Project Overview
This project will regenerate the local neighbourhood centre through the provision of high quality housing, a new health centre, new retail units and new recreational facilities. It will be delivered by Moat Housing in partnership with PRP Architects and Denne Construction.
The existing neighbourhood centre has been bedevilled for many years with poor quality housing above the shops. This was the major complaint about the area in the early consultation phase and is a key driver for the scheme. The other major factor was the need to provide a larger health centre with the current facility at Osler House now no longer able to provide the level of facilities required by the local population.
Throughout 2007 and 2008 Harlow Renaissance conducted extensive consultation with local residents to ascertain views on future development and as a result of this outline planning consent was granted in December 2008. In 2009, Moat Homes were selected as the developer to build the project (along with the schemes at Clifton Hatch and Old Harlow) and further consultation with residents took place on the detailed proposals during 2009/10. Detailed planning consent for the Carters Mead site was granted in March 2011 and works will commence in the summer of this year with completion of the project in summer 2012.
The scheme is being delivered in three phases:
Phase 1 (completed December 2010):
Provision of new play playground, multi-use games area and water play feature on Larkswood to replace the existing facility on Carters Mead. Initial excavations uncovered archaeological remains understood to be of Roman origin. As a result, the works were put on hold to allow the archaeologists to undertake a comprehensive investigation, which confirmed the remains as fragments of tiles from a 2nd or 3rd century kiln. They have been protected and covered for posterity.
Phase 2:
Construction of new housing and new medical centre on Carters Mead site. The scheme will deliver 27 residential units (7 houses and 20 flats), of which 11 will be affordable. A significant change to the 2008 scheme (which received outline consent) is that the community centre is going to be retained on its existing site. Full planning permission for this phase was granted by Harlow Council's planning committee on 2nd March 2011 and the development will now commence in early summer.
The new medical centre will be delivered by Harlow Health Centres Trust.
Phase 3: Redevelopment of Prentice Place
This last phase will deliver 36 residential units (12 houses and 24 flats) and new retail space (8,700 sq ft). This will be undertaken from 2012 when the health centre has re-located to the Carters Mead site at the completion of Phase 2.
Details of the Prentice Place scheme can be found in the documents attached to this page.