The Mayor of London’s development corporation, OPDC, has acquired a site in Park Royal to power its innovative district heat network.
The 15,000 sq ft building on Minerva Road will be developed into an energy centre to reclaim waste heat from nearby datacentres. It will provide low-carbon, low-cost energy to heat 10,000 new homes in Old Oak, as well as businesses and a major hospital.
The acquisition follows an award of £36 million from the government’s Green Heat Network Fund (GHNF).
Before turning the former industrial warehouse into an energy centre in 2026, OPDC is today unveiling plans to transform the building into a circular economy hub for the community, where local organisations will repurpose waste materials into new, useful and affordable products.
Subject to planning permission, the building will be leased to the Republic of Park Royal, to create workspace for a range of local businesses and suppliers, including Remade x Re-collective, Absolute Beginners, Sweet Terrain and Rescued Clay, to create furniture, tableware and panelling using recycled materials like old TV and film sets and clay from major construction projects, like High Speed 2.
The new hub will save around 28 tonnes of carbon per year, generate over £20,000 in the local economy, create ten new jobs and provide workspace to accommodate a further 25.
OPDC is making the space available for young people from local schools, colleges and youth groups to gain new skills, training and work experience.
As London’s largest industrial estate, Park Royal provides exceptional opportunities to kickstart a new circular economy. To do this we are temporarily using the site of our heat network’s energy centre to give the space and freedom for grassroots organisations to create amazing products that will be re-used, sustainably and affordably.
We can’t wait to see these plans evolve and we’re proud to be investing in local businesses who are working hard to reduce waste in London.
So much of what our community of artists and makers does is bound to the principles of re-use and sustainability. It’s great to now expand this vision and work on building an official home for it.