Even more council homes receive green light as regeneration of Staple Tye moves forward
News / Sat 24th Jun 2023 at 07:20am
ONE of three council housing building schemes in Staple Tye has been given the green light to proceed.
Planning permission was granted on 7 June for all buildings on the site of the council’s largely derelict Staple Tye depot on Perry Road to be demolished to make way for 10 new council homes, set out in two terraces.
The development will provide five two-bedroom and five three-bedroom houses designed to be extremely energy efficient and achieve net zero carbon use. The homes will be a mix of two- and three-storey, with one being designed to be suitable for a wheelchair user with the remaining nine designed to be accessible and adaptable.
This is one of three major regeneration schemes in Staple Tye including the former Lister House site and a derelict site on the corner of Parnall Road. The former Lister House site has already received planning permission with the Parnall Road scheme shortly to be determined. All three schemes are set to be on site under development in the coming months.
All homes in the development will be council homes offered at council-rent levels and allocated to Harlow families of the Housing Needs Register.
The scheme will come with a new landscaped boulevard, private community garden and natural play area. Bin stores, 10 cycle parking spaces and 15 car parking spaces with electric vehicle charging points also included.
Commenting on the announcement, Councillor Michael Hardware, Portfolio Holder for Economic Development and Staple Tye ward councillor, said:
“One of our main priorities is to rebuild our town with a major programme of neighbourhood renewal and this is yet more proof that we are delivering on the priorities of local residents. Our regeneration of Harlow continues to make progress, and this is another important step forward in building more, and much-needed council housing for the people of our town. These energy-efficient homes will be built to a high standard, with excellent insulation and beautifully landscaped communal areas for families to get together. This scheme is part of a comprehensive regeneration of the Staple Tye neighbourhood.
“With construction starting in the coming months, we are rebuilding our town by regenerating left-behind neighbourhoods and building new council homes for Harlow families.”
Kim Oconnor
2023-06-24 10:02:06
This is excellent news for family s of Harlow. But it's still only 10,, 5,000 on waiting here in Harlow.. Your building thousands upon thousands around our boarders.... the Gilston project s we were told 48 per cent affordable,, on consultation it was dropped to 23 percent.... So you can understand why people are sceptical. And we're miss lead by all councils involved.
Asad P
2023-06-24 11:35:20
This just proves that politicians (of any party!) only say what 'sounds' good. The real facts are avoided!
Michael Hardware
2023-06-24 12:00:33
Kim, i am glad you recognise this good news, but this is only the start: this is 10 council houses for Harlow residents, an element of the 99 which will be commenced this year, almost three times the number Labour built in a decade! Gilston is the responsibility of East Herts and it was 40%, not 48%.
James
2023-06-24 12:08:49
Mike Hardware is correct. In fact, when faced with losing a significant grant for failing to build new council homes, the former Labour Council panicked and rushed out spending over £ 12 million buying up largely dilapidated houses in the open market at over 3x the cost to build new homes. They then had additional costs of £ hundreds of thousands to bring him up to standard. Kim O'Connor seems to forget Labour's abysmal record regarding Council housing.
Luke Burton
2023-06-24 13:13:49
Well done.
Alderman Durcan
2023-06-24 15:39:18
Sometimes the facts and truth get in the way of a quick popular political point. This is good news and hope the Tories will actually get on and build. 2 wasted years and nothing built,yet. Not a great record to be proud of. Still waiