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Chapter 13 - PARK ROYAL

13.1 INTRODUCTION

13.1.1 The policies in this Chapter relate to the inset area of the proposals map covering Park Royal. Park Royal is London's largest industrial and business park, covering 650 Ha. Approximately 40% of the estate is within Brent, 50% in Ealing and 10% in Hammersmith & Fulham. It is home to over 1200 businesses employing over 35,000 people. It is located equidistant between Central London and Heathrow Airport and is directly linked to the A40/M40 Western Avenue and the A406 North Circular Road.

13.1.2 Special regeneration planning issues arise within this area, hence the need for a separate chapter and an inset to the proposals map. These policies only relate to the part of Park Royal within Brent but they are complemented by the policies adopted by Ealing and Hammersmith & Fulham councils in their own Unitary Development Plans. It is important that there is a co-ordinated and consistent UDP policy framework as applied to the three Boroughs over Park Royal as a whole, and the three Boroughs have worked to achieve this, both in their initial UDPs and in their UDP reviews. A small part of the Park Royal Strategic Employment Area lies outside this inset map area as it is a continuation of the Hythe Road area in Hammersmith and Fulham.

13.2 BACKGROUND

13.2.1 The area was developed mainly in the 1930s on the former Royal Agricultural showground. As such, its infrastructure and many of its buildings are outdated. Whilst the area suffered considerably from the manufacturing recession of the early 1980s, the main food processing employers of the area, Guinness, Heinz and United Biscuits remained - attracted by proximity to the metropolitan market - but all three shed staff and consolidated their sites. This, together with the disposal of land by the Central Middlesex Hospital and manufacturing operations, created many redevelopment opportunities. The development of the Park Royal Link Road (Abbey Road), and other infrastructure improvements pursued by the former Harlesden City Challenge have been crucial in opening up many of these as inward investment sites.

13.2.2 To tackle the area's problems and to attract new investment, the Park Royal Partnership has been set up between the three local authorities, the private sector and Training and Enterprise Councils; with the support of Central Government. Park Royal Partnership, which is a company limited by guarantee, has been set up with the overall aim of:
'Building on its prime location and traditional strengths, to achieve the regeneration of Park Royal by promoting substantial physical, economic and social improvements for the benefit of businesses and communities in West London'

13.2.3 Park Royal offers many property development opportunities, with over 200 sites of different sizes available at the end of 1998. Park Royal also benefits from European Objective 2 status, with grants available for eligible projects in both manufacturing and service industries. It is estimated by the Park Royal Partnership that a further 10,000 jobs might be created in Park Royal as a whole with new infrastructure to service a number of key 'gateway' sites.

13.2.4 The partnership has succeeded in attracting much new investment to the area, and indeed much of the Brent part of Park Royal has been redeveloped in recent years. It has begun work on examining more radical ways of upgrading the area's outmoded infrastructure through the preparation of a regeneration strategy, with the support of the Government Office for London, for the whole Park Royal area.

13.2.5 The scale and intensity of much recent business, industrial and warehousing development in Park Royal, has been a testament to the continuing role these uses have in London, where good quality and attractive sites can be provided with access to the strategic road network. The special policies in this chapter are designed to maximise the opportunities raised by a number of major sites and to ensure that their infrastructure and development is well integrated with the surrounding area - in particular so it can tap the potential labour market offered by the adjoining deprived areas of Stonebridge and Harlesden.

13.2.6 The increasing tendency of warehousing to locate in the area raises issues concerning traffic generation from heavy goods vehicles and the reduction in the number of jobs generated. However, the shift towards 'just-in-time' distribution and production warehousing has led to growth in this sector, and to higher employment than traditional warehousing.

