HRL

Harlow District Council and Harlow Renaissance have appointed London consultants Urban Initiatives to produce a new Design Guide for Harlow.  

Identified as a “Key Centre for Development and Change” in the East of England Plan, Harlow has a history of award winning design originating from its master planner Sir Frederick Gibberd over sixty years ago. Now with a housing delivery target of up to 16,000 new dwellings by 2021 there is a commitment amongst Harlow partners to bring about transformational change in Harlow by once again raising aspirations and ambitions with regards to design. 

Gibberd’s original objectives for Harlow were to house people in genuine communities with good services and access to a range of amenities, and to incorporate high quality design whilst protecting and enhancing environmental quality.  These objectives remain in keeping with today’s principles of sustainable development therefore the Design Guide will seek to restore Harlow’s historic reputation for high quality, contemporary architecture and design, by improving design standards and influencing the quality of development in Harlow. It will look to

• Set out key planning and urban design principles and criteria for future development in Harlow, including the proposed urban extensions;
• Encourage a design-led approach to development;
• Set out how development can be carried out, with a view to retaining local distinctiveness; and
• Assist applicants by setting out basic design principles. 

There are currently a number of significant developments taking place in, or planned for, Harlow including a 1.3 million sq ft Town Centre North Regeneration scheme by international developer Stockland; the Growth Area Funded Harlow Gateway Scheme regenerating 11 hectares of brownfield land bringing improved sports, leisure and lifestyle opportunities to Harlow together with almost 600 new homes; and the award-winning Newhall development. Newhall has a planned residential population of 6,000 together with mixed uses including employment, shops, services, schools, community and leisure facilities. Urban design considerations have been key to the project and many aspects of the original masterplan and delivery mechanisms are now endorsed by government policy.   

Andrew Bramidge, Chief Executive of Harlow Renaissance:
“We are pleased to be working with Urban Initiatives on these key design principles for Harlow. An important consideration in the preparation of the Design Guide will be the need for the Harlow area to accommodate its growth requirements whilst simultaneously promoting wider sustainability goals and respecting the unique and intrinsic historical character and context of the Town’s formation. The Design Guide will seek to champion high quality design in Harlow and encourage a fresh and modern approach to design that challenges preconceptions.  The Guide will also encourage the best of contemporary architecture, but within the context of the urban design framework set out in Sir Frederick Gibberd’s original Master Plan.” 

Marcus Wilshere, Director from Urban Initiatives has welcomed the development of the new guide:
“Harlow takes considerable pride in being different.  The new design guide is an opportunity for the town to agree what is distinctive about the place and how we can learn from the best of what Harlow has achieved so as to help shape its future. Urban Initiatives are delighted to have been appointed on such a prestigious commission and we are excited about the possibility of creating guidance which is genuinely innovative in its approach.” 

Councillor Joel Charles, Vice-Chairman of Harlow Council’s Environment & Community Committee, said:
“Urban Initiatives will be working with us to produce an important document to guide future developments and to support regeneration projects in Harlow. The guide will ensure that new developments are of high quality, meeting today’s environmental standards and enhance Harlow’s unique heritage. This will be a useful tool for both the public and developers, providing design advice for household extensions to housing schemes, which will ensure Harlow’s distinctive character is respected.” 

The Guide is intended to be adopted by Harlow Council as a Supplementary Planning Document to support the Replacement Harlow Local Plan saved policies.  It will also provide greater detail to support policies contained in Development Plan Documents in the emerging Local Development Framework.