Matthew Carpen appointed Chief Executive of Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation

Type:
Press release
Category:
OPDC updates

Matthew Carpen, a highly experienced development leader, has been appointed to the role of Chief Executive of the Mayor of London’s Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC), which is delivering London’s largest brownfield development opportunity around the new High Speed 2 station at Old Oak Common.

Headshot of Matthew Carpen

Matthew has a long background in strategic planning and infrastructure delivery having spent 22 years working in London on major projects. He is currently Managing Director of Barking Riverside Limited (BRL), a joint venture between the Mayor of London and L&Q. In post at Barking Riverside, Matthew has overseen a new masterplan set to deliver up to 20,000 homes and has secured over £300m in public and private investment for this key part of East London, alongside delivering a new transport interchange used by thousands of people each day from a growing community of 3,500 new homes.

Matthew has been a Board Member of OPDC since 2022 and is a member of the organisation's Development, Investment and Sustainability Committee. His appointment follows an open and competitive procurement process that was launched following the announcement that current CEO, David Lunts, will step down after six years in the role.

OPDC is the Mayor of London's statutory regeneration and planning authority, taking forward development opportunities on 650 hectares of land in Old Oak and Park Royal in West London. Over the next 25 years, it will create a whole new district for London with a mix of homes, employment space, high streets, community facilities and high-quality public realm, built around the new HS2 station at Old Oak Common. Old Oak Common Station will be the only interchange between HS2, the Elizabeth line and the Great Western mainline, and will connect to Heathrow and Bond Street in ten minutes.

The first stage of the project will deliver around 9,000 homes and 11,000 jobs across approximately 70 acres of publicly owned land. With an estimated gross development value (GDV) of £10bn, the project has secured over £300m of public funding to date. Later this year, OPDC will commence procurement for a long-term development and investment partnership to support the regeneration of Old Oak.

Matthew joins OPDC’s established leadership team under the newly appointed Chair of the OPDC Board, Dame Karen Buck.

Matthew Carpen will take up the role later this year. David Lunts will continue in post until this date.

I am delighted to welcome Matt Carpen as Chief Executive of London’s Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation, bringing a strong track record and significant experience to the team.

Alongside Chair Dame Karen Buck, Matt will lead OPDC to deliver transformational change, with thousands of new homes and jobs already in the pipeline as we work to build a better and more prosperous London for everyone.

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London

The breadth of Matthew’s experience and the leadership and vision he has brought to previous roles in regeneration in London are an excellent match for the important work we must do to create new affordable homes, a dynamic local economy and transformed public realm at Old Oak and Park Royal. Alongside welcoming Matthew, I would like to pay tribute to outgoing CEO David Lunts for the extraordinary contribution he has made to London’s development over the past 20 years, both at OPDC and before this at the GLA. I am confident that through a seamless transition between David and Matthew we are equipped to make strong progress to achieve our goals.

Karen Buck, Chair of OPDC

It has been a privilege to have led Barking Riverside for the past decade and I am hugely excited to be joining OPDC to lead the organisation as it moves into a significant delivery phase. As a Board Member I have seen first-hand the enormous potential the new HS2 station at Old Oak Common brings to this part of the capital. I look forward to working with Chair, Karen Buck, the wider Board and the exceptional OPDC team to realise this potential and create a whole new urban district for West London in Old Oak and Park Royal.

Matthew Carpen

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