OPDC - Planning Committee Member

Wembley, Brent, Hammersmith and Fulham

£2,000 per annum plus expenses

Appointment to the Planning Committee of the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC).

Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) was established by the Mayor of London to ensure that the £1.7bn government investment in HS2’s Old Oak Common Station results in not just the largest new super-hub station ever to be built in the UK, but a renewed place, with the best possible benefits for local communities and newcomers alike, on a scale comparable to some of the largest regeneration locations of recent decades, such as Stratford, Kings Cross and Elephant Park.

PDC is uniquely placed, through its powers as a Mayoral Development Corporation, to coordinate regeneration at scale to capitalise on the area’s full potential. Old Oak and Park Royal is the largest undeveloped regeneration site in London and one of the largest Opportunity Areas. There is the potential to deliver over 12,000 homes by 2024, 25,000 over the longer term, and a million square metres of new commercial space, bringing 56,000 jobs and an estiimated £7.5bn to the London and UK economy.

It is an incredibly exciting time for OPDC, with our Local Plan, a planning policy framework for the next 20 years and beyond, having recently been adopted in June 2022. We have already overseen 7,000 homes delivered on site or in the planning pipeline and are now working collaboratively with central government on a development strategy set to create a whole new urban district for West London, with the HS2 superhub station at its heart . Our planning committee will play a key role in supporting this ambition.

As a Planning Committee Member, you will help us shape this part of West London, delivering the Mayor’s vision for Old Oak and Park Royal. This is a real opportunity for individuals who wish to contribute to improving the lives of all Londoners, to supporting London’s diverse communities and to play a major part in the UK’s recovery.

Old Oak and Park Royal has some of the most diverse communities in the UK, and we are working to ensure that our organisation reflects this as closely as possible. We are therefore especially keen to hear from applicants whose lived experience and/or professional and voluntary work demonstrates a deep understanding of working in a multi-cultural, dynamic and diverse environment.

To help us deliver the vision set out in our Local Plan , we now need a new member of our Planning Committee to help determine planning applications, advise on the preparation of Supplementary Planning Documents and review our Local Plan in the future.

The time commitment expected would be to attend an initial training session and then Planning Committee once a month in person, to attend the monthly briefing meeting remotely and to attend site visits which are likely to be approximately quarterly.

With a strong commitment to West London and its communities, you must be able to operate in a high profile, publicly accountable environment, ideally will be a qualified town planner, and need to have already proved yourself at a senior level in the housing, development, legal, planning or regeneration sectors.

OPDC is firmly committed to reflecting and championing the rich diversity of the communities with which we work, and we welcome applications that reflect this. We welcome applications from women, from a black background as they are currently underrepresented on our Planning Committee.

For more information about Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation, please visit:

Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) | London City Hall 

Please click here to view the Candidate Briefing Pack

When applying, please provide the following documents:

• An up to date CV including:
• Your contact details
• Employment, public appointments and qualifications history
• Names and details of two references who are willing to provide a reference
• Information regarding any Directorships you hold 
• A supporting statement (maximum 2 pages) outlining the unique contribution you can  make to the Planning Committee and how this contribution would be seen in action, as well as your fit  against the essential experience criteria set out in the Person Specification.
• Diversity Monitoring Form. If you do not wish to declare any particular characteristics you can choose ‘prefer not to say’.

Please click here to view the Diversity Monitoring Form

All three documents should be submitted to the OPDC HR department on opdchumanresources@opdc.london.gov.uk Please note that without all three documents, we cannot consider your submission as a complete application.

Please also advise of your contact details, eligibility, interview availability and if any OPDC or GLA employees are known to you.

To apply, please visit our website by clicking on the 'Apply Button'

Application closing date: Sunday 4 September 2022 at 23:59.

Interviews will be held mid/late September 2022

If you have a disability which may cause difficulty in completing an online application form or have any queries regarding the application process, or if you require this recruitment pack in an alternative format, please contact OPDC HR.

For further information regarding this role please contact,  Emma Williamson, our Director of Planning, emma.williamson@opdc.london.gov.uk

Thank you for taking the time and effort to apply for this role. All data is processed in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act.