Car Giant’s programme of public presentations on their plans for Old Oak are underway – and they are promising a further wave of public exhibitions and consultation in September and October.
That’s before they submit their application for outline planning permission in December. They say there will be further consultation in early 2016.
Their current presentation contains a seemingly sarcastic reference to QPR’s bid to build on the site.
They say “With a regeneration area of over 170 acres there are several more appropriate sites which could host a future stadium and we wish QPR well in being able to identify a site which it is actually able to deliver.”
The claim that QPR can’t deliver on Old Oak is definitely giving the club an aggressive poke in the eye.
The remaining parts of the regeneration area they refer to are in Park Royal. It would be good to hear from the club if this is a realistic option.
Car Giant’s own proposals for the area look good but are very short on detail. They have a cultural area but no information on what would be in it, and they claim they will create an exceptional place; but it is hard to see anything exceptional about it.
However, they are pushing ahead and have given a timescale for their next steps. QPR1st Supporters’ Trust would like the club to follow their example and share their latest ideas.
Car Giant gave reasons for not including a stadium at Old Oak;
“The overriding need at Old Oak common is for homes, jobs and community facilities for local people, especially on land which is so close to the transport infrastructure. As the first major site to come forward, it is also vital that we create the critical mass that forms the new neighbourhood.
“A stadium on our land would take up huge space, significantly reduce the number of homes, jobs and community benefits that could be delivered and all for a use which would lie largely dormant for the vast majority of the year. We own and control our entire 46-acre site and believe that would be quite wrong here.”
No decision on planning applications is expected until well into next year.