Leading UK placemaker, United Living New Homes, has been awarded a Premier Guarantee Quality Recognition Award for its innovative eco-friendly housing development at Shaldon Road, Bristol. The award recognises outstanding developments that have consistently delivered quality workmanship and displayed exceptional site management. Throughout the year, only 100 developments from across
Vonder, the global living and lifestyle brand, has announced the latest additions to its London portfolio with five new properties called The Dome, comprising over 21,000 sq ft of residential space in three locations across London. Formely owned and operated by the co-living brand The Collective, the lease of the
Also a LEED Fellow, WELL Faculty member and Fitwel Ambassador, Heidi’s work focuses on sustainability and wellness strategies for the academic, civic, cultural, commercial and residential sectors, at the building and masterplan scales. We spend as much as 90% of our lives in buildings. It’s therefore only fair and right
Proposals for a ground-breaking ‘net zero’ housing development, as part of the £1.3bn Granton Waterfront regeneration project in north west Edinburgh, have been granted approval by city planners (12 January 2022). The Granton D1 project is the first Edinburgh Home Demonstrator (EHD) pilot which will see the construction of 75
Waltham Forest Council’s development partner, Countryside, has secured planning permission to move forward with the transformation of the Town Hall Campus to build a new hub in the heart of the borough and creating hundreds of new jobs. The Waltham Forest development will continue to build on the success of the
London’s Southall Waterside regeneration project has welcomed its first new residents into their homes, marking a key milestone of the development. The first 304 homes are ready for occupancy and are specifically targeted at existing Ealing residents on either an affordable rent or shared ownership basis. “Southall Waterside was previously
Denbighshire County Council and its partners are discussing plans to turn Rhyl’s Queen’s Buildings into a pivotal piece in the ongoing regeneration of the town. The talks revolved around the transformation of the site into a vibrant mix of retail, food and beverage, contemporary market, office and residential space while
Prominent developer Wykeland Group is leading the remarkable regeneration of its home city of Hull, with a series of multi-million pound investments. Wykeland is one of Yorkshire and the Humber’s leading commercial developers and is a key player in a raft of major schemes in Hull as the city enjoys
Wates Construction has submitted a planning application for a new Cruise Terminal Hotel in Liverpool, which forms part of Peel Land and Property’s Liverpool Waters, the city’s major waterfront regeneration scheme. Following the consultation held in September 2018, which gave residents and businesses the chance to view plans and provide comment on
The latest designs for HS2 west London super-hub at Old Oak Common have been unveiled. Kick-starting the UK’s largest regeneration project, the new high speed station aims to transform the former railway and industrial area, into a new neighbourhood supporting up to 65,000 jobs and 25,500 new homes. The high-speed
Leading UK placemaker, United Living New Homes, has been awarded a Premier Guarantee Quality Recognition Award for its innovative eco-friendly housing development at Shaldon Road, Bristol. The award recognises outstanding developments that have consistently delivered quality workmanship and displayed exceptional site management. Throughout the year, only 100 developments from across the UK are expected to receive this prestigious award – about 4% of the total number of sites inspected by Premier Guarantee. The Shaldon Road development captured the judge’s attention for the high quality of the new homes and the excellent standard of site management, craftsmanship, health & safety performance, site tidiness and general cooperation with the inspectors. As a winner of the Quality Recognition Award, United Living New Homes will be considered for this year’s National Premier Guarantee Excellence Awards, scheduled to take place in the summer. On behalf of leading social housing provider, Brighter Places – and supported by Bristol City Council, Bristol Community Land Trust and Homes England – the £10 million eco-friendly scheme has seen land south of Morris Road, transformed into a carefully designed sustainable community. Built to ‘PassiveHaus’ principles, the energy-efficient properties will provide a high level of tenant comfort, while using very little energy for heating and cooling and minimising each home’s carbon footprint. The development will include two, three, and four bedrooms houses with a mixed tenancy of shared ownership and affordable rent. Solar PV panels will also feature at the development, further reducing costs and a green transport plan which includes electric car charging points, a car share scheme and improved pedestrian and cycle access. Communal green space around the homes is also being created with a dedicated and protected green corridor to enhance biodiversity by providing a safe space for wildlife. The ultra-green project is expected to be completed in early 2022. Jason Ivens, Project Manager, United Living New Homes, said: “We are delighted and honoured to receive this Quality Recognition Award for our Shaldon Road development. It is testament to the dedication, efforts and care of the entire team working on the project. “These eco-friendly properties are a reflection of our company’s wider commitment to deliver high quality, sustainable new homes that suit the needs of the local communities in which we build”. Ian Granger, Account Manager, Premier Guarantee, said: “What a great team effort from Jason and his colleagues, achieving a fantastic product on a challenging site using new and innovative solutions. They are worthy Quality Recognition Award winners”.
Vonder, the global living and lifestyle brand, has announced the latest additions to its London portfolio with five new properties called The Dome, comprising over 21,000 sq ft of residential space in three locations across London. Formely owned and operated by the co-living brand The Collective, the lease of the portfolio bolsters Vonder’s extensive collection of urban living spaces around London. The Dome consists of 111 fully-furnished and equipped studios and one bedroom apartments in Notting Hill, Hyde Park and Sloane Square, all key locations in the capital. The latter also offers a communal area and conference room for hybrid working. With The Dome coming under the Vonder Plus membership, the apartments provide a great living solution for young renters looking to make a home in the centre of London. The Dome locations include high quality furniture, one all-inclusive bill, cleaning services and access to the Vonder App, enabling them to be part of Vonder’s exclusive global community and Rewards platform, as well as a digital support team. The Dome tenants will be able to attend events and book amenities in other Vonder locations such as Vonder Wembley, which opened in October 2021. Tomer Bercoviz, CEO and Co-founder of Vonder, commented: “The addition of The Dome properties to our portfolio is a key milestone in Vonder’s growth strategy in the capital, increasing our supply of great urban accommodation in central areas that suit a wide range of our target audience’s needs.” “As momentum builds in London again. It is important people have comfortable, inspiring and hassle-free living spaces to come home to, with The Dome properties embodying this in every way possible. By providing a community feeling and an exclusive Rewards scheme with value-added services through our Vonder App, we are offering our members not only a well-designed living space, but a whole new way of living.” The Dome portfolio joins Vonder’s existing London schemes such as the flagship development, Vonder Wembley, which opened late last year. Vonder continues to strengthen the growth of its international portfolio of over 30 locations spread across London, Berlin, Munich, Warsaw and Dubai, with Leeds coming up next. The company is also in active negotiations to increase its portfolio in the US and continental Europe as it rolls out its ‘all-in-one living’ concept.
Also a LEED Fellow, WELL Faculty member and Fitwel Ambassador, Heidi’s work focuses on sustainability and wellness strategies for the academic, civic, cultural, commercial and residential sectors, at the building and masterplan scales. We spend as much as 90% of our lives in buildings. It’s therefore only fair and right that buildings are influenced by those that use them in a way that positively impacts climate change and supports health, wellbeing and quality of life. Climate and end-user wellbeing are intimately intertwined. Yet buildings are currently responsible for 40% of all annual global emissions. The same emissions contribute to climate effects inducing catastrophic events like flooding, wildfires and pandemics – events that typically impact individuals and communities least equipped to combat them. This isn’t right. It’s not fair and it’s not good enough. Which is why we at Buro Happold are committed to improving it. Below are six relatively simple yet key pledges that can help the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) community mitigate climate impact, address inequalities, and make buildings healthier and more inclusive for all: Adopt a human-centric approach and make design inclusive from the start. This will positively influence buildings and places, and enable more equitable outcomes. Approach every project with a holistic view of health, wellbeing and social equity. This requires early, meaningful engagement of stakeholders – both in the problem-solving and decision-making process – so that they may better voice the needs of the community. Create buildings that make people feel good. That means ensuring water quality, access to nature, inspiring movement, and comfort (amongst many others). It means proper ventilation and air filtration to eliminate odors, allergens and viruses, as well as thoughtful operations including waste reduction and green cleaning methods. Specify materials with consideration. This means considering not only for the health of building users, but also for the workers and communities where raw materials are extracted and manufactured, and for those impacted by building demolition or fire. Join aligned organizations and support them in their advocacy efforts. Embed equity into approach and team makeup when pursuing any building, masterplan or advisory project. The AEC community is ideally placed to drive meaningful change and create buildings that are better for both the planet and the people that spend time in them – “happy people, healthy planet,” to borrow a recent meme. That means addressing inequalities and decarbonizing building stock by first providing a robust platform for those who typically wouldn’t be involved in the decision-making process. In getting there, the importance of users in the economics and physics of design must be acknowledged. Moving beyond first costs, AEC leaders are instead focused on the triple bottom line of people, planet and profit. Considering the lackluster results from COP26, where the commitments made thus far are not enough to prevent warming from exceeding 1.5°C, it is clear that follow up policies and actions by all nations and a strong push from the AEC industry will be required to substantially curb our dependency on fossil fuels. Finally, but perhaps most important, the AEC community must work together to shape this more inclusive and equitable future for ourselves, our buildings, and our communities. We must all play a key role in advocating and designing with empathy to create a resilient future in which people thrive.
