Queens Park Rangers Football Club has unveiled plans for a new 40,000 capacity stadium at the heart of what promises to be “one of the best new urban places in the world.”
The mixed use development, in the Old Oak area of West London, will create a residential and commercial district larger than Canary Wharf which will provide 24,000 new homes together with “millions of square feet” of commercial space.
The commercial aspect includes plans for offices and shops together with a substantial leisure offer focusing on bars, restaurants, clubs, cinemas and a luxury hotel. It is expected to create at least 50,000 new jobs.
The scheme is being driven by a partnership between the football club and Stadium Capital Developments, in collaboration with the Greater London Authority (GLA) and the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham. It follows Mayor Boris Johnson’s pledge to make the regeneration of Old Oak a priority.
Queens Park Rangers’ current home, Loftus Road, has a capacity of just 18,000 but the Championship club clearly believes the potential exists to increase attendances significantly. A statement on the club’s official website says that the new stadium will cater to QPR’s needs as the club progresses going forward.
Chairman, Tony Fernandes, says the club is “very excited” to be the driving force behind the regeneration of, what he describes as a “forgotten area.”
“It will create a vibrant new destination in London, boosting local businesses, attracting new visitors and tourism and creating a thriving community,” he adds.
The master plan for the scheme, given the provisional name of New Queens Park, is being overseen by Sir Terry Farrell and Anthony Spencer, who says they are in discussions with a number of leading architects.
They envision creating a “world class city quarter” with iconic tall buildings to rival those in New York, the Far East and the finest in London.
He says that, although they have secured over 100 acres of land holdings, they still have a long way to go in terms of planning. Transport will be crucial to the success of the scheme, and they will be working closely with TfL and Network Rail to provide the necessary infrastructure.
It is hoped that Old Oak will also become a high speed rail hub, and the chair of the HS2 Growth Taskforce, Lord Deighton, has welcomed the proposals.
He says; “Delivering modern transport infrastructure such as HS2 and Crossrail can be a catalyst for regeneration in London. The Government looks forward to working with key stakeholders on this.”
The development partnership is confident of securing planning permission early in 2015, with work on the site commencing shortly afterwards.
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