About Us
Background information for applicants for Planning Committee
The Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) is a statutory regeneration and planning agency, spanning a London Plan Opportunity Area that includes three London boroughs (Ealing, Brent and Hammersmith & Fulham), the Park Royal industrial estate, the 190 acre Wormwood Scrubs open space and major development sites at Old Oak Common.
Established by the Mayor of London in April 2015 to drive the physical, social, economic and environmental regeneration at Old Oak and Park Royal, the catalyst for OPDC’s plans is the new £1.3bn Old Oak Common interchange station that will connect High Speed 2, Crossrail and GWR services. The new station is currently under construction and together with extensive nearby development sites will enable over 25,000 new homes to come forward over the coming years, alongside major new employment, leisure services and amenities. Together, this will create a new and revitalised urban district with unrivalled connectivity across London and beyond.
We are working to achieve our goals by:
- Working with the Mayor of London, central government, the local boroughs, residents’ organisations, businesses and other partners to establish the strong planning policy, co-ordinated approach to land and infrastructure, and a funding strategy that can achieve our goal;
- Leveraging public assets to secure private investment for the development of the area; and
- Setting and maintaining standards for high quality urban planning, design and construction to ensure a sustainable and enduring legacy for the area.
OPDC has the powers and functions of a local planning authority to support its work, with responsibility for statutory plan-making and development management. It also has powers to collect Section 106 contributions and Community Infrastructure Levy payments, and acquire land and interests via compulsory purchase.
OPDC’s work includes support for a wide range of early delivery projects. More than 6,000 new homes have been granted planning consent, around half of which are either now complete or underway. We manage a series of local community programmes, including improvements to the local public realm and canalside amenities for local residents and a newly launched Employment and Skills Hub. We are also supporting our business community through improvements to utilities, transport and IT in Park Royal, and we are working closely with Network Rail, High Speed Two and government on our strategic development plans.
Governance – the OPDC Board
OPDC’s Board is chaired by Liz Peace CBE, the former chief executive of the British Property Federation, and is accountable to the Mayor of London. Board members are appointed by the Mayor and include the leaders of our three local boroughs of Brent, Ealing and Hammersmith and Fulham, and others who are recruited through an open competition process, with a wide range of experience in property, planning, community engagement, health and business. OPDC is committed to being an organisation that fully reflects the rich diversity of the communities we serve, and we aim to reflect this in our Board membership.
The OPDC Board generally meets quarterly and Board members are expected to spend between two to three days per month on OPDC work, and may sit on specific Board committees, undertake public engagements and give advice to the Mayor.
The Board sets the strategic direction for the Corporation, approves the budget and business plan, and other major and strategic issues, including major expenditure and planning policy and holds the executive team to account for performance.
OPDC Planning Committee
As a Local Planning Authority, the OPDC has delegated to its Planning Committee the powers to consider and determine planning applications within statutory timescales. The Planning Committee also advises the OPDC Board on its Local Plan, its Community Infrastructure Levy charging schedule, matters of planning policy, and any other planning related issues.
The Planning Committee has eight members, appointed by the Mayor of London:
- The Chair of the Planning Committee (who is also a Board Member);
- Four elected Councillors – one from each of the local Councils of Brent and Ealing two from Hammersmith & Fulham; and
- Three independent members.
Applicants can find our more about the OPDC: