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MODE@Harlow have now submitted the detailed Planning Application for the development of the Little Bays and Faircroft areas in Old Harlow. The plan features 37 houses and 6 flats alongside public space and parking. The application follows on-going public consultation and information events in Old Harlow, feedback from which has been incorporated into the plans. The application is the first Detailed Planning Application for the GAF II Neighbourhood Project scheme. MODE@Harlow, the partnership of Moat, PRP Architects and Denne Construction are working closely with Harlow Council and Harlow Renaissance to regenerate sites in three areas of Harlow; Old Harlow, Clifton Hatch and Prentice Place. A Detailed Planning Application for Clifton Hatch is due to be submitted in March 2010 with local consultation on Prentice Place due to commence at the same time. Consultations on the new health centres at Prentice Place and Staple Tye will be carried out by Harlow Health Centre’s Trust (HHCT).

Harlow Town Station Update

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 includes:
• 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.
• Redecoration throughout the station and repainting of the front fascia panels.

Read more about Harlow Town Station Update

Green Issues Communications recently completed a survey of the residents living on each of the Priority Estates. The survey sought to obtain residents’ views on their experiences of living on their respective estates, how they would like to see the area develop in the future and what improvements could be made to each of the estates. The outcome of these surveys will be to inform the Council’s decision process and to assess the levels of support for the regeneration options. The survey responses are currently being analysed by Green Issues Communications and will be compiled into a report.

A series of workshops will take place at the end of February for residents of the estates, the purpose of which is to inform residents of the Council’s vision for each estate and to explore, in greater detail, residents’ views on the improvements, investment needs and priorities on each estate. The workshops will allow residents a chance to shape the long-term future of the area in which they live.

An initiative led by Harlow Renaissance could attract up to £150,000 funding from English Heritage into the town. Following a partnership bid with Harlow Council and Essex County Council’s Historic Buildings and Monuments department, English Heritage has now confirmed that funding from the Partnership Schemes in Conservation Areas has been approved. Partnership schemes are designed to target funding for the preservation and enhancement of conservation areas to improve the quality of run-down towns and cities; encourage inward investment and wider economic and community regeneration as well as creating new opportunities for local people.

The Old Harlow scheme seeks to involve works to commercial and residential buildings in the High Street aimed at reinstating its lost heritage character and fabric and slowing further erosion and loss of character. The Old Harlow scheme seeks to reintroduce confidence and help to improve the economic performance of retailers and businesses located there. Work could include repairs to the structure and external fabric of buildings contributing to the historic interest of the area, such as reroofing, window repairs, pointing or structural stabilisation as well as the repair and/or authentic reinstatement of decorative features that have been lost from the buildings and their settings. Further details will be published in Spring 2010.

The first phase of the regeneration of Prentice Place has now commenced with the start of work on the new playground. The playground’s features and design were produced after extensive consultation with local residents, community groups and the local primary school. Alongside the traditional swings, roundabout and parent area there will be a brand new multi-use games area (MUGA) which will enable children to play football and basketball in a secure fenced off area. The playground will also include the first water play feature in the town, replacing the old paddling pool. Water play features are becoming increasingly popular across the country with successful examples already in place in St. Albans, Maldon and Nottingham. The water feature will have several flumes of water which come up from the ground at intervals, allowing the children to run in and out of the water streams.

The playground is due for completion in early summer 2010 in time for the school summer holidays. Blakedown Ltd are undertaking the construction.

Colin Buchanan and Partners has been appointed to undertake a feasibility study into the potential for an extension to the Central Line from its current terminus in Epping to Harlow. The study will explore a possible route for the Central Line Extension to Harlow and will build up the information required to assess, in very broad terms, the economic and business cases for such an extension. The outcomes of the study will be used to determine whether there is a realistic possibility and sound case for the Central Line Extension that warrants the funding of a further, more detailed explorative work.

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