Tories claim Mayor is scaling back the project to chase 'short-term headlines'

Conservatives in the London Assembly are claiming that London Mayor Sadiq Khan has given the go ahead to revised plans for the development of Old Oak Common which would significantly reduce it in size. The scheme would now have 2,250 fewer homes than originally planned.

According to a report in City AM newspaper, the decision to cut the development of these flats was due to concerns about government funding. The Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) asked the government for more money in January.

When the Mayor took over the project in 2016 he accused his predecessors of leaving it in a mess and said that the Government rather than Londoners should shoulder most of the financial burden of the scheme.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said, “We are currently reviewing a bid to support Old Oak Common and funding decisions will be made shortly.”

The original number of homes to be built on the site over its thirty year life span was 22,350 but this has now reportedly fallen to 20,100 over 20 years after a decision was taken at a full meeting of the OPDC on 28 September.

A spokesperson for the Mayor said, “The mayor is not reducing the planned number of homes and jobs at Old Oak Common. With government support, he believes it can deliver 25,500 new homes and 65,000 new jobs over the course of the project.”

The Conservatives say that the Mayor has already been given nearly five billion pounds towards building homes in London and accuse him of only being interested in short term headlines.

Shaun Bailey AM, Chairman of the London Assembly Regeneration Committee, said, “The plans for thousands of homes to be built in Old Oak Common were eagerly anticipated and many people were looking forward to seeing them materialise.

“One of the reasons the Mayor was elected was his huge and ambitious plans to build more affordable homes. Londoners now need to see these plans come to fruition.”

A new High Speed 2 (HS2) and Crossrail Station is due to be constructed at Old Oak Common by 2026. OPDC was established in April 2015 to oversee development for the wider area and has full planning powers within its 650 hectare boundary that includes land in the boroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham, Ealing and Brent.

October 17, 2018