DD005 - Park Royal Big X Improvements Study

1.1 The Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC), London Borough 
of Ealing (LB Ealing). London Borough of Brent (LB Brent) and Transport for 
London (TfL) (together, the Client Team) are seeking consultancy support to 
develop highways and public realm/ landscape designs and carry out traffic 
modelling for walking, cycling, road safety and public realm improvements in the 
Park Royal area – in line with Healthy Streets objectives and the OPDC’s Local 
Plan (Study). The work required will be focused on developing walking, cycling, 
road safety and public realm improvements at the 1) Junction of Park Royal Road, 
Acton Lane, Abbey Road and Coronation Road and 2) along the Park Royal Road, 
Acton Lane, Abbey Road and Coronation Road corridors. These four roads and 
their junction are collectively called ‘the Big X’. As the project area sits within the 
OPDC regeneration area, London Borough of Ealing and London Borough of 
Brent, this work will be co-cliented by OPDC, Brent and Ealing, with the OPDC 
commissioning and funding this work.

1.2 The designs developed by the commissioned consultants would identify
infrastructure enhancements to be delivered and funded through subsequent 
Section 106 monies. The on-street infrastructure proposals developed through this 
Study would be consulted on and constructed by LB Brent and LB Ealing, as 
highways authority. The Study will also help to inform the designs for current and 
future development proposals along the Big X, including the redevelopment of the 
ASDA supermarket in the centre of Park Royal. This Study aligns with the vision 
set out in the OPDC’s Local Plan. It is proposed that the Study would start in April 
2025 and end in March 2026.

2.1 Consultants are being sought to work with the Client Team to develop three 
options, with varying degrees of cyclist and pedestrian priority and public realm
improvements, for the Big X junction and adjoining Big X corridors. These options
will cover varying levels of cost, change and complexity – providing solutions that 
range from a low level of intervention to options that propose more significant 
change. s. The appointed consultant following a competitive procurement process 
will also carry out traffic modelling for the proposals, in line with TfL’s Modelling 
Audit Process (MAP).

2.2 As the OPDC does not currently have in-house expertise in highways design and
traffic modelling, an external consultant is being sought to deliver this Study.

2.3 This consultancy support would be sought and delivered through TfL’s
procurement framework, as the cost of the proposed work is within the threshold
that requires this.
 

3.1 The options developed through this Study will need to deliver and be assessed 
 against the following project objectives:

• High quality improvements for pedestrians at junctions and on footways.
• High quality cycling infrastructure, including separate cycle lanes and signal timings
• Improve the walking and cycling links between the Big X and the surrounding Underground and Rail Stations.
• Improved road safety, particularly for pedestrians and cyclists
• Provision of shared mobility services, including dockless bike bays, car clubs and mobility hubs.
• High quality public realm and amenity – including new seating and cycle parking
• Increased greening of public highway
• Addresses flood risk within the project area
• Enables a high- quality bus service within the project area
• Reduction of parking provision, in order to provide for more sustainable kerb-side activities.
• Reduces the dominance of motor vehicles and addresses vehicle cut-through routes

3.2 Effective functioning for servicing, deliveries and Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs), 
Light Goods Vehicles (LGVs) in recognition of the industrial context served by the 
Big X. 

3.3 Once completed, the Study will provide three options for enhancing walking and
cycling connections along the Big X. The Study work will inform the selection of a 
preferred option which will be consulted on and implemented by the highway 
authorities – LB Brent and LB Ealing.
 

4.1 The Study will result in tangible improvements being made to walking, cycling, 
green infrastructure and bus infrastructure along the Big X, which are identified as 
priority routes for enhancement in OPDC’s Local Plan and OPDC’s Infrastructure 
Delivery Plan. 

4.2 Set out within the Local Plan, and key to the delivery of this spatial and policy 
vision, is the provision of a high-quality street network that supports and enables 
travel by active and sustainable modes (walking, cycling and public transport) and
high quality public realm that contributes to an increase in green cover and a net 
gain in biodiversity. The Local Plan identifies the land use designations in the Park 
Royal area as continuing to be designated as SIL, with a new mixed-use 
Neighbourhood Town Centre being established in the heart of Park Royal – at the
junction of Park Royal Road, Acton Lane, Abbey Road and Coronation Road. 
Referred to as the “Big X”, these four key strategic corridors are key to unlocking 
the walking, cycling and road safety improvements that the Local Plan seeks to
deliver around the new Park Royal Neighbourhood Town Centre and along these 
four corridors.

4.3 The Local Plan identifies the pedestrian and cycle networks proposed across the
Old Oak and Park Royal Area. The roads making up the Big X are all part of the 
primary walking and cycling networks identified in the Local Plan and identified as 
key routes within both Ealing and Brent’s borough-wide cycle networks.