Proposals for a ground-breaking ‘net zero’ housing development, as part of the £1.3bn Granton Waterfront regeneration project in north west Edinburgh, have been granted approval by city planners (12 January 2022). The Granton D1 project is the first Edinburgh Home Demonstrator (EHD) pilot which will see the construction of 75 net zero carbon homes and three retail units in Granton. The project is led by the City of Edinburgh Council with support from construction and academic partners and is part of the Council’s ambitions to deliver 20,000 affordable homes by 2027. The project is being undertaken in partnership with CCG (Scotland) Ltd to test this new business model for building affordable, net zero homes. A large proportion of the construction will be carried out off site in a factory setting reducing the overall time it takes to build the homes. The homes will also include zero emissions heating. This will help to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and support the city’s 2030 net zero target. The pilot is also supported by a team from Napier University that will analyse the energy performance to validate and inform the net zero carbon strategy for future EHD projects. The EHD project aims to deliver 1,000 affordable net zero carbon homes across the six council areas in the City Region Deal. With an ambitious target to become a ‘net zero’ city by 2030, both of these developments, alongside the 444-home Western Villages development, will act as a blueprint for future sustainable development and help Scotland to transition towards a greener economy. Councillor Kate Campbell, Convener for the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee, said: Making homes more sustainable will help us to meet our net zero targets, but the most important thing is that our tenants will benefit. With the cost of living rising sharply, making the running costs of homes more affordable will help tenants on low incomes, preventing fuel poverty. This pilot, and the learning we hope to take from it, is a really important step for us on our journey to making all of our housing stock more energy efficient, and better for tenants to live in. We have incredibly ambitious plans which form the bedrock of our housing strategy over the next ten years. There is a critical need for more affordable homes in Edinburgh and we are responding to that through our commitment to deliver 20,000 social and affordable homes by 2027. Councillor Mandy Watt, Vice Convener for the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee, said: The Granton D1 development will provide affordable places to live for everyone with over 60% being for social rent. The development is part of the wider Granton Waterfront regeneration, which includes the creation of one of Europe’ s largest new coastal city parks. We hope to provide residents and visitors with the chance to reconnect with the city’s waterfront and take advantage of the new leisure and outdoor experiences that will be on offer – altogether fostering an environment that will benefit everyone’s health, community spirit and wellbeing. Councillor Neil Gardiner, Convener for the Planning Committee, said: This sustainable development is a great addition to our major regeneration of Granton Waterfront to create a coastal town with lots of green and open space. It was good to see the committee unanimously backing the project which will provide the area with much needed affordable net zero homes as well retail units providing businesses opportunities and employment locally. Calum Murray, CCG (Scotland) Director and Edinburgh Climate Commissioner, said: The approval of Granton D1 is another important milestone for the City of Edinburgh Council and CCG. By working collaboratively alongside our partners, we are pioneering the delivery of affordable, net zero homes in Scotland and the Council is to be congratulated for taking these necessary first steps in delivery of our country’s net zero carbon ambitions. CCG is delighted to be leading the design and build of Granton D1 where we will provide a cutting-edge demonstration in the use of fabric first design and construction technology. We look forward to advancing works on-site in the very near future. The approval made at the Development Management Sub-Committee on Wednesday 12 January and construction of Granton D1 is expected to begin in Spring 2022. The Granton Waterfront regeneration project also includes the refurbishment of the Granton Station building and the Granton Gasholder restoration project, which is currently lighting up the skyline in a joint project with Edinburgh College. The wider proposals will bring over 3000 additional homes and create one of Europe’ s largest coastal city parks linking Granton Harbour to Cramond and Lauriston Castle, reconnecting the city with its waterfront and providing opportunities for residents and visitors to enjoy spectacular views across the Forth while experiencing enhanced leisure and outdoor activities.
