North Acton businesses back £2m BID investment plan

Businesses in North Acton have voted to establish a new business improvement district (BID), unlocking more than £2m of investment over the next five years to improve the area for those living, working and visiting.

The ballot, overseen by Ealing Council and the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC), enables a business-funded initiative aimed at improving local trading as the area undergoes major regeneration.

The BID, due to launch on 1 June 2026 for an initial five-year term, is expected to focus on measures such as improved lighting and wayfinding, alongside efforts to tackle littering and fly-tipping. It will also support events, markets and creative activity, while providing a voice for businesses as major developments linked to the HS2 interchange at Old Oak Common progress.

North Acton forms part of the wider Old Oak Opportunity Area, where thousands of homes, jobs and commercial space are planned as part of one of London’s largest regeneration projects.

It will be the first BID created within the Old Oak and Park Royal Opportunity Area and will join a wider network of established BIDs across the borough, including Make It Ealing BID, Your Acton BID and In West Ealing BID.

Founding BID members include West London Business, Imperial College London, City & Docklands, Downing, O’Shea Group and ADD Properties.

Councillor Kamaljit Nagpal, Ealing Council’s cabinet member for decent living incomes, said: “North Acton is undergoing extraordinary change, and the successful ballot arrives at exactly the right moment.”

Niall Watters, chairperson of the North Acton BID and managing director of ADD UK, added: “The successful ballot is a clear vote of confidence from North Acton’s business community… Our focus now is on turning this strong vote of confidence into real, visible change.”

Matthew Carpen, OPDC chief executive, said the BID would help ensure the area “thrives as a place” as regeneration gathers pace.