Victoria Hills has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC).
Old Oak Common in West London is one of the largest regeneration opportunities in Europe, with a High Speed 2 (HS2) and Crossrail Station due to be constructed by 2026.
The OPDC was launched by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson in April to maximise the regeneration potential of the new stations and deliver up to 24,000 homes and more than 55,000 jobs.
Victoria Hills is a chartered planner and a former head of transport at the Greater London Authority. She has been instrumental in the establishment of the OPDC, first as Director and then, since April as Interim Chief Executive.
In her new role, she will deliver the Mayor’s vision for regeneration in the area which has the potential to deliver a £15bn boost to London’s economy over the next 15 years.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said: “Old Oak Common can be as important to West London as the Olympics have been for East London, driving social and economic regeneration on an almost unparalleled scale. I am delighted to be able to appoint someone of the calibre and experience of Victoria Hills to drive forward this once-in-a-generation opportunity.”
Victoria Hills said: “I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to secure the best possible outcomes from the significant transport investment that Old Oak and Park Royal will benefit from. This is a career defining opportunity for me to deploy my transport and planning expertise to showcase the very best London can offer in exemplar place making.”
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. The Corporation will act as a single, transparent and robust body to spearhead the regeneration of the site that straddles the London boroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham, Brent and Ealing.
The OPDC will look to emulate the success of the London Legacy Development Corporation that continues to lead the post-Olympic regeneration of Stratford and East London. The Mayor’s Office believes that the regeneration opportunity could provide almost 14 per cent of Greater London’s employment needs up to 2031.
It has the support of Government and full planning powers across the entire site straddling the boroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham, Brent and Ealing.
As well as promoting and delivering physical, social, economic and environmental regeneration at Old Oak Common, the Corporation will also safeguard and develop Park Royal as a strategic industrial location and attract long-term investment to the area, including from overseas.
The OPDC is chaired by Deputy Mayor for Planning Sir Edward Lister and has various statutory powers relating to infrastructure, regeneration and land acquisitions.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
The OPDC covers the area encompassing the Park Royal Industrial Estate, Stonebridge Park, Park Royal Cemetery (Acton Cemetery), the core development site at Old Oak, North Acton Underground Station, Willesden Junction underground and overground stations and Wormwood Scrubs Common.
Wormwood Scrubs will continue to be protected by its designation as Metropolitan Open Land and the 1879 Wormwood Scrubs Act. New additional public open spaces are proposed north of Wormwood Scrubs to contribute to meeting the needs and requirements for forthcoming development.
The OPDC is working closely with the three boroughs and all existing businesses across Old Oak Common and Park Royal. This includes working with existing businesses to support potential relocations to protect the businesses and jobs that are so integral to the London economy and the local community.
It will also look to regenerate, develop and transform Old Oak Common, in a way that is sustainable, meets local needs and supports the strategic long-term priorities in the Mayor’s London Plan and Old Oak Vision Plan. It will also safeguard and regenerate Park Royal as a strategic industrial location and attract long-term investment to the area.
In addition it will secure high-quality sustainable development and investment for the benefit of the area and the communities that surround it. It would also promote world class architecture, sustainable place making and urban design to deliver a new high quality new part of London.
The Further Alterations to the London Plan, published in March 2015, designated Old Oak Common as an opportunity area.