CD130 - Western Land, Old Oak and Park Royal - Appoinment of Prior & Partners

Three factors have fundamentally impacted on OPDC's proposed 'Phase 1A' early regeneration plans at Old Oak North:

• Rapid increases in industrial land values in west London which have affected scheme viability in the area and have made the relocation of key businesses in Old Oak North no longer possible.;
• The Planning Inspector's Interim Findings on the OPDC's draft Local Plan which de­ designated the Cargiant site from Strategic Industrial Location whilst also concluding that Old Oak North had become commercially unviable for residential-led development at this time; and
• The consequent difficulty of meeting key conditions associated with the provisional award of Housing Infrastructure funding (HIF) from MHCLG.

OPDC is therefore intending to revise its plans and work to bring forward and unlock a range of early sites - in both public and private ownership - where substantial numbers of new homes and jobs can be developed quickly. This will be done alongside a focus on the large public sector land holdings that are close to the existing Willesden Junction station and the proposed new HS2 interchange hub which together offer major opportunities for strategic scaled growth and regeneration. Collectively OPDC refers to these sites as the 'Western Land'. A site plan is attached at Appendix A.

The Western Land Is predominantly in the ownership of the Department for Transport (HS2 act as their 'agent') and Network Rail. These sites offer huge scope for major regeneration, building on the extraordinary connectivity provided by the HS2 and Crossrail interchange hub. During the General Election campaign, the Prime Minister said that he wanted public sector organisations to work more closely together on major regeneration schemes; these sites and landowners could provide the perfect demonstration of such collaboration.

To inform and support a new focus, OPDC intends to develop a new approach to the regeneration of the Western Land. The approach should, first and foremost, inspire and provide a catalyst for future change in this area. It will articulate the compelling nature and strategic scale of the opportunity available and provide the rationale for politicians, potential funders, decisionmakers, stakeholders and the development market to commit to and/or invest in this long-term regeneration opportunity.

The new approach will take account of OPDC's regeneration objectives for this area, namely:

• The need for comprehensive regeneration - irrespective of factors such as ownership or planning status etc.,and ensuring that incremental delivery is achievable, where appropriate
• Securing infrastructure funding and/or identifying appropriate funding sources
• Ensuring that the highest standards of urban design, 'placemaking' and sustainability are achieved
• Identifying opportunities for accelerated delivery or 'quick wins' that do not compromise the comprehensive approach
• The potential development of a strategic opportunity for London - to act as a catalyst and sit alongside more traditional mixed uses (for the creation of homes and jobs) if appropriate

OPDC intends to appoint Prior + Partners, a firm specialising in master-planning and urban design, to support the development of the new approach. Prior+ Partners will work alongside OPDC to provide and articulate ideas, engage with stakeholders and develop an indicative phasing plan. The team will also support OPDC to reach an in-principle agreement over a shared set of objectives between the public sector partners.

The primary purpose of this work is to develop and spatially articulate a shared ambition - between OPDC, HS2. and Network Rail -for the long-term future of the Western Land; both as a 'place' and a regeneration opportunity within Old Oak and Park Royal.

The key output will be a short document and accompanying presentation which will set out a strong narrative, spatial plans, images and precedents to support OPDC's new focus and engagement. A forward action plan and programme setting out key steps to stakeholder and community engagement and realisation will also be prepared.

OPDC intends to use this work to proactively gain support for the new Western Land focus from the GLA, Central Government and its agencies, senior politicians and stakeholders.

Under S149 of the Equality Act 2010 (the Equality Act), the OPDC 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.

The work will articulate OPDC's new approach to the regeneration of the Western Land and, in doing so, identify gaps and opportunities to improve and address inequality in the local area and London. This will inform how OPDC, the Mayor and other Stakeholders can ensure that the investment in HS2 and other public sector assets can be leveraged locally to maximise regenerative impacts and opportunities for local communities.

OPDC will ensure that work already undertaken for the Local Plan process will be used to inform and support any conclusions reached around the impact on those with protected characteristics. Relevant studies include the Environmental Impact Assessment and Equality Impact Assessment work which has all been informed by engagement with stakeholders at appropriate times. Furthermore, the outputs from this will be inputs to future corporate plans, strategies, policy development, communications, investment/funding requests and development delivery plans, which will be subject to equalities assessments at the appropriate time.

Regular engagement with the Chief Executive, Director of Planning and Development Director will be essential to ensure that the outputs reflect the collective view of the senior leadership team, and that activities across the organisation can develop in a way that is consistent with the emerging approach , including policy development and early activation projects.

Further consideration will need to be given of the degree to which Board members, especially the Chair, should be engaged during this process. OPDC will consult on its new plans with key stakeholders and the public later this year.

Expenditure of up to £100,000 for the provision of Consultancy support by Prior+ Partners will be funded from the 2019/20 Technical budget.

Any changes to this proposal, including any requirement for additional funds, will be subject to further approval via OPDC's decision making process.

The report above indicates that the decision requested of the Chief Executive falls within OPDC's objective of securing the regeneration of the Old Oak and Park Royal area and its powers to do anything it considers appropriate for the purpose of its objects or purposes incidental to those purposes, as set out in the Localism Act 2011.

In taking the decisions requested, the CEO 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 (race, disability, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity and gender reassignment) 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 CEO should have regard to section 3 (above) of this report.

Officers have indicated in paragraph 1 of this report that the services have been procured in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 in accordance with the GLA's Contracts and Funding Code.

Appendix A: Plan of public sector owned sites in the 'Western Land' area

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