Letter to Editor: Disappointed at state of planters in town centre
Your Say / Wed 31st May 2023 at 07:07am
Dear Editor,
THIS afternoon I had the pleasure of a stroll along Broad Walk and marvelled at the vista of large rectangular black planters repeated at intervals along the Walk.
On closer inspection I was gobsmacked to find a motley collection of weeds and grass, plus plenty of dog ends littering the surface. If ever there was a metaphor for the town centre, then this was it.
Then I remembered that I must wait for the town centre regeneration now that our Conservative administration has secured £100 million of government money.
Despite this good news my spirits were later dampened by reading the LGA Corporate Peer Challenge feedback report.
Of Harlow Council’s vision for the future enshrined in the Corporate Strategy it said: “The political ambitions of the administration are significant, whilst the council’s resources are diminishing – representing a difficult ‘circle to square’.”
Regards,
David Forman
Holmes Meadow
Simon
2023-05-31 11:40:00
Hope David doesnt see my garden.
Gary
2023-05-31 12:54:26
We can't have anything grow around nichollsfield as the council let's DHL park all there vehicles on our green space
Mary
2023-05-31 13:15:26
Whilst it would be lovely to have flowers in the planters, how long do you think they would last in a town centre like Harlow? The planters will be used as an ashtray for all the heavy smokers, somewhere to pee in for all the drunks. Regeneration of the the town needs the drunks, troublemakers and druggies removed. Only then will any flower have a fighting chance of survival.
AuntyBoo
2023-05-31 13:38:32
I saw the groundsmen planting some of the boxes near Market Square and said that's throwing money away since they've had what is now the clock house pub and wetherspoons in the town along with the offices made over to flats. I watched from up by the hairdressers and saw 4 or 5 men, NOT youngsters, practically fall out of the pub drunk at 12.30pm trying to fight each other while also being sick and sitting on some of the benches were some middle aged ladies and some younger women, 2 with prams, swigging out of a bottle of god knows what and it gets put back in a shopping bag because if the Police see it they can get done. Did I say Police! I don't know when I last saw one walking the beat in the town centre. Our town as we knew it is no more as its been destroyed by the drunks and the incomers from all over shipped into Harlow in the last 20 odd years. I've lived here all my life and I'm heartbroken.
Keith
2023-05-31 14:58:07
Exactly why i moved away after living in Harlow for 70 years.The Town is what the residents make and there is no effort to restore it to its former glory pre1990.
Bunny
2023-05-31 15:37:00
Hoped they had learnt their lesson before when tried to have nice garden area there it was ruined ! complete waste of money .Its such a pity
David Forman
2023-05-31 20:18:26
AuntyBoo, I will have to check out Market Square. Maybe another news item in the offing.
Michelle
2023-06-01 09:18:10
I live in the mitre buildings and yes I’ve been shipped here I to temporary accommodation and I can’t believe the amount of drunks and druggies in the square, it would be so nice to sit in in the summer as no garden but wouldn’t fancy it such a shame
Nicholas Taylor
2023-06-05 11:35:30
This matter has been taken up by the Harlow Alliance Party on a number of occasions including with the new Leader of the Council. Apparently these boxes were not installed by the Council and no-one seems to know who is supposed to look after them. Older readers will remember that there were brick built planters in Broad Walk for many years, these along with many other flower beds around the town were taken out in order to reduce the cost of employing gardeners to maintain them. So much for Cllr Swords claim that Harlow's Town Centre will be the best in Essex!
Kim Oconnor
2023-06-06 08:53:37
Harlow council full of ideas, but if the council don't maintain them, we'll like every thing else in this town,, it will just crumble.
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