Trio of Old Oak schemes get green light to kickstart £26bn development

Planning permission has been granted for three developments in Old Oak that represent the first major private sector schemes approved within London’s largest designated ‘Opportunity Area’.Two residential schemes by Aurora Developments at North Kensington Gate will provide 350 homes, alongside a third by City and Docklands at Mitre Yard containing 200 build-to-rent flats. These are the first schemes approved to kickstart private development within the £26bn opportunity area created by the Mayor of London’s office.The buildings will range from 5 to 22 storeys high and offer a mix of private rented sector and affordable housing. Old Oak is one of the UK’s biggest development sites, with the capacity to deliver 25,500 new homes. There are almost 11,000 housing units in the planning system, and construction of the first 600 public sector-created homes commenced in September 2017.A High Speed 2 and Elizabeth line interchange – capable of handling an estimated 250,000 passengers a day – is also due to open in 2026 as part of the project.