Waltham Forest Council’s development partner, Countryside, has secured planning permission to move forward with the transformation of the Town Hall Campus to build a new hub in the heart of the borough and creating hundreds of new jobs. The Waltham Forest development will continue to build on the success of the first phase of works that completed in July 2021 seeing the historic Grade II listed Town Hall fully refurbished and the creation of Fellowship Square and water feature. The schemes‘ design respects the heritage setting, improves connectivity across the site and the delivery of the new Civic Building will complete architect Phillip Hepworth’s original design intent. Countryside was selected in January 2020 as the delivery partner for the second phase redevelopment, which includes the building of 433 homes on the campus site, landscaping, and the construction of a brand-new civic building. It will drive economic recovery in the borough and bring hundreds of new jobs to the area, including over 600 during construction and over 800 supply chain jobs, as well as nearly approximately 160 additional jobs from new commercial and community uses. There will also be a programme for schools and colleges to visit and learn about apprenticeships and training opportunities. The residential scheme addresses the climate emergency by being car-free, providing 815 secure cycle spaces, over 200 new trees planted, provide renewable energy through PV panels, deliver landscaping that promotes biodiversity and mitigates flooding. Subject to a Section 106 agreement, work will start later this year with the first new homes being ready to occupy in early 2023. As phase two progresses, Waltham Forest Council will continue engaging with local residents and the community to gain essential feedback on the transformation. Countryside will be working alongside the Council for the remainder of the redevelopment, ending in 2024. Phase two includes: Building more than 433 new, high-quality homes prioritised for local people, with a target of 50% affordable. 11% of these will be wheelchair adaptable homes A new Civic Building with ground floor café/restaurant space opening onto Fellowship Square Restoring the war memorial with a better space for memorial events New landscaped gardens with over 200 new trees and play facilities on Chestnuts Field A new crèche/nursery space A new shop/commercial space. Sustainable communities for future generations Kevin Delve, managing director, East London, Countryside, said: “We really are honoured to have been appointed by Waltham Forest Council on such a prestigious project in the heart of the borough. “Having worked in the borough since 2013, we are deeply aware of our responsibility here in Waltham Forest; not just to build high-quality homes but to create sustainable communities for future generations. “To ensure this, we are putting local people at the heart of the project, working closely with the council and local people to ensure that the new architecture and amenities encourage Waltham Forest’s rich cultural history.”
London’s Southall Waterside regeneration project has welcomed its first new residents into their homes, marking a key milestone of the development. The first 304 homes are ready for occupancy and are specifically targeted at existing Ealing residents on either an affordable rent or shared ownership basis. “Southall Waterside was previously a disused industrial site and the much-needed regeneration of this land means that it is now beginning to actively contribute to our local economy. The development is providing jobs and will bring a diverse mix of new amenities to the area. Importantly, it is also delivering affordable homes for Ealing residents – this means that Southall Waterside is a community for all and I am looking forward to continuing to work with Berkeley and Catalyst as we welcome more residents to Southall Waterside,” commented Cllr Julian Bell, Leader of Ealing Council. The project aims to create around 3,750 homes of all tenures over the next 25 years, bringing back to life the 88-acre former gasworks. The site’s masterplan, developed in close collaboration with Ealing Council, will create a welcoming, open landscape with a mix of new amenities. This includes plans for a health centre, primary school, community centre and a buzzing commercial district with shops, restaurants, a cinema and public squares, open for everyone to enjoy. “This is one of the most challenging and ambitious regeneration programmes Berkeley Group has ever undertaken and it’s a huge pleasure to see the first local people making Southall Waterside their home,” said Tony Pidgley CBE, Chairman of Berkeley Group. “Together with Ealing Council and our fantastic local partners, we are transforming this long derelict site into a welcoming new part of Southall for the whole community to enjoy. In the years ahead we will create a truly sustainable place with up to 40 acres of beautiful parkland and biodiverse landscapes.” The new affordable homes have been delivered in partnership with Ealing Council, Catalyst and Clarion. The development of Southall Waterside is set to create 21,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs, and a further 600 permanent roles.
