18 February 2010
Harlow Town station is set for a facelift in the run up to its 50th birthday in July of this year, as a result of a partnership brokered by Harlow Renaissance. The work is to be funded jointly by train operator National Express East Anglia (NXEA) and Essex County Council.
The £400k project is aimed primarily at improving the overall appearance of the station and improving its facilities, with special attention being paid to those with mobility problems.
The scheme involves:
- Opening out the area on the footbridge to provide unobstructed public access to the lifts. For the first time, customers in wheelchairs or with any kind of mobility difficulty will be able to operate the lifts themselves.
- Demolishing the existing staff office accommodation and waiting room to create an open-plan "concourse-style" waiting area on the footbridge which will have a refurbished ceiling with new lighting, new flooring, redecoration and CCTV. The waiting area will have new seating, heating, information screens and toilets.
- Providing unassisted access to the lift from the booking hall and refurbishing the ground floor lift lobby area.
- Refurbishing the booking hall by refurbishing the ceiling to match the footbridge new floor covering and lighting.
- Redecoration throughout the station and repainting of the front fascia panels.
- Reconfiguration of the grass verge to left hand side of the existing disability access parking adjacent to the station building to provide more parking spaces.
- Redecoration of platform lighting columns, canopy columns and street furniture.
- An electronic information point for bus and rail timetables will also be provided which is being funded separately by Essex County Council.
NXEA’s Area Manager based at Harlow, Kevin Walton, said:
“Harlow is important to our business and good rail access is vital to the town. We have already committed to significant investment, with a large car park extension underway, and new and longer trains coming to the route in 2011 to provide more capacity for a growing market for travel. This scheme is the final piece in the jigsaw, which makes the station a bright, attractive and fully accessible place for all customers, particularly those with mobility difficulties. At the same time we are able to give the building a facelift, which is sympathetic to its listed status. Thanks to the efforts of our partners, Harlow station will be able to celebrate its 50th birthday in style.”
National Express will be applying for listed building consent in mid-February and will aim to have contracts let to enable a start on site in May. The project is planned to be completed by the end of July 2010. Harlow Renaissance has been lobbying for two years to secure improvements to the station along with Harlow Council and Bill Rammell MP and we are delighted that this year will see these works completed.