Updates

Notice of next meeting 7th November 2024, 6.30pm

A Zoom link and agenda will be circulated in advance. A copy of the slides from our last meeting can be seen on the OONF website at this link
http://oldoakneighbourhoodforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/October-2024-.pdf
These include the OPDC presentation on their 'Spatial Principles' and masterplanning work for Old Oak West.

We are assuming that the Budget on October 30th will finally bring decisions from the Government on funding for the HS2 tunnel to Euston, and how a new HS2 terminus at Euston will be financed. Media reports in the last couple of weeks have included conflicting reports on plans to revive HS2 north of Birmingham, in a different form. It would be good to have some certainty on what next for HS2.

OPDC Planning Committee gave planning consent on 10th October to the revised proposals from developers Aldau at 4 Portal Way. The scheme involves a replacement hotel and residential towers of 58 and 44 storeys. These buildings are 'considered to relate positively to the wider North Acton tall buildings cluster'.

We hope by November 7th to have more news on the planned closure of Old Oak Common Lane (of up to 4 years). Inadequacies in what TfL call 'surface travel arrangements' at Old Oak Common station, including the lack of eastern road access, continue to be a subject on which the Forum and GUA are trying to increase public awareness.

Let us know if there are new concerns which you would like to include on the agenda for the 7th.

Best wishes, Henry Peterson on behalf of the Old Oak Neighbourhood Forum
http://oldoakneighbourhoodforum.org https://www.facebook.com/OldOakNeighbourhood/

Agenda for 3rd October 2024 on-line Community Meeting

The meeting will start with a 15 minute presentation by ODPC colleagues on their latest plans and 'spatial principles' for Old Oak West. This will cover the same ground as the two consultation sessions held by OPDC recently, which some of you may have attended.

This will be followed by a Q&A session. We hope to hear about the responses that OPDC have received from this consultation, and their plans for next steps. OPDC has now acquired a series of development sites at Old Oak West, and this latest work has been undertaken by their 'delivery' team rather than their 'planning' team.

We will then continue the session with feedback from the recent OONF/GUA meeting with David Lunts (OPDC) and Peter Gow (HS2) and from the OPDC Board meeting on 26th September. This was not webcast, so Robin Brown, John Cox and I went along to hear the discussion.

There will be a report back from Josh Carrington and Theresa Magee on the meeting between Wesley Estate residents, developers Vantage and contractors Glencar. This followed from the long series of complaints on lack of enforcement on construction breaches at the site 0f 37-39 North Acton Lane.

A further agenda item will be the proposals which Ealing Council has recently published for 'highways improvements' on Park Royal Road and Acton Lane, including cycle ways and removal of parking bays.

For those who have joined the Forum recently, we will try to explain on these agenda items the background and context to our interactions with OPDC and HS2 over many years. And to answer queries you may have about the continuing impact of OPDC and HS2 works at Old Oak.

Agenda for 5th September 2024 on-line Community Meeting

To get back on track in holding meetings on the first Thursday of the month, there will be a Zoom session at 6.30pm.

1. Feedback from OPDC consultation session on Old Oak West/spatial principles/next steps on August 22nd.

2. Change at the OPDC with departure of Liz Peace and recruitment of a new Chair.

3. Continuing problems of lack of OPDC and LBE enforcement at construction sites. Update on incidents to raise at next meeting with OPDC Sept 12th.

4. Wormwood Scrubs - WS Charitable Trust (offshoot of LBHF) has withdrawn its planning application for its 'masterplan' of environmental improvements. Next steps.

5. Development update (including any applications that appear on Sept 12th OPDC Planning Committee agenda which should be published on the day of our Zoom).

6. Items to include on agenda for next OPDC/HS2/OONF/GUA meeting on Sept 12th:
Update on Old Oak Common Lane closure and timeline for revised Order by Sec of State (including public consultation).
Any news on funding position for OOC to Euston tunnel boring, and projected start date in 2025? How can boring start if no funding is committed?
Victoria Road crossover box headhouse design - feedback from Sept 4th session.
Progress on updating 2015 OPDC Strategic Transport Study.
Timeline for publication of Outline Business Case and for Government decisions on the OBC (submitted August 2023).
Composition of OPDC Board and the case for reinstatement of a 'community seat'.
7. Any other business

Agenda for 1st August 2024 on-line Community Meeting

The slides used at our this meeting can be viewed on the OONF website at http://oldoakneighbourhoodforum.org/?page_id=1411. Report back from the third meeting held between OONF/GUA and OPDC and HS2 (which took place Monday 29 July)
2. Ongoing concerns with HS2 impacts (OOC Lane road closure, list of problems maintained by Wells House Road RA)
3. Lack of enforcement action at 37-39 North Acton Lane (data centre construction)
4. OPDC Planning Committee decision to grant consent on 5-7 Park Royal Road - implications for the future
5. National Grid works along the canal
6. Any other business

Information for 11th July 2024 on-line Community Meeting

The Old Oak Neighbourhood Forum (OONF) has circulate the following briefing inadvance of the next open to all joint OONF/GUA community meeting:

By the 11th we may have some more clues on how a new Government will approach decisions on HS2 and on the planning system at national level.