4.4 Improvements and enhancements to the Big X, , and key junctions along these 
corridors is identified as a project within the Infrastructure Delivery Plan.

5.1  This work will be co-cliented by the OPDC, TfL, LB Brent and LB Ealing, with the
OPDC commissioning and funding this work. 

5.2 External consultancy services would be procured via a competitive process using 
TfL’s procurement procedures and frameworks. Any contract would be managed 
by an identified OPDC officer lead (Principal Transport Planner), with oversight 
from the Director of Planning and Head of Planning Policy.

5.3 The appointed consultants would be expected to meet with the Client Team on a 
fortnightly basis throughout the commission to update the Client Team on the 
option development, modelling, key findings, any new risks/ issues and upcoming 
milestones.

6.1 The current road layout in Park Royal is traffic dominated, with a number of 
existing road safety issues that pose significant barriers to people walking and
cycling in the area. There is a risk that if this Study does not go ahead, these 
existing road safety issues will not only remain unaddressed but could become 
worse. The objectives of the Local Plan to improve walking and cycling in this area 
would not be met and S106 contributions for improving walking and cycling in the
area, that have been sought through local developments, would remain unspent.

6.2 Delays in securing consultancy support will impact on the timeline for introducing 
walking, cycling and road safety improvements in the Park Royal area.

6.3 OPDC will seek a suitably qualified consultancy team with the necessary expertise 
and experience. Project management by the OPDC will manage risks associated
with quality control. Table 1, below, identifies potential risks and how these would 
be mitigated.

Table 1: Potential Risks and Mitigations

7.1 Under Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, as a public authority, OPDC must
have ‘due regard’ to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and
victimisation as well as to the need to advance equality of opportunity and foster 
good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who 
do not.

7.2 The consultancy services will be selected via a competitive process and following
evaluation against set criteria, including their approach to equity, diversity and
inclusion. The completed evidence base would inform any future planning policies, 
and if these are developed, they would be subject to separate assessment, 
approval and public consultation

8.1 The brief for this Study sets out that each tender submission should set out clearly 
the social value benefit that each proposed consultant team would offer. This 
should not only consider the social value that would come from the technical work 
the consultant team would carry out but also additional, short-term social value
offerings to the local community.

Consultations and impact assessments
9.1 Following selection of a preferred option, the consultant would need to work up the 
design that would be used for the public consultation. The public consultation 
would be carried out by LB Brent and LB Ealing and the consultation drawing 
would need to align with both borough’s requirements for public consultations.

Communications and engagement
9.2 Any communications or engagement with stakeholders within the Park Royal area, 
such as businesses and residents, would be carried out in line with the OPDC’s 
agreed communications and engagement process.

10.1  No one involved in the preparation or clearance of this Form, or its substantive 
proposal, has any conflict of interest

11.1 Total expenditure of up to £200,000, of which £151,457.32 is to be funded through 
s106 contributions, leaving the balance of up to £50,000 to be funded through the 
Planning Policy 2025/26 budget.

11.2 Any further expenditure is subject to the Corporation’s decision-making process.

12.1 The foregoing sections of this report indicate that the decisions requested of the 
director concern the exercise of the Authority’s general powers; falling within the 
Authority’s statutory powers to do such things considered to further or which are 
facilitative of, conducive or incidental to the promotion of economic development 
and wealth creation and the improvement of the environment in Greater London 
and in formulating the proposals in respect of which a decision is sought, officers 
have complied with the Authority’s related statutory duties to:

12.2 Pay due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all 
people; consider how the proposals will promote the improvement of health of 
persons, health inequalities between persons and to contribute towards the 
achievement of sustainable development in the United Kingdom; and consult with 
appropriate bodies. 

12.3 In taking the decisions requested, the director must have due regard to the Public 
Sector Equality Duty; namely the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment, 
victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010, and to 
advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected 
characteristic (age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; 
pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex; sexual orientation) and 
persons who do not share it and foster good relations between persons who share 
a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it (section 149 of 
the Equality Act 2010). To this end, the director should have particular regard to 
section 7 (above) of this report. 

12.4 All procurements of works, services and supplies required for the project must be 
procured in accordance with the Authority’s Contracts and Funding Code (the 
“Code”) and, where the value exceeds £150,000, in accordance with the Public 
Contracts Regulations 2015 (the “Regulations”). Furthermore, the officers must 
liaise with Transport for London’s procurement and supply chain team, which will 
determine the detail of the procurement strategy to be adopted in accordance with 
the Code and the Regulations. Officers must ensure that appropriate contractual 
documentation be put in place and executed by chosen service provider/supplier 
and the Authority before the commencement of the services.

13.1 Table 2, below, sets out a summary of the key timeframes for the proposed study.

Table 2: Summary of Timeframes.