Old Oak Common is a semi-industrial area of London, between

Harlesden Harlesden is a district in the London Borough of Brent, north-west London. Located north of the Grand Union Canal and Wormwood Scrubs, the Harrow Road flows through the centre of the area which goes eastwards to Central London and west towar ...

and Acton. The area is traditionally known for its

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

depots, particularly Old Oak Common TMD which was decommissioned in 2021. Together with neighbouring

Park Royal Park Royal is an area in North West London, England, divided between the London Borough of Ealing and the London Borough of Brent. It is the site of the largest business park in London, but despite intensive existing use, the area is, togethe ...

, the area is intended to become the UK's largest regeneration scheme. Old Oak Common has been in the

London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham () is a London boroughs, London borough in West London and which also forms part of Inner London. The borough was formed in 1965 as the London Borough of Hammersmith from the merger of the former Metr ...

since 1994. Further south lies an open area,

Wormwood Scrubs Wormwood Scrubs, known locally as The Scrubs (or simply Scrubs), is an open space in Old Oak Common located in the north-eastern corner of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London. It is the largest open space in the borough ...

Park, and Wormwood Scrubs prison. To the north it is bounded by the

Grand Union Canal The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the Canals of the United Kingdom, British canal system. It is the principal navigable waterway between London and the Midlands. Starting in London, one arm runs to Leicester and another to Birmi ...

and across it lies Willesden Junction station.

History

Originally, Old Oak Common was a stretch of land defined by what became the

Harrow Road Harrow Road is an ancient route in London, North West London which runs from Paddington in a northwesterly direction towards Harrow, London, Harrow. It is also the name given to the immediate surrounding area of Queen's Park, London, Queens Par ...

at its northern end, and its eastern edge was the northern source of Stamford Brook, forming a boundary with

. By 1801, the Paddington Canal had cut it in half, further reducing its size. The

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...

Great Western Main Line The Great Western Main Line (GWML) is a main line railway in England that runs between London Paddington and . It connects to other main lines such as those from Reading to Penzance and Swindon to Swansea. The GWML is presently a part of t ...

(GWML) of 1838–1841 from London Paddington to

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

and the 1903 Acton-Northolt line to the

Great Western and Great Central Joint Railway The Great Western and Great Central Joint Railway was a railway built and operated jointly by the Great Western Railway (GWR) and Great Central Railway (GCR) between Northolt (in north west London) and Ashendon Junction (west of Aylesbury). It was ...

Northolt Northolt is a town in North West London, England, spread across both sides of the A40 trunk road. It is west-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the seven major towns that make up the London Borough of Ealing and a smaller part in th ...

divided at Old Oak junction. Before 1965, Old Oak Common formed part of the Municipal Borough of Acton, and the area thus became part of the

London Borough of Ealing The London Borough of Ealing () is a London boroughs, London borough in London, England. It comprises the districts of Acton, London, Acton, Ealing, Greenford, Hanwell, Northolt, Perivale and Southall. With a population of 367,100 inhabitants, i ...

that year. Following a revision of municipal boundaries in 1994, Old Oak Common was transferred from Ealing to Hammersmith and Fulham. The partially singled Acton-Northolt line closed in December 2018 to allow for the construction of

Old Oak Common railway station Old Oak Common (OOC) is a railway station under construction on the site of the Old Oak Common TMD, Old Oak Common traction maintenance depot to the west of London in Old Oak Common, approximately south of Willesden Junction station. When bui ...

, which will offer interchange between GWML trains, the

Elizabeth line The Elizabeth line is a railway line that runs across Greater London and nearby towns, operating similarly to the Réseau Express Régional, RER in Paris and the S-Bahn systems of German-speaking countries. It runs services on dedicated infras ...

and the

High Speed 2 High Speed 2 (HS2) is a high-speed railway which has been under construction in England since 2019. The line's planned route is between Handsacre – in southern Staffordshire – and London, with a Spur line, branch to Birmingham. HS2 is to ...

(HS2) line heading north. Additional rail interchanges may be provided with the construction of two new

London Overground London Overground (also known simply as the Overground) is a Urban rail in the United Kingdom, suburban rail network serving London and its environs. Established in 2007 to take over Silverlink Metro routes, it now serves a large part of Greate ...

stations, on the West London line and Old Oak Common Lane on the North London line. In summer 2011, the

launched a wide-ranging 'Park Royal City' plan for Old Oak Common, including the proposed station, and with light-rail lines to the surrounding areas.

Regeneration

In December 2013, ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' reported that Antony Spencer, founder of Stadium Capital Development, was to head up a £5 billion regeneration scheme in the area, with partner

Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...

. The proposal included new homes, office, retail outlets, and a proposed football stadium for QPR. The planning application was rejected. The

Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation The Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) is a mayoral development corporation established in April 2015 by the Mayor of London. Organisation OPDC was established by the Mayor of London; approval was granted by the Secretary o ...

was established in 2015 to lead regeneration and planning work for an area covering Old Oak Common and much of the

area. The combined redevelopment area is envisaged to provide 65,000 new jobs and 25,000 new homes. The scale of the developments have led to Park Royal and Old Oak Common being described as a potential "

Canary Wharf Canary Wharf is a financial area of London, England, located in the Isle of Dogs in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The Greater London Authority defines it as part of London's central business district, alongside Central London. Alongside ...

West London West London is the western part of London, England, north of the River Thames, west of the City of London, and extending to the Greater London boundary. The term is used to differentiate the area from the other parts of London: Central London, N ...

". The engineering plans were revealed in 2018 showing a station at Old Oak Common for HS2, the high speed line running from London to Birmingham. Passengers using HS2 will be able to disembark at Old Oak Common and interchange with the

Chiltern Railways Chiltern Railways (legal name The Chiltern Railway Company Limited) is a British train operating company that has operated the Chiltern Railways franchise since July 1996. Since 2009, it has been a subsidiary of Arriva UK Trains. Chiltern Rail ...

and

services. The station will have a capacity for around 100 million passengers, rivalling London Waterloo in Central London.

Queens Park Rangers F.C. Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English fo ...

planned to build a new stadium with 40,000 capacity for its club in the regeneration area, but these plans have been hampered.

References

{{Parks and open spaces in London Areas of London Districts of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Common land in London