Slides from our June 6th meeting are on the OONF website at this link if you wish to catch up on these.

A few further items of news below, which we will discuss on July 11th

a small group of us OONF members (along with Robin Brown from GUA) held a second meeting with David Lunts (OPDC CEO) and Peter Gow (HS2). These sessions are improving the flow of information on plans and timelines at Old Oak, albeit that huge uncertainties remain.
We also met separately with Peter George, Executive Director at LB Ealing and a couple of his planning colleagues working on the Old Oak area. We emphasised that local residents in the OPDC part of the Borough see the Council as neglecting their interests on problems arising from HS2 and OPDC activity, including temporary traffic lights, construction noise, and lack of enforcement.
The OPDC Board held a quarterly meeting on June 13th. Disappointingly HS2 pulled out of their 6 monthly presentation to the Board (citing 'pre-election restrictions' on what they could say in public). The meeting was again held at Oaklands Rise, and as a result was not live streamed or recorded for publication on the GLA website. Three of us were there and will report back on the 11th.
The Board meeting included a presentation on a new set of 'Spatial Principles' for Old Oak West. This work has been commissioned from architects/planners Gort Scott and Allies & Morrison. The slides are now available at this link on the OPDC website.

The intended audience for this piece of work is not entirely clear. It has been commissioned and overseen by the 'delivery arm' of OPDC rather than the 'planning arm'. Adding a further set of 'principles' to those already included in the recently adopted Old Oak West SPD risks some confusion. We are clarifying with OPDC that this piece of work is not intended for adoption as a 'development plan document' and will carry no weight in deciding planning applications.

The six 'key moves' in the presentation, and the new wording of 'spines' and 'centres of gravity' seems intended to demonstrate coherence within this part of the OPDC Local Plan. But introduction of yet more planning jargon does nothing by itself to change the realities of the transport network and spatial pattern of this part of London.

OONF members John Cox and Chris Peyton are already questioning whether these consultants fully understand the detail of proposed cycle routes on Old Oak Common Lane or the complexities of pedestrian bridges at North Acton station. At our July 11th session we will have the chance to add further input from an audience who know the area well.

Hope that you can join us. An agenda and Zoom link for the meeting will be circulated a few days before the session.

Best wishes,

Henry Peterson--
on behalf of the Old Oak Neighbourhood Forum

http://oldoakneighbourhoodforum.org
https://www.facebook.com/OldOakNeighbourhood/

Old Oak West - OPDC's Community Engagement Summary Report

This is the output from the programme of public involvement activities held in the Spring 2023 - see below on the 'Place Labs' which were a part of this programme.

Published on 1 September 2023 the OPDC writes that

"the report provides an overview of the activities undertaken, the stakeholders involved, the feedback received and outlines how feedback gathered will be used to inform the upcoming Old Oak West Supplementary Planning Document (SPD).

Over the summer, the OPDC team has been busy reviewing all the comments received and has used these to shape the Old Oak West Supplementary Planning Document (SPD). In October, we will be taking the draft SPD to our planning committee to approve it for public consultation to start shortly after, with the aim for the SPD to be adopted by the OPDC Board in January 2024.

Thank you again for taking part in the engagement process. Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions about Old Oak West or comments on the report. We look forward to continuing working closely with the community to help shape the future of Old Oak West and to deliver a new urban district that truly reflects local needs and aspirations. Kind regards, OPDC Old Oak West Engagement Team"

Past consultation events 'Place Labs' 18/23/25 March 2023

The OPDC's website [see here] invites "all local residents, businesses and community members to a series of co-design workshops - 'Place Labs' - to help shape the future of Old Oak West". [The overview webpage to the Old Oak West Project is here; OPDC's earlier leaflet Oct 2022 gives more illustrated information with a map of Old Oak West]. The OPDC explains that these workshops will provide an opportunity to listen to our views and explore how "we can jointly create a new urban district that truly reflects local needs and aspirations".

Place Lab 1: Saturday 18 March 11am – 1pm, Woodward Buildings, Community Hub, Victoria Road, W3 6BL https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/old-oak-west-place-lab-1-tickets-569370591767

Place Lab 2: Thursday 23 March 6.30pm – 8.30pm, The Lab, Oaklands, Community Centre, Oaklands Rise, NW10 6FJ https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/old-oak-west-place-lab-2-tickets-569489818377

Place Lab 3: Saturday 25 March 11am – 1pm, The Collective, Nash House, Old Oak Lane, NW10 6FF https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/old-oak-west-place-lab-3-tickets-569591311947

Further information on the broad scope of these events appear on the OPDC's Consultation Website on this Project.

On 1 September 2023 the OPDC published the results of the Old Oak West public involvement programme (held during Spring 2023) known as the Community Engagement Summary Report. The draft Supplementary Planning Document which builds on this feedback was taken to the OPDC's Planning Committee in October for authorisation for public consultations. It is planned to be the subject of the 22 February Planning Committee. The aim for the SPD is for it to be adopted by the OPDC Board in February 2024.