13.3 Strategic context

13.3.1 Regional Planning Guidance for the South East (RPG9), March 2001, - stresses the importance of allocating employment land within an overall strategy for urban renaissance. Strategic Planning Guidance for London Planning Authorities (RPG3 - May 1996) offers a geographical dimension to the planning of employment land in London. It highlights Park Royal as lying within a West London Regeneration Corridor, of fundamental regional and national importance. Development focused on public transport infrastructure is particularly stressed. It endorses the identification by LPAC of Preferred Industrial Locations (including Park Royal) and Industrial / Business Parks (also including Park Royal). The Draft London Plan, (June 2002), has carried these designations forward.

13.3.2 The Borough supports, through West London Leadership, the Strategic Development Framework for West London. The Strategic Development Framework aims to make West London into an international business centre, based on its key locational advantages. Park Royal is also being promoted for manufacturing opportunities, with the redevelopment of out-dated property and the creation of advanced manufacturing inward investment sites as priorities.

13.3.3 The London Borough of Ealing, in partnership with Brent, has produced a draft strategy for the central area of Park Royal (which straddles the boundary between the two boroughs). It is anticipated that the draft strategy will act as a framework for local services, private sector involvement and regeneration projects and will help to deliver the aims of both Boroughs. Ealing identify the area as a Neighbourhood Centre in their UDP. Brent is likely to designate this area as a Local Centre in the future revision of the Plan.

13.4 POLICY OBJECTIVES

13.4.1 The objectives for planning in Park Royal are as follows:

1. Building on its prime location and traditional strengths, to achieve the regeneration of Park Royal by promoting substan- tial physical, economic and social improvements for the benefit of businesses and communities in West London;
2. To achieve the upgrading of infrastructure in the area and rede- velopment of outmoded employment premises to modern stan- dards - co-ordinated with landscaping and other improvements to the public realm;
3. To achieve the development of new employment floorspace on under-utilised sites within the area;
4. To utilise the resource of the Grand Union Canal as a catalyst for environmental improvement and regeneration;
5. To improve links to the trunk road network, especially for freight traffic, complemented by alterations to the internal local distrib- utor road network which will discourage through traffic;
6. To ensure that the limited road capacity to and within Park Royal does not hinder job creation, through the reduction of reliance on the private car;
7. To improve existing stations, provide a new Park Royal inter- change station and improve bus services linking stations and places of employment, penetrating to the heart of the estate;
8. To ensure that major developments benefit Park Royal and its wider community as a whole, including reducing the need to travel by providing local training and employment opportunities; and
9. To ensure that the Central Middlesex Hospital can operate effectively.

13.5 BOROUGH STRATEGY

13.5.1 The strategy of the plan towards Park Royal is based around reinforcing its role as the Borough's main Strategic Employment Area (policy EMP5 in Chapter 7). The achievement of the full employment potential of the area, however, is dependent upon major improvements to its infrastructure; without which a number of major sites could not be developed in an environmentally acceptable manner with the ability to support large numbers of commuter trips. (The Strategic Employment Area policies apply unless specifically modified by the special policies for the Major Opportunity Sites).

13.5.2 The second reason why a special approach is needed towards Park Royal is because of the poor quality of much of the existing environment, coupled with the considerable regeneration potential the area enjoys - especially in attracting inward employment investment.

13.5.3 A number of special policies apply within the Park Royal area. Infrastructure improvements can and must be achieved alongside the development of major sites. Two opportunity areas in particular, the western and northern gateways, will require special treatment - within the context of a transport strategy for Park Royal as a whole. Benefiting from new or improved access to the trunk road network, each 'gateway' area will be opened up for development. However, if the benefits of these road improvements are not to be lost by attracting additional car trips, there must be an accompanying shift towards public transport use for commuting. This will be achieved by public transport improvements linking the existing and proposed stations and employment premises in the area to their residential hinterlands. The strategy underlying the policies in this chapter is, therefore, designed to ensure that the development of sites and the provision of new infrastructure are achieved, as far as possible, in tandem.

