crossrail, described by some as the “Canary Wharf of the west.”
"At the same time HS2 is drawing up plans to create a new company called Regenco in partnership with London and Continental Railways to buy up land around the stations on the route.
"The aim of the new body is to oversee regeneration work along the line, with the potential for thousands of new homes and new commercial real estate.
"Officials believe that Qatar could be persuaded to invest alongside Regenco in some of these schemes. 'We think it’s right up their street,' one said."
2014-11-16
Nicky Gavron AM: "Our visit to Old Oak Common and Park Royal"
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| Link to web site |
"Next month the Assembly will decide whether to approve the creation of a Mayoral Development Corporation for the Old Oak Common and Park Royal Area. The convergence of HS2 and Crossrail on a 50 hectare-plus brownfield site represents one of the greatest opportunities for regeneration in London’s history, but we need to make sure that the Mayor’s vision for Old Oak is the right one, and that a Mayoral Development Corporation is the best way to implement that vision.
"Yesterday I joined Assembly Members from all parties on a site visit to Old Oak Common and Park Royal. The visit followed on from the Planning Committee’s meeting this summer, and highlights our continuing scrutiny of the Mayor’s plans."
2014-11-14
2014-11-06
ChiswickW4: "HS2: Calls for Ealing residents to be compensated"
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| Link to web site |
"Residents affected by the High Speed Rail Link (HS2) through parts of Ealing should be compensated according to a new alliance.
"Ealing Council has joined forces with Camden and Hillingdon to call on the government to grant 'A fair deal for London' on HS2 compensation.
"... Amanda Souter, chair of Wells House Road Residents’ Association in Old Oak Common said:
"We are facing the prospect of living with constant construction for 24 hours, seven days a week for up to a decade. At some points we will be completely cut off from vital amenities such as shops, transport, doctors and churches and children will have journeys of an hour or more to get to local schools only minutes away. However HS2 ltd. has failed to recognise our community’s unique circumstances in offering any form of compensation."
2014-11-05
Possible Old Oak Common access roads (not to mention a Harlesden Bypass)
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| 1943: The Abercrombie Plan just widened the Harrow Road (Click to enlarge images) |
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| 1967: What was now a 'Harrow Road Bypass' was alongside the West Coast Main Line |
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| 2014: A possible North Circular - to - Old Oak Common link road (The location to cross the Dudding Hill rail line needs refining) |
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| ... and extending to Scrubs Lane (These are not GLA-adopted suggestions) |
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