Your Quality of Life

Preserving green space and better public transport are key priorities for people within Harlow & Gilston Garden Town and the surrounding area.

The feedback comes from the town’s Your Quality of Life consultation which ran for 12 weeks last summer.

First results and insight from the consultation feature in an independent community feedback report from the Quality of Life Foundation and global sustainable design and engineering firm, Stantec. You can read the report by visiting: www.tinyurl.com/YQOLCommunity

The Your Quality of Life Community Feedback Report notes that respondents also cited community as a priority in their feedback to the Garden Town, with more than half recording positive comments about their local area.

73% of people surveyed felt a strong sense of belonging to their neighbourhood, beating the national average of 65% from the government’s Community Life Survey in 2021.

With Harlow town centre regeneration already underway, Garden Town Director, Naisha Polaine, has welcomed the feedback: “We’re pleased to see that people are so passionate about community, green space and better transport.

“They are all huge priorities for the Garden Town and listening to what people want is integral to creating a great place for the future.

“It is exactly what our five-council partnership is committed to achieving for both existing residents and those that follow.”

Harlow & Gilston Garden Town’s (HGGT) vision for future transport across the local area, which includes a travel network accommodating cycling, walking and rapid bus services, has already won a 2022 Essex Housing Award.

Discussing green space, Naisha added: “Our stance on this has always been very clear. We want investment in public access, landscape and biodiversity enhancements while expanding areas of the existing green wedge network.

“And when I say investment, I mean it in a financial sense and in dedication to delivery. “Providing a home for wildlife and giving local people an opportunity to enjoy nature and green spaces, critical for mental and physical wellbeing, is something are all five of our council partners support.”

Next steps will see HGGT working with project partners to develop and action recommendations based on the feedback received.