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Old Oak chief executive to leave
The chief executive of a giant development corporation tasked with delivering 25,000 homes in west London is standing down from her position.
Victoria Hills, who has been chief executive of Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) since June 2015, is leaving in April to take over at the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).
OPDC is the local planning authority and regeneration agency for one of the largest development sites in the UK, a 650-hectare scheme in west London with a capacity for 25,500 new homes and 65,000 jobs.
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The new HS2 line and Crossrail are set to arrive at the site in the next decade.
The organisation is also the second Mayoral Development Corporation in the capital, along with the London Legacy Development Corporation at the Olympic Park.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said in a statement: “I would like to thank Victoria for her leadership, commitment and dedication as chief executive of the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation. This is one of the most important regeneration sites in London with capacity for thousands of genuinely affordable homes.”
The OPDC was established by former mayor of London Boris Johnson in April 2015.
After taking power in 2016, Mr Khan launched a review and described the project “a mess”. He pledged 50% affordable housing across the whole site.
The first major development in the Old Oak area began in September 2017, when construction commenced on 600 homes on the Oaklands site.
A target of 40% affordable housing was agreed for the development, a joint venture between Queens Park Rangers and Genesis Housing Association.
Ms Hills said: “It has been my great privilege to have had the opportunity to establish a new Mayoral Development Corporation and to lead an enthusiastic and skilled team with whom I have been able to create a vision and framework for delivering this enormously complex project.
“I shall be watching the development of Old Oak and Park Royal with interest and huge affection and I wish the team and my successor well in their future endeavours.”
