Agenda item

To consider the opportunities for joint working and the alignment of future priorities.

Liz Peace MBE, Chair of the Old Oak Common and Park Royal Development Corporation has been invited to attend the Board for this item.

Councillor Butt (as Chair) welcomed Liz Peace CBE (Chair of the Old Oak Common and Park Royal Development Corporation - OPDC) to the meeting who, he advised, had been invited to provide the Board with an overview of the OPDCs priorities and also to explore opportunities for joint working.

Liz Peace CBE thanked the Board for inviting her to the meeting and began by outlining her role as the recently appointed (April 2017) chair of the OPDC in re shaping and focussing the priorities of the Corporation following the Mayor for London’s review of progress by the Development Corporation in delivering its objectives.

As background, the Board were reminded that the OPDC was responsible for managing the UKs largest regeneration project covering an area of approx. 650 hectres with the aim of generating 65,000 jobs alongside 25,500 new homes as well as enhancing public space and delivering a transport “super hub” linked to development of Crossrail and the High Speed 2 projects.  Given the size of the area and outcome of the Mayors review, Liz Peace CBE advised that her key focus as chair of the Corporation was currently on identifying and delivering projects that would enable regeneration activity to progress on a co-ordinated basis alongside development of the longer term Master Plan.

The Board were advised that the Corporation had now appointed a team to work on development of the Master Plan and also to identify the most effective way of moving the regeneration activity forward.  The immediate focus was on opportunities within the western wedge of the development area and the Oaklands development, pending final development of the phase one Master Plan.

The focal point and catalyst for the longer-term regeneration activity across the area as a whole remained the transport “superhub” at Old Oak Common with a station connecting the High Speed Rail 2 line with Crossrail.  She advised that as part of the development of the supporting infrastructure the need had already been identified to consider the connectivity to existing transport links including the potential development of Willesden Junction.

In terms of other priorities, Liz Peace CBE advised that she was also keen to ensure that Park Royal was able to not only protect but enhance its existing identity.  To support this aim OPDC had already been successful in attracting £1.5m of Arts Council England and Heritage Lottery Funding under the Great Place Scheme to support a “Made in Park Royal” community focussed project designed to put culture led place making at the heart of the regeneration development activity being planned.

In terms of the wider regeneration activity, Liz Peace CBE also highlighted the importance of the Corporation not working in isolation and in ensuring a joined up approach with partners towards employment and skills activity, health and infrastructure developments.  She then introduced Victoria Hilsl from the Corporation who had been invited to attend in order to outline what she felt to be some of the significant opportunities for developing the skills and training offer linked to planned regeneration activity within the area.  As an example of the types of opportunities being identified, Victoria Hills referred to the offer of support from Berkley Homes working with the West London College to develop a Building Skills Academy.  Councillor Fennimore also highlighted the potential to establish links with Imperial College, London and West London Business Association.

The Chair thanked Liz Peace CBE for the outline provided of her key priorities and highlighted some of the areas and opportunities the Board would be keen to develop, working jointly with the Corporation as plans for the area were progressed and developed.  These included:

·                the need to ensure that the scale of opportunities particularly in relation to employment and housing were fully integrated and embedded within the wider local economy and surrounding area by all partner organisations;

·                the need, given the shared interest in supporting economic growth, development and job creation across the region, for the Board and OPDC to ensure that their strategic priorities were aligned as closely as possible and in a way which would enable both to work closely in terms of understanding and addressing local housing need, economic and employment trends and in engaging with other organisations in terms for example of securing the necessary transport infrastructure, funding and development;

·                the potential to link the proposals being developed in relation to the West London Orbital Rail with the wider transport infrastructure developments across the OPDC area;

The following issues were then highlighted by the Board in the discussion that followed:

Members were keen to explore the opportunities to develop the skills and training offer particularly for local people, given the number of jobs expected to be created in the completed OPDC area and also that would be required to complete the development and construction activity.  It was felt, however, that this would require a significant step-change in the volume and availability of training opportunities being provided involving greater planning and co-ordination of this activity at both a strategic and operational level and involvement of the West London Skills Commissioning Board.  In response Victoria Hills advised that the need to ensure a more strategic focus on the development of these opportunities had already been recognised by OPDC with links being developed to the Mayors Skills for London programme and available funding.  Whilst the Construction Skills Academy being developed between Berkley Homes and West London College was a good example of the type of opportunity available, the Board was assured that the Corporation were also aware of the need to co-ordinate and develop as broad an approach as possible involving partners from across the West London region.

Whilst welcoming the approach outlined, the Board also felt it was important to ensure that the focus remained not just on construction but in developing as broad a range of skills opportunities and training as possible.  Amongst the examples provided were IT, graphics, bio-science looking to build on potential links with institutions such as Imperial College; support the development of newer technologies and stable business communities building on lessons learnt from regeneration activity in other areas over recent years such as Canary Wharf.  In support of the need for integrated working, Dan Gascoyne (Director - West London Alliance) highlighted the work being undertaken to develop the West London Skills and Productivity Strategy, as considered at the last Board meeting.  This had been designed to link closely with development of the Mayors London Skills Strategy and had involved engagement with a range of key stakeholders, including the OPDC who he confirmed would be represented at the upcoming launch event.

The Board then moved on to focus in more detail on Park Royal, with members keen to explore the OPDCs plans to maximise the potential use of available space and attract sustainable businesses to the area that would be fit for the future.  Liz Peace CBE confirmed that OPDC had already recognised the need to explore options (with landowners) to deliver a more collective development, given (as the Board had recognised) the complexities created by the current fragmented nature of land ownership, mix of businesses and fact that area was already operating at almost maximum capacity in terms of the current space available.

Councillor Butt, on behalf of the Board, thanked Liz Peace CBE and Victoria Hills for attending the meeting and for the update provided.  He advised that the Board were keen to ensure that opportunities to further develop joint working with OPDC were monitored and maintained given the shared interests and close alignment of both organisations strategic priorities.