POLICIES AND PROPOSALS

13.6 GENERAL

13.6.1 To facilitate the regeneration of Park Royal, and to fulfil the objectives of the plan, it is essential that major development proposals make a positive contribution to local infrastructure and the environment. The assessment of whether development is considered 'major' or not will depend on a number of factors, principally size, but also intensity of use and prominence of position.

13.7 TRANSPORT IN PARK ROYAL

13.7.1 The Park Royal Partnership and the three Boroughs prepare an annual Interim Transport Plan for Park Royal. This contains a regularly updated transport strategy for Park Royal, the key elements of which are to:-

• Improve access for essential traffic,from the trunk road network, to the estate;
• Reduce the need to travel by private car by substantially increasing public transport accessibility and improving the conditions for cycling and walking;
• Manage unrestrained private vehicle travel into and out of the estate, principally by limiting on-street and off-street parking;
• Manage 'rat-running' through the estate;
• Improve accessibility to development sites by sustainable modes; and
• Develop effective alternatives to road freight transport.

13.7.2 Park Royal's transport problems have been analysed in several studies by consultants. It has been generally highlighted that the area's prime strategic location is being adversely affected by the problems of through traffic, on-street servicing and car parking, as well as an inadequate internal road network and poor public transport links within the area.

13.7.3 Intrusion of through traffic is a particularly significant problem. In spite of traffic delays on roads entering and leaving Park Royal, some eastbound traffic leaves the A40 to 'rat run' on parallel routes through the area, rejoining at Gypsy Corner (in Ealing), or further east at White City (in Hammersmith & Fulham). According to a survey in 1993, such traffic accounts for 20% of the eastbound flow on Coronation Road and up to 4% of the corresponding flow on the A40.

13.7.4 Although current and proposed rail links serve the periphery of Park Royal, access into the heart of the estate is poor. A 15-20 minute walk is required from any of the existing stations.

13.7.5 The A40 and the North Circular Road are heavily congested both on, and increasingly off, peak so that the benefits of a location close to these major links is diminishing. While the area is traversed by a number of North-South distributor links, there are no major East-West links.

13.7.6 The agreed Park Royal Partnership strategy, reflected in the policy below, relies upon improving existing stations, providing new stations and new services. Improved bus services would link stations and the employment areas, penetrating the heart of the estate, and their deprived residential hinterlands. Increasing further on-street parking controls, together with stricter parking standards, will reduce congestion and reliance on the car. Improved links to the trunk road network will be complemented by alterations to the internal local distributor road network which will discourage through traffic.

13.7.7 The first major components of implementing this strategy are the Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) schemes for Willesden Hub (see policy TRN7) and Park Royal Western Gateway (see policies TRN7 and PR5). A new Park Royal Interchange Station is also planned between the Piccadilly and Central Lines, and new / improved stations in Ealing, with improved bus services, are proposed. A proposed new road access to the A40 Western Avenue has SRB funding.

13.7.8 The Park Royal Partnership is promoting an area travel plan initiative. This includes promoting travel awareness amongst companies, including setting up car-share databases and provision of public transport information within companies.

13.7.9 The aim of the policy is to concentrate traffic onto a safer internal local distributor road network - with traffic management measures to reduce the use of the area as a 'rat-run'. When sites come forward for redevelopment there should be a consolidation of access points onto the local distributor road network. A range of measures will be investigated to restrict through movement in the area. There is no intention to expand the capacity of the internal local distributor network for private vehicles beyond existing programmed junction improvement works.

13.7.10 The Grand Union Canal can also play an enhanced transport role, particularly for the movement of freight (see policy TRN32).

13.8 Public realm improvements IN PARK ROYAL

13.8.1 There remain large areas of Park Royal which present a poor appearance, with a lack of greenery and a poor public realm. For this reason, special policies are necessary to bring the local environment up to levels to be expected in a modern business environment. A major programme of public realm improvements, including a programme of business forecourt improvements, is being pursued. Of central importance, is the need to present a better 'face' to Park Royal in terms of the development of attractive visual gateways at certain locations, and co-ordinated improvement to the public realm. Also important is the maximisation of existing assets, such as the Grand Union Canal (see also policies on canalside development BE14 & OS5). The requirement in Policy PR4 of opening up the canal, will be applied in a pragmatic and flexible manner where existing industrial premises are being upgraded or redeveloped. The London Waterways Partnership can offer grants for canalside improvements.

