Park Royal
Coordinates: 51°31′45″N 0°16′53″W / 51.529088°N 0.281267°W
Park Royal is an area in northwest London, England. It is home to the largest business park in London, occupying about 500 hectares (1,200 acres).[1] Park Royal Business Park is promoted commercially by the Park Royal Business Group (PRBG) which is part of West London Business. Park Royal occupies parts of the London Borough of Brent and the London Borough of Ealing.
Park Royal business park contains over 1,200 businesses, employing an estimated 35,000 workers.[2] Approximately 500 food companies operate at Park Royal, employing more than 15,000 people.[3] One third of all the food consumed in London is produced by businesses in Park Royal.[3] Park Royal is also home to areas of residential housing and amenities serving them.
Location
To the north of Park Royal is Harlesden in the northeast, West Twyford, an outlying area of Ealing, in the northwest, and a Network Rail depot at Stonebridge Park in the far north, which also has London Underground Bakerloo line tracks running through it (and Harlesden station nearby). On the eastern side, Park Royal is bounded by Acton Lane and Park Royal Road (B4492). The Central Middlesex Hospital is located here.
On the southern side is the arterial Western Avenue (A40), which leads to the Hanger Lane Gyratory System, as well as the Royale Leisure Park, which contains a cinema, restaurants, arcade and a bowling alley. There is also a B&Q superstore, Renault and Nissan Car Dealerships, a Staples Superstore and other industrial buildings comprising the southern half of Park Royal. Park Royal Underground station, on the Piccadilly line, is located just off Western Avenue. To the west of Park Royal is Hanger Hill and the North Circular Road (A406).
As well as many small industrial firms, Park Royal is the location of some large company buildings, including McVities[4] and Heinz. The old Guinness brewery and sports ground site at the south-western extremity of the district has now been totally demolished. The first building erected adjacent to the new roundabout and bridge link to Western Avenue is occupied by international drinks company Diageo, owner of the Guinness brand and the redevelopment site. The Female Health Company, which manufactures Femidoms, has one of its two manufacturing plants here, too.[5]
The Grand Union Canal runs through the middle of the Park Royal industrial estate, with pedestrian access via the towpath.
History
The name Park Royal derives from the short-lived showgrounds opened in 1903 by the Royal Agricultural Society as a permanent exhibition site for the society's annual show. After only three years the society sold the site, and returned to a touring format for its shows. With its road, rail and canal links, Park Royal was subsequently developed for industrial use, mainly during the 1930s.
For many years it was a centre of engineering, with firms including Park Royal Vehicles, GKN and Landis and Gyr.[6]
Queens Park Rangers F.C. played on two grounds in Park Royal. The first was the Horse Ring, later the site of the Guinness brewery, which had a capacity of 40,000. When the Royal Agricultural Society sold the grounds in 1907, QPR moved to the Park Royal Ground, 400 yards (370 m) south, an almost exact replica of Ayresome Park, with a capacity of 60,000. The club was forced to move out in February 1915 as the ground was taken over by the Army.[7]
On 12 December 1908, the first ever rugby league test match between Great Britain and Australia took place at the Park Royal Ground in front of 2,000 fans. The match ended in a 22-all draw and was played as part of the first ever Kangaroo Tour.[8]
The Guinness Sports Club hosted some of the field hockey events for the 1948 Summer Olympics.[9]
Economy
It is public policy to maintain Park Royal as predominantly a business area. It is designated as an Opportunity Area, and in 2008 the Mayor of London's office published a draft Planning Framework which aspires to maintain, "growing economic clusters of food/drink, transport/logistics and television/film."[10] The framework does not preclude use of parts of the site for housing.
In summer 2011, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham launched a 'Park Royal City' plan for Old Oak Common, based around the immediate eastern border of North Acton, including light-rail lines to nearby areas.[11]
Transport
Road
Park Royal is served by the A40 and A406 roads, and is situated close to a major interchange called the Hanger Lane gyratory.
Cycle Network
There are currently proposals to build a Barclays Cycle Superhighway CS10 from Hyde Park to Park Royal, for completion by 2015.[12][13]
London Cycle Network routes 40, 42, 84 and 85 all currently serve Park Royal.[14]
Underground and Overground
Stations in the area are:
- Hanger Lane Station (Central line)
- Park Royal Station (Piccadilly line)
- Stonebridge Park Station (Bakerloo line & Watford DC Line)
Future
Three possible new transport services have been proposed for the area: the West London Orbital, Fastbus and the North and West London Light railway.[15][16][17][18]
In 2004, the multinational Diageo company agreed to build extra Central line platforms at Park Royal tube station, as part of its First Central business park, built on the site of the (now demolished) Guinness brewery. As of the beginning of 2015, this had not yet happened.
References
- ↑ "Invest in the UK Park Royal". Invest in the UK. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
- ↑ "Chapter 13 - PARK ROYAL" (HTTP). Brent Council Unitary Development Plan. London Borough of Brent. Retrieved 19 August 2007.
- 1 2 Wallop, Harry (18 February 2012). "London's 'bread basket' wrestles to keep costs down as even foodies cut back". The Daily Telegraph.
- ↑ http://www.unitedbiscuits.com/80256C1A0047922E/vWeb/pcTSTT5DWHZ7 unitedbiscuits.com
- ↑ http://www.femalehealth.com/theproduct.html#made femalehealth.com
- ↑ "'Acton: Economic history'". A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 7: Acton, Chiswick, Ealing and Brentford, West Twyford, Willesden (1982), pp. 23-30. Victoria County History. Retrieved 8 October 2007.
- ↑ Inglis, Simon: Football Grounds of Britain, page 304. ISBN 0-00218426-5
- ↑ Great Britain vs Australia 1908 at Rugby League Project
- ↑ 1948 Summer Olympics official report. p. 46.
- ↑ http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/planning/park-royal.jsp london.gov.uk
- ↑ "Launch of 'Park Royal City'". London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
- ↑ "Barclays Cycle Superhighways / Routes & maps". TfL Website. Transport for London. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
- ↑ "Barclays Cycle Superhighways Indicative Routes Map" (PDF). Transport for London Website. Transport for London. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
- ↑ "Currently issued and used LCN Route Numbering and Destinations". LCN+ Maps Website. London Cycle Network. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
- ↑ London Campaign for Better Transport North and West London light railway (NWLLR) / Brent Cross Railway (BCR) plan
- ↑ The Times Comment on NWLLR light-rail proposal
- ↑ West London Orbital
- ↑ FastBus scheme
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Park Royal, London. |
- Park Royal Business Group
- West London Business
- February 2008 draft planning framework
- Park Royal Business Group
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