Denbighshire County Council and its partners are discussing plans to turn Rhyl’s Queen’s Buildings into a pivotal piece in the ongoing regeneration of the town. The talks revolved around the transformation of the site into a vibrant mix of retail, food and beverage, contemporary market, office and residential space while improving accessibility from the waterfront and promenade into the town centre. In addition, plans could also include an open courtyard and public space in the £30 million plus development, which includes the former Savoy Hotel and Queen’s Market buildings. Currently, work is progressing on the initial designs, costings and viability of the project, which forms part of the long term vision for Rhyl Town Centre exhibited in the former Granite Outdoors shop at the beginning of April, before a planning application is submitted later this year. “We see the Queen’s Buildings as key in the regeneration of Rhyl. This site will be pivotal in linking the regeneration on the waterfront to the town centre and providing a fantastic offer in its own right. This project can transform the town centre,” said Graham Boase, the Council’s Corporate Director for the Economy and Public Realm. “After 12 months of working with businesses, residents and visitors to Rhyl the feedback was that the town centre needed a vibrant market space to draw people into the town centre and increase footfall. This will help support and grow businesses and our vision sees local, independent traders as central to this, creating jobs and opportunities locally. Parts of the buildings are in very poor condition and whilst we will try and retain as much of the original architecture as possible, there will inevitably be areas that will need to be demolished,” Graham added. The project is being funded by Denbighshire County Council, the Welsh Government and the European Regional Development Fund. The site will remain open in the coming months with current occupiers continuing to trade. The Council recently opened the £15 million SC2 attraction and other investment includes the 1891 restaurant and remodelling of the Pavilion Theatre, while private sector investment encouraged by the Council has seen the opening of two new hotels. The Council and the previous owners have found no remaining sections of the former Little Venice attraction despite extensive work being carried out on the building over a number of years. As the project develops there will be further excavation work taking place on the site. A pre-planning consultation will be launched later this summer offering residents and businesses the chance to have their say on the more detailed plans as part of the ongoing project consultation.
Prominent developer Wykeland Group is leading the remarkable regeneration of its home city of Hull, with a series of multi-million pound investments. Wykeland is one of Yorkshire and the Humber’s leading commercial developers and is a key player in a raft of major schemes in Hull as the city enjoys unprecedented regeneration after gaining national and international exposure as UK City of Culture 2017. The focal point for the city’s rejuvenation is the waterfront Fruit Market quarter. Once a near-derelict area, the Fruit Market took centre stage during the City of Culture year and is being transformed by one of the most significant urban regeneration schemes in the North of England. Wykeland is part of the Wykeland Beal joint venture with East Yorkshire-based housebuilder Beal Homes which is driving forward the £80m renaissance of the Fruit Market, in partnership with Hull City Council. The Fruit Market has been reinvented as one of the most vibrant and fastest-growing communities in the North, featuring a host of commercial, creative and cultural ventures. The first buyers are also moving into a £17m Wykeland Beal development that is adding the residential element to the developers’ “live, work and play” vision for the area. Wykeland Beal has just secured planning permission for the latest major phase of the Fruit Market transformation, which features a new head office for the UK’s leading safety company, Arco. Hull City Council’s Planning Committee gave the green light to the £22m scheme, including the Arco offices, a 350 space multi-storey car park, 34 residential units and 3,000 sq ft of retail/leisure space. The 55,000 sq ft Arco building will be one of the largest new corporate head office developments in the North of England in recent years. It will accommodate around 450 employees who will transfer from Arco’s current base, in a 1960s building a mile away which is set to be demolished as part of a £392m Highways England scheme to improve the main A63 route through the city centre. Wykeland paved the way for the Fruit Market to become a magnet for investment with developments such as @TheDock, which saw a vacant waterfront site incorporating a listed dry dock become a thriving tech campus, with the Centre for Digital Innovation (C4DI) digital hub as its centrepiece. @TheDock is acknowledged as one of the UK’s leading digital clusters, with around 200 start-up or scale-up tech firms based on site or closely linked to it, and last month Wykeland gained planning permission for two new buildings to complete the development. The £9m plans will provide 31,000 sq ft of offices, co-working and meeting space to enable tech companies to continue to collaborate and grow. Wykeland’s latest landmark development is a nine-storey hotel with rooftop sky bar offering spectacular views of Hull’s waterfront, as part of a scheme that will secure the future of two historic buildings and create a new city centre piazza. Wykeland has teamed up with Princes Quay Developments, owner of Hull’s Princes Quay Shopping Centre, for the Castle Buildings scheme featuring a 52,000 sq ft hotel with 150 bedrooms as part of a £20m investment creating up to 150 jobs. Dominic Gibbons, Managing Director of Wykeland Group, said: “Hull is riding the crest of a wave and, as a company founded and based in the city, we couldn’t be happier to be at the heart of the exciting change we are now seeing all