13.9 PARK ROYAL WESTERN GATEWAY OPPORTUNITY SITE

13.9.1 This site, as identified on the proposals map, includes the former Guinness Brewery buildings fronting the new brewery, playing fields and a clubhouse.

13.9.2 This site is recognised as a major development site and regeneration opportunity. It has the potential to be predominantly serviced by public transport through the development of 'Park Royal Interchange', a proposed interchange station between the Piccadilly and Central Lines. This will open up a development site of approximately 32Ha, split between Brent and Ealing.

13.9.3 Because of its visual prominence, potential accessibility and equidistant location between Heathrow and Central London, the site offers major potential for inward investment, including a new Guinness HQ. This could attract international organisations to Park Royal. There is a shortage in Outer London of the type of accommodation proposed for the site, and development could lead to London being better able to compete with business parks in the rest of the South East. As such, a planning brief has been prepared for the site by Brent and Ealing, including land outside the boundaries of the Strategic Employment Area.

13.9.4 Apart from the development of the new station the principle of development on the site raises three key issues:

13.9.5 The first issue concerns access. Residual road access cannot be by Twyford Abbey Road, a residential road which may be considered for closure to through traffic. A left turn only access onto the A40 Western Avenue is proposed as a replacement, together with a U-turn facility to allow right turns to serve Park Royal in Ealing. These have SRB funding, subject to developer contributions. Any resultant development proposal needs to be accompanied by a Transport Impact Assessment. Access improvements to Western Avenue would need to be agreed with the Highways Agency and be accompanied by major public transport improvements to avoid unacceptably adding to traffic congestion. Overall, the potential exists to relieve congestion on the Hanger Lane gyratory by limiting movements to and from the gyratory via Twyford Abbey Road.

13.9.6 The second issue concerns the architectural qualities of the original brewery complex, including associated housing and community facilities, and its setting in open space. The old brewery has brick facades designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott and are Locally Listed (UDP policy BE23). Providing that the replacement buildings achieve a notable quality and unity of appearance to the benefit of the western gateway, the demolition of the existing brewery buildings is considered acceptable. The plan supports the principle of promoting conservation as a catalyst for regeneration. However, for this site such an approach could not deliver a scheme which would financially support the necessary Western Gateway infrastructure, and this loss would significantly undermine the long term regeneration of the western part of Park Royal.

13.9.7 The third issue concerns the potential loss of open space. Policies in the Open Space, Sport and Recreation chapter, and policy STR34, protect playing fields - but can in some circumstances permit limited development according to strict criteria. The potential for a prominent employment generating 'gateway' development into Park Royal, in connection with the proposed Park Royal interchange station, means that partial development of the open space, will, on balance, be considered acceptable - providing there are sufficient compensatory benefits in terms of new public open space and compensation for loss of playing fields. The approved planning brief has proposed an open space with public links joining together the two adjoining areas of Metropolitan Open Land in Ealing. Given this change in circumstances, it is proposed that open space secured as part of the development of the western gateway facilitates the creation of a new linked area of Metropolitan Open Land, linking land in Brent and Ealing.

13.10 PARK ROYAL North-Western Gateway OPPORTUNITY SITES

13.10.1 This area is the former Twyford Tip now divided by the new Abbey Road into two sites, East and West, as well as the strip of land fronting the north side of the North Circular Road. The area is a major regeneration and employment opportunity and is highly visually prominent from the North Circular Road. The development of Abbey Road has created the potential for a high quality development that acts as a dramatic visual 'gateway' to the northern part of Park Royal.

