Environmental sustainability and open spaces are often topics which people are passionate about – and rightly so. The transformation of Old Oak and investment in Park Royal present unrivalled opportunities to sensitively improve existing parks and open spaces and try to address current environmental issues such as air quality and land contamination. This regeneration project also provides the ability to create new areas of thriving and sustainable spaces, that could include: new parks, station squares and canal side spaces. When it comes to town planning ‘environment’ can be combined with: internet access and broadband, waste management and noise pollution.
OPDC is ambitious to ensure that the Old Oak and Park Royal regeneration project is recognised for best practice sustainable development that uses the highest standards of design, delivery and operation to create a green part of London to be enjoyed and accessed by everyone who lives, works or visits the area.
To ensure we do this important aspect of the regeneration project well, we need your feedback to further inform the plans for your neighbourhood and place of work. We have thought through and proposed a number of options about how we think this could be achieved. To read these proposals in further detail, you can read the Draft Local Plan , especially Overarching Spatial Policy 3 (pg.38) and chapter 12 (pg.289).
Key sections:
Overarching Spatial Policy 3: Connections and open spaces (pg 38)
This policy sets out the underpinning objectives of development in the area, focussing on connections and open spaces to deliver an integrated street network and a range of open spaces which celebrates existing assets, such as the Grand Union Canal and Wormwood Scrubs
Chapter 12: Environment and utilities (pg 289)
Due to the significance of the environment, the ‘Environment and Utilities’ chapter contains 12 policy options that we need to get your feedback on, which cover the following: (Click on any of the policy headings to find out more and leave your thoughts and feedback on the plans)
EU1: Strategic Policy for environment and utilities
This policy sets out how planning applications will be assessed in terms of ensuring that the area has the highest environmental standards, and high quality utilities, that meet everyone’s needs EU2: Smart technology
This policy sets out how planning applications will be assessed in terms of positioning Old Oak and Park Royal as a world-leading location for implementing technological innovations to the advantage of the area. For example, technology that can help solve local problems, such as smoothing traffic flowEU3: Water
OPDC has a preferred policy option in terms of responding to limited water drainage capacityEU4: Waste management
This policy sets out how planning applications will be assessed in terms of safeguarding the existing Twyford Waste Transfer Station, Quattro and Powerday waste sitesEU5: Circular economy and resource efficiency
This policy sets out how planning applications will be assessed in terms of how well their designs minimise waste generation, and maximise the use of recycled or ‘secondary’ materialsEU6: Decentralised energy
This policy sets out how planning applications will be assessed in terms of delivering a decentralised energy networkEU7: Digital communications infrastructure
This policy sets out how planning applications will be assessed in terms of whether they deliver innovative digital communications infrastructure, such as high speed internet accessEU8: Green infrastructure and biodiversity
This policy sets out how planning applications will be assessed in terms of protecting, enhancing, creating or connecting areas of nature that are important to the area. The technical terms for these are ‘high biodiversity’ and ‘green infrastructure’EU9: Extraction of minerals
This policy sets out how planning applications will be assessed in terms of whether they include mineral extraction, and if so, how this is managedEU10: Air quality
This policy sets out how planning applications will be assessed in terms of managing air quality during construction and operational activitiesEU11: Noise
This policy sets out how planning applications will be assessed in terms of minimising the adverse effects of noise on people using buildings in the futureEU12: Land contamination
This policy sets out how planning applications will be assessed in terms of managing land contamination
Consultation Questions
For each of the policy areas in the OPDC Local Plan, we need your views on the preferred policy option and/or whether any alternative options should be considered. Your feedback on the environment, open spaces and other planning topics, are crucial to Old Oak and Park Royal’s future. So please provide comments on these policies online using this consultation platform.
We are seeking your views across all of these policy options, but would like to highlight a few key questions that we would like your thoughts on specifically:
EU1 Strategic policy for environment and utilities : Do you agree with these areas identified for setting environmental and sustainability performance targets for the development and infrastructure? If not, what other areas should be identified? Which of these areas do you see as a priority and why?EU2 Smart technology : Are there any other challenges and opportunities in addition to those stated in the draft Smart Strategy that ‘smart city technology’ could address? Should the Local Plan and OPDC provide stronger requirements for proposals to provide relevant and open data?EU3 Water : Do you agree with the preferred water management option identified in the Integrated Water Management Strategy (IWMS)? What might you change? Please refer to the IWMS for additional information if required. Where might features be located outside the core development area to help water management?EU7 Digital communications : Are there any specific areas within Old Oak and Park Royal that currently have issues with access to digital internet services. Are there any other issues relating to access to internet services?EU8 Green infrastructure and biodiversity : Where could new green infrastructure be incorporated into the new buildings and spaces in the OPDC area? Are there any biodiversity designations which could be amended and/or removed?Provide comments against these policies today .