EAST Herts Councillors have questioned whether they are being “taken for a ride” over funding for Harlow Town railway station.

As part of plans for six new villages featuring 8,500 homes on the Herts and Essex border, East Herts District Council has told a developer it must contribute £442,000 towards a “feasibility study” for a new station entrance.

The funding would only need to be paid if Network Rail agrees to upgrade Harlow Town – which lies on the line between London Liverpool Street and Cambridge.

Network Rail has raised fears the Grade II-listed station – protected for its “powerful spatial qualities” and “flagship” status as part of the Harlow New Town – will struggle to cope with increased demand.

In addition to the £442,000 feasibility study, the developer will be asked to pay a maximum £4.38million towards the final scheme, which would facilitate a northern entrance to the station.

Planning permission for the six villages was secured at a meeting on Tuesday, February 28.

A second developer which is planning a seventh village will also be asked to contribute to Harlow Town upgrades, bringing the total contributions to a maximum of £5.2m.

Ware St Mary’s councillor Ian Kemp (Con), who sits on the East Herts District Council planning committee, said he was “a bit surprised at the price tag”.

“It’s £5.2m for what is essentially the extension of a footbridge, a gate, maybe some cycle racks and some sort of cycle racks,” he said.

“It’s [a combined] £520,000 for a feasibility study.

“I’ve got to ask the question: is Network Rail taking us for a ride?”

Planning officer Jenny Pierce said: “In terms of the station access, it’s a ‘towards’ figure.

“This one is not the totality and it’s not this application alone which would benefit from changes to the station, so it’s a contribution towards that piece of work.”

Ms Pierce added the feasibility study is needed to work out what changes are needed at Harlow Town, and that any changes would be complex owing to the listed buildings and overhead electric lines.

Network Rail was consulted as part of the application process.

The organisation set out its position in a letter to the council.

“Network Rail System Operator and Station Capacity teams have concerns regarding capacity of Harlow Town station,” it reads.

“There appears to be a lack of information regarding rail demand forecasts and does not highlight a significant uplift as a result of this proposal.”

Network Rail added the station benefits from express trains to Tottenham Hale and London Liverpool Street, so it is likely that Harlow Town will be an attractive option for existing and future commuters.

The seven new villages – comprising 10,000 homes – are part of the wider Harlow and Gilston Garden Town project.

The 2018 vision document sets out 60 per cent of journeys should be made using “sustainable active travel modes”.

According to the latest Office of Road and Rail data, an estimated 1.31m passengers began or ended their journeys between April 2021 and March 2022.

ENDS