| Park Royal | |
|---|---|
 Park Royal station | |
  Park Royal Location withinGreater London | |
| OS grid reference | TQ195828 |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | NW10 |
| Postcode district | W3 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
| 51°31′45″N0°16′53″W / 51.529088°N 0.281267°W /51.529088; -0.281267 | |
Park Royal is an area inNorth West London,England, divided between theLondon Borough of Ealing and theLondon Borough of Brent.
It is the site of the largest business park in London,[1] but despite intensive existing use, the area is, together with adjacentOld Oak Common, intended to become the UK's largest regeneration scheme.[2] This arises from the area's relatively central location and also the strong and improving transport links which will include (at Old Oak Common),HS2 and theElizabeth line. The scale of redevelopment has led to the Park Royal and Old Oak area being described as a potential "Canary Wharf ofWest London".[3][4]
To the north of Park Royal isHarlesden in the northeast,West Twyford, an outlying area ofEaling, in the northwest, and aNetwork Rail depot atStonebridge Park in the far north, which also hasLondon UndergroundBakerloo line tracks running through it (andHarlesden station nearby). On the eastern side, Park Royal is bounded by Acton Lane and Park Royal Road (B4492). TheCentral Middlesex Hospital is located here.
TheGrand Union Canal runs through the middle of the Park Royal industrial estate, with pedestrian access via the towpath.
The name Park Royal derives from the short-lived showgrounds opened in 1903 by theRoyal Agricultural Society as a permanent exhibition site for thesociety'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 includingPark Royal Vehicles,GKN andLandis and Gyr.[5]
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 ofAyresome Park, with a capacity of 60,000. The club was forced to move out in February 1915 as the ground was taken over by theArmy.[6]
On 12 December 1908, the first everrugby league test match betweenGreat Britain (playing as the Northern Union) andAustralia 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 thefirst everKangaroo Tour.[7]
The Guinness Brewery opened in 1936. It was designed by SirGiles Gilbert Scott andAlexander Gibb. The Guinness company built homes for its workers in the surrounding area, naming the streets after people and places connected with the Guinness family, such as Iveagh Avenue and Moyne Place. The Brewery buildings were demolished in 2006.[8]
The Guinness Sports Club hosted some of thehockey events for the1948 Summer Olympics.[9]
It is the site of the largest business park in London, occupying about 1,200 acres (490 ha).[1] Park Royal business park has over 1,200 businesses, employing an estimated 35,000 workers.[10] Approximately 500 food companies operate at Park Royal, employing more than 14,000 people.[11]
Park Royal also has areas of residential housing and amenities serving them. Park Royal Business Park is promoted commercially by thePark Royal Partnership, which is part of West London Business.
On the southern side beyond the arterialWestern Avenue (A40), which leads to theHanger Lane Gyratory System, is the Royale Leisure Park, which contains a cinema (which closed in June 2020), 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.[citation needed]
Park Royal Underground station, on thePiccadilly line, is located just off Western Avenue. To the west of Park Royal isHanger Hill and theNorth Circular Road (A406).
As well as many small industrial firms, Park Royal is the location of some large company buildings, includingMcVities[12] andHeinz. The oldGuinness brewery and sports ground site at the south-western extremity of the district has now been demolished, however the rail sidings are still in use for aggregate freight traffic supplying theLafarge Tarmac depot. The first building erected adjacent to the new roundabout and bridge link to Western Avenue is occupied by international drinks companyDiageo, owner of the Guinness brand and the redevelopment site. The Female Health Company, which manufacturesFemidoms, has one of its two manufacturing plants here, too.[citation needed]
It is public policy to maintain Park Royal as predominantly a business area. It is designated as an Opportunity Area, and in 2008 theMayor of London's office published a draft Planning Framework which aspires to maintain, "growing economic clusters of food/drink, transport/logistics and television/film."[13] 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 forOld Oak Common, based around the immediate eastern border ofNorth Acton, including light-rail lines to nearby areas.[14]
Park Royal has a largeASDA superstore.[citation needed]
The Old Oak and Park Royal redevelopment area is envisaged to provide 65,000 new jobs and 25,000 new homes.[15]
Park Royal is served by theA40 andA406 roads, and is situated close to a major interchange called theHanger Lane gyratory.
There is a proposal to build aBarclays Cycle Superhighway CS10 fromHyde Park to Park Royal, which is under review by Transport for London.[16][17]
London Cycle Network routes 40, 42, 84 and 85 all serve Park Royal.[18]
Stations in the area are:
As well asHS2 and theElizabeth line at adjacentOld Oak Common, three possible new transport services have been proposed for the area:[when?] theWest London Orbital, Fastbus and theNorth and West London Light railway.[19][20][21][22]
In 2004, the multinationalDiageo company agreed to build extra Central line platforms atPark Royal tube station, as part of its First Central business park, built on the site of the (now demolished)Guinness brewery. This is not being actively pursued; London Underground said that the transport benefits of a Park Royal station on the Central line are not sufficiently high to justify the costs of construction.[23]
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