3 minute read
Plans unveiled for transforming Harlow
Transforming your town
Regeneration, jobs and infrastructure boost
Artist impression of the Playhouse Quarter which is subject to the outcome of a funding bid - see page 5.
Plans to kick-start the transformation and regeneration of Harlow are under way following the news that £23.7m of government funding is coming to the town.
In June Harlow Council secured £23.7m under the government’s towns fund, which will provide muchneeded investment as the town recovers from the pandemic.
Harlow’s town deal will support five key projects:
A brand new bus station hub and transport interchange in the town centre
Supporting sustainable and public transport modes and creating flexible commercial spaces.
Regeneration of Broad Walk
Public space improvements making Broad Walk a better and more attractive place to shop and work.
Staple Tye regeneration
Providing new workspace for businesses and creating new jobs.
Harlow College Institute of Technology
Improving local skills opportunities focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Helping young people into jobs at Public Health England and Harlow Enterprise Zone.
Cambridge Road
Making the Templefields Enterprise Zone more accessible through improving access via a new Cambridge Road junction into and out of River Way.
Artist impression for illustrative purposes only.
And there’s more to come...
Transforming our town centre
The successful Towns Fund bid is set to be just the start of a new regeneration programme with another £20m funding bid submitted to government in June to further support the regeneration of the town centre.
Image © ViewApart - iStockphoto.com
A piazza with restaurants, cafés and bars is part of proposals to improve Market Square.
Live music is part of the Playhouse Quarter proposals.
“Getting £23.7m funding and following that up a week later with a bid for a further £20m of government funding for the town centre shows how serious this council is about transforming and making Harlow the best town it can be. This is only the beginning of what we plan to deliver for Harlow.
“This new council is going to plan and deliver a programme of regeneration and renewal. That won’t be a tinkering at the edges, but a complete plan for a once-in-a-generation regeneration. A fully transformed town centre is going to be at the beating heart of our plan.
“Our programme will not just be about new buildings either. It will be about truly delivering a town centre that we can be proud of, one that people travel from miles around to visit, one that creates jobs for local residents and allows you to enjoy its offerings at all times of the day.
“We want the town centre to attract the very best hospitality and leisure, the best restaurants, the best bars, first class entertainment and the shops you want to shop in. No more pockets of regeneration, not just a lick of paint here and there, but a full programme of regeneration and renewal.
“This is both an exciting and positive time for Harlow and our town centre. It is time for our town centre to be bustling again with new shops, restaurants, bars, entertainment, live music, a market and culture and that is what we plan to deliver.”
Councillor Dan Swords, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Regeneration
The £20m bid is part of the government’s Levelling Up fund, which if successful, will help to turn Market Square into a piazza with cafés, bars and restaurants as well as transforming the Playhouse Quarter into a cultural hub for live music, arts and performances.