around us. “Hull has never before experienced so much concentrated investment, but it’s certainly not an overnight success story and it’s fair to say some of it is making up ground on other major cities. “The seeds have been sown over many years, including by all the key players coming together behind the bid for Hull to be UK City of Culture. In fact, we were the first ‘business angel’ to back the bid, as well as becoming a Major Partner, and support from the city’s businesses community was a vital factor in the success of the bid and the year-long cultural programme. “Being City of Culture was a game-changer for Hull and, working together, the city has capitalised on the momentum the year generated.” Mr Gibbons said a key factor was unlocking the potential of Hull’s waterfront, including the unique Fruit Market area, which was home to the city’s wholesale fruit and vegetable trade for a century before falling into decline. He added: “Our own offices overlook the River Hull and the Humber Estuary, so we were very aware of what could be achieved. We kick-started the revival of the waterfront by acquiring and revitalising the Marina Court offices and then launching @TheDock and C4DI. “There had been previous plans by out-of-town developers to regenerate the Fruit Market, but these collapsed after the banking crisis. Back in 2013 we formed a joint venture with Beal Homes to bid to become Hull City Council’s partner, which has ultimately led to the thriving urban village we see today. “Key to all of this has been the strength of our relationships with public sector partners such as the city council and businesses such as Beal Homes and Arco. The investment Hull is enjoying also demonstrates the power of bringing together physical, social and cultural change – after all, regeneration is about people, not just buildings.” Wykeland was founded in Hull 50 years ago and has developed more than 11.5m sq ft of high-quality commercial space across the north of England and Scotland. Three years ago Wykeland sold a range of business parks in Scotland and the North East to focus on its “sphere of influence” in Yorkshire and the Humber and that decision has paid dividends. The company now has a development pipeline of almost £400m within the region, with flagship projects including the fast-growing Bridgehead and Meltonwest business parks in East Yorkshire. Wykeland has also established a reputation as a trusted partner of the public sector in bringing commercial acumen and delivery focus to public-private partnerships. As well as the partnership with Hull
Wates Construction has submitted a planning application for a new Cruise Terminal Hotel in Liverpool, which forms part of Peel Land and Property’s Liverpool Waters, the city’s major waterfront regeneration scheme. Following the consultation held in September 2018, which gave residents and businesses the chance to view plans and provide comment on the proposed new four-star hotel, the submission for planning application was sent. The new development is subject to planning and it will include a 200-bedroom accommodation complex, including a lobby bar, cafe, restaurant, business suite and back of house facilities as well as visitor and coach parking, and a taxi pick-up and drop-off point. The purpose of the new hotel is to support and supplement the city’s new cruise liner terminal at Liverpool Waters’ Princes Dock, which once built will accommodate the world’s largest cruise ships and create new jobs and generate wider economic benefit to the city region. The new cruise liner terminal, equivalent to the size of two football pitches, would be serviced by an off-site multi-storey car park and will enable the world’s largest cruise ships (up to 3,600 passengers) to embark and disembark at Liverpool. As part of the construction of the hotel, Wates has made a commitment to provide extensive training and employment opportunities for local residents as well as boosting the city’s economy through the appointment of local supply chain partners.
The latest designs for HS2 west London super-hub at Old Oak Common have been unveiled. Kick-starting the UK’s largest regeneration project, the new high speed station aims to transform the former railway and industrial area, into a new neighbourhood supporting up to 65,000 jobs and 25,500 new homes. The high-speed platforms will be built below ground with connections to the adjoining ground level conventional station with an overbridge to Elizabeth line (Crossrail) trains, to Heathrow and central London. The current station design also includes the potential for provision of future services to Wales and the west of England from Old Oak Common. The two halves of the station will be linked by a light and airy concourse with a soaring roof inspired by the site’s industrial heritage. The six 450 m HS2 platforms will be built in a 1 km long underground box, with twin tunnels taking high-speed trains east to the terminus at Euston and west to the outskirts of London. Passengers will be taken down to the HS2 platforms by escalators, while a new public park will be built above them. Material excavated during work on the tunnels will be removed by rail from the nearby former Willesden Euroterminal depot. The long-term planning and development of the wider site is being led by the Mayor’s Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation, which is planning a mixed-use development, with commercial, residential and leisure uses. “The arrival of HS2 has the potential to transform Old Oak Common, unlocking thousands of new jobs and homes around the UK’s best connected transport hub. Linking HS2 and Crossrail, our new station will be a landmark piece of architecture at the heart of the development, designed around the passenger to ensure seamless, accessible and stress-free travel. We want the community to be a part of the design process and we are asking for their views on the latest plans,” said Matthew Botelle, HS2’s Old Oak Common Project Director. HS2 is currently working to clear the site and prepare the ground for the start of construction, later this year.
