Construction on the UK's largest regeneration project began on Old Oak Common Lane, Ealing on Friday (September 29).

QPR chairman Tony Fernandes and Deputy Mayor of London, James Murray, were there to mark the occasion.

Queens Park Rangers (QPR) is one of the main developers at the Oaklands site and is working alongside Genesis Housing Association to provide 605 new homes, 40% of which will be affordable.

QPR's involvement in the site centres around its search for a new home football stadium nearby.

Speaking to getwestlondon at the ground-breaking event, Mr Fernandes said: "I'm absolutely thrilled that we're on site, it's been something we've talked about for a long long time and I'm pleased that 40% of the housing here will be affordable and include social housing which most schemes don't have.

"It was our promise when we got involved in this, we hoped many of our fans would benefit from this development.

"Obviously our ulterior motive is to build a new stadium and this is a great opportunity to become involved in developing the surrounding area."

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"We are looking at a few sites nearby for a new stadium at the moment.

"The plan is to stay very close to Loftus."

London’s Deputy Mayor for Housing, James Murray, OPDC Chairman, Liz Peace CBE, QPR Chairman, Tony Fernandez and other stakeholders marked the formal start of work on Oaklands - the first major development in the Old Oak and Park Royal regeneration area.

He added: "When I drove up here and saw work on this site starting I thought 'Wow it's finally happening'.

"Of course my dream for this area started with finding somewhere to build the stadium, but we're now involved creating affordable housing and jobs for residents too."

As for an update on the new stadium's location, Mr Fernandes said: "No news yet-you know building a stadium is tougher than building an airline."

Mr Murray marked the ceremonial start of construction by taking a sledge hammer to a derelict hostel that will be demolished to make room for 605 new homes.

He said: "The regeneration of Old Oak and the surrounding area represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver thousands of genuinely affordable homes for Londoners.

"I am delighted that work has commenced on this important scheme and pleased that we have been able to work so closely with QPR and Genesis Housing Association to increase the proportion of affordable homes."

The Oaklands development forms part of the Old Oak and Park Royal regeneration site.

The site is overlooked by the Mayor of London's development corporation the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC).

The OPDC regeneration promises to bring with it 25,500 new homes and 65,000 new jobs and is due to be completed in 2026.

OPDC Chairman Liz Peace, CBE was present at the ground-breaking, she said: "Today’s ground-breaking marks the start of early-delivery of hundreds of affordable homes for Londoners and the community in west London.

"I am delighted to kick-start the wider regeneration of Old Oak and Park Royal in line with Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan’s priorities.

The Oaklands site will provide 600 new homes

"This first major scheme granted consent by OPDC and the Mayor paves the way to creating a place where people will want to live, work, spend their leisure time and bring up their families."

The OPDC development site covers more than 640 hectares and spans the three boroughs of Brent , Ealing and Hammersmith and Fulham .

Old Oak and Park Royal is also set to become a "transport super-hub" where High Speed 2 meets Crossrail, creating super-fast links in and out of the area.

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