13.10.2 The prominent position of these sites means that a particularly high standard of design is required on the North Circular and Abbey Road frontages. This standard may be achieved, providing care is taken, with a variety of uses acceptable within the policy. For example car-sales, industry and warehousing, should avoid blank facades, uninteresting roof profiles and dominance by frontage parking.

13.10.3 A waste transfer station is on the eastern part of the former Twyford Tip. Road-borne waste to landfill is the least favoured waste management option and, as explained in the Waste chapter, waste transfer facilities should ideally be rail based and be large enough to contain complementary recycling and waste manufacturing facilities. In itself this site is not large enough to accommodate such facilities. Nor is the site ideally located in strategic terms. Larger and better located alternatives to it exist for domestic waste in Brent and in neighbouring boroughs. The draft Park Royal Waste Strategy identifies alternative locations within Park Royal for commercial waste management and manufacturing. Finally, as part of a wider 'gateway' site, the continued presence of a transfer facility is hindering major regenerative development of the adjoining site. Therefore, alternative proposals for the site are welcomed and alternative waste management options are favoured.

13.10.4 Although there is an existing planning consent for major mixed-use development including leisure and limited retail uses, the site is not allocated for land uses attracting large numbers of people, such as retail and leisure facilities (like shopping malls and multiplex cinemas) which are directed to sites in or adjacent to town centres in the first instance in accordance with the sequential approach to such development (see policies SH3, SH4, SH5 & WEM3).

13.10.5 It is acknowledged that the site is an exceptional one by virtue of its prominent location on the main gateway into Park Royal off the North Circular Road and that, consequently, a high quality development which will provide a dramatic visual gateway is desirable. The site is also exceptional in that there are high costs associated with the removal of spoil from the site and, although some public subsidy is likely to be available, any developer of the site will have to contribute also. A high value use on the site may be necessary, therefore, if appropriate development is to be achieved. The development of offices is unlikely to impact on town centres or on efforts to regenerate the Wembley area to the same extent as development for retail, leisure or hotel use and are, therefore, considered acceptable here. It should be possible to upgrade bus services and pedestrian and cycle linkages to the site from Stonebridge Park station to a degree which would partially compensate for its public transport accessibility, which is not good. Other potential uses of the site which would be acceptable are car sales and community facilities.

13.10.6 The existing rifle club facilities on the eastern part of the Twyford Tip site are considered of London-wide value by Sport England and, therefore, measures to relocate the club will be secured as part of any consent for development.

13.11 CENTRAL MIDDLESEX HOSPITAL

13.11.1 At the Central Middlesex Hospital in Park Royal, the disposal of allotment and other lands to its rear has led to the creation of a new business / industrial park. This has funded a series of new healthcare buildings. There are benefits in designating a hospital zone, in terms of ensuring complementary facilities are located close to one another, thus reducing the need to travel, and ensuring that any conflict between the hospital and employment use is minimised (see Community Facilities chapter para 11.9.1). Development on the boundary with this area should not prejudice the functioning of the hospital.

13.11.2 Although the extent of the hospital facilities has yet to be finalised, it is considered that a boundary for the hospital site can be identified whilst retaining some flexibility over the use of certain sites adjacent to the boundary where hospital or employment uses will be permitted. Major new healthcare facilities, a science park and associated facilities are proposed, and for this reason, part of the area is proposed as a major opportunity site (including land currently in short term employment use).

13.11.3 Brent has been in close discussion with the Hospital Trust regarding a development framework for the area which will determine the future development of individual plots for a variety of purposes.

Foreword

Introduction

Strategy

Built Environment

Environmental Protection

Housing

Transport

Employment

Town Centres & Shopping

Tourism, Entertainment & the Arts

Open Space & Recreation

Community Facilities

Waste

INSET PLANS

Park Royal

Wembley Regeneration Area

Site Specific Proposals

Glossary

Borough-wide maps