ADD2428 Transport for London Revenue Grant to OPDC

The Mayor’s London Plan and OPDC’s draft Local Plan identify Old Oak and Park Royal as having a capacity for 25,500 new homes and 65,000 jobs, with the aspiration to capitalise on major investments already made in Old Oak Common station, the only place where HS2 will meet the Elizabeth line.

Willesden Junction station is, and will remain, an important transport hub in the heart of the area, providing onward regional connections. The station’s surroundings and existing access routes are currently in need of improvement. They are inhospitable for pedestrians and suffer from degraded public realm. Passenger wayfinding and interchange within the station is poor, with some areas of the station experiencing congestion during peak times.

In late 2019, OPDC announced that it would pursue a revised approach to achieving early regeneration, directed at the ‘Western Lands,’ where there are opportunities for collaboration with major public sector landowners. This includes development opportunities along Scrubs Lane and Harrow Road to the east, Old Oak Lane and Victoria Road to the west, and sites close to Willesden Junction station.

The revised approach underlines the importance of Willesden Junction station to OPDC’s regeneration aspirations and is critical for realising the longer-term vision for large-scale regeneration in the area.

OPDC is seeking further understanding of the feasibility and viability of making much needed improvements to optimise the functionality of Willesden Junction station as a gateway to OPDC’s wider, and rapidly changing, area.

The study will consider options which accommodate new and improved connections to the local area from the station, as well as improvements to the station itself.

The £30,000 revenue grant from TfL – referred to in the decision section above – is intended to be used for the commissioning of a feasibility study in relation to Willesden Junction station. TfL has confirmed that it has sufficient funds to make the said grant, which will be transferred to the OPDC under section 121 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 (the “GLA Act”).

The purpose of the work is to:

a) summarise the current provision, constraints and opportunities provided by the study area, with reference to OPDC’s strategic change;
b) develop and define how Willesden Junction can be enhanced as the gateway to the area, integrated with the wider opportunity area and local regeneration aspirations;
c) identify measures to improve/relieve congestion and existing pinch points within the station, including improvements to capacity, step-free access, as well as customer facilities;
d) identify measures to improve and enhance local connectivity through the area to/from the station, including improved interchange with other public transport modes in the immediate vicinity of the station;
e) identify measures to overcome the existing level differences and fragmentation of spaces and sites, in order to integrate them to the local area; and
f) understand the costs, risks, timescales and phasing to best enable the regeneration of the area around the station.

Under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, the Mayor and GLA are subject to a public-sector equality duty and must have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation, and any conduct that is prohibited by or under the Equality Act; and to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.

There are no equalities implications relating to the transfer of a revenue grant from TfL to the OPDC.

Key risks and issues

Links to Mayoral strategies

The proposals are in line with the Mayor’s Transport Strategy, particularly:

1. Policy 1 – Reducing Londoner’s dependency on cars, in favour of active, efficient and sustainable modes of travel, with the central aim for 80 per cent of all trips in London to be made on foot, by cycle or using public transport by 2041
2. Policy 2 – Making London a city where people choose to walk and cycle more often by improving street environments, making it easier for people to get around on foot and by cycling, and promoting the benefits of active travel
3. Policy 10 – Using the Healthy Streets Approach to deliver co-ordinated improvements to public transport and streets to provide an attractive whole journey experience that will facilitate mode shift away from the car
4. Policy 13 – Making the public transport network easier and more pleasant to use, enabling customers to enjoy comfortable, confident, safe and secure, informed and stress-free travel
5. Policy 14 – Enhancing London’s streets and public transport network to enable disabled and older people to more easily travel spontaneously and independently, making the transport system navigable and accessible to all and reducing the additional journey time that disabled and older users can experience
6. Policy 16 – Transform London’s rail-based services to provide safer, modern, reliable, integrated, accessible and user-friendly services, with improved journey times and an increase in capacity of at least 80 per cent by 2041 to tackle crowding and facilitate mode shift to rail
7. Policy 20 – Ensuring London has a safe, secure, accessible, world-class taxi and private hire service with opportunity for all providers to flourish
8. Policy 21 – Ensuring that new homes and jobs in London are delivered in line with the transport principles of Good Growth for current and future Londoners by using transport to:

1. Create high-density, mixed-use places; and
2. Unlock growth potential in underdeveloped parts of the city.

Impact assessments and consultations

The study brief has been consulted with TfL and NR, as well as wider OPDC colleagues. TfL and NR are supportive of the study in principle, and both will provide technical support throughout the study period. TfL have provided written support for the transfer of a revenue grant.

The cost of the feasibility study is estimated at £150,000 based on schemes of similar scope and will be part funded from the £30,000 revenue grant from TfL. The remaining fund required of £120,000 will be from OPDC’s 2020-21 revenue budget. The expenditure for the project is subject to approval under OPDC’s decision making framework.

It is proposed that TfL provide OPDC a revenue grant of £30,000. Under section 121(2) of the GLA Act, TfL may, with the consent of the Mayor, transfer funding by way of a grant to OPDC towards meeting revenue expenditure incurred, or to be incurred, by it for the purposes of, or in connection with, the discharge of OPDC’s functions.

As per section 121(3) of the GLA Act, TfL’s revenue grant may not be made subject to any limitation in respect of which such expenditure may be applied other than that the relevant expenditure must not be capital expenditure. Furthermore, the OPDC is under a duty to apply the said revenue grant towards expenditure incurred or to be incurred by that body for the purposes of, or in connection with, the discharge of its functions. To that end, as set out in paragraph 1.7 above, the OPDC has indicated that it intends to apply the said revenue grant towards expenditure in relation to the commissioning of a feasibility study into Willesden Junction station.

It is proposed to tender for the feasibility works under a selected TfL/GLA framework in February/March 2020, subject to governance approvals. The study is estimated to take 4-5 months.