About the Forum: We are a neighbourhood forum designated by OPDC in 2018 and redesignated in 2023. We hold meetings via Zoom each month, open to all our members. Our next session will be on Tuesday 4th June at 6.30pm. (Another switch from our usual first Thursday in the month, to avoid a clash with the next OPDC Residents Panel).
The Zoom link and agenda will be circulated a few days in advance.
Slides from our May 5th meeting are now posted on this site.
Timelines for the completion of Old Oak Common station, and the start of HS2 services from Birmingham to Old Oak, still remain uncertain. The HS2 project has been undergoing a ‘comprehensive reset’ since June 2025 and their latest information is that A refreshed Business Case in spring 2027 will confirm HS2’s cost, schedule, scope, and benefits, concluding the reset.
OPDC will shortly be launching its procurement exercise to select a master development partner. The Development Corporation has published a final version of its Masterplan Framework which will form a key part of the brief for bidders. Our Forum remains unhappy that tis Framework document states that all future planning applicants must take account of its content, when it is a non-statutory prospectus that does not replace the 2002 OPDC Local Plan.
The Oak Neighbourhood Forum continues to work on our Draft Old Oak Neighbourhood Plan. Currently we are having legal arguments with OPDC planning officers over the ‘Indicative Housing Requirement’ figure of 510 new homes which has been set by OPDC. This includes housing numbers for several sites which are not allocated in the 2022 Local Plan.
We propose lower densities and maximum building heights in our Draft Plan, more appropriate to an area which will continue to have relatively poor access to public transport for the next 10-15 years.
Membership of the Old Oak Neighbourhood Forum is open to anyone who lives in the area. We welcome ‘affiliate’ members from the wider area, along with ‘full members’ who either live or work within the designated neighbourhood area. Please email oonforum@gmail.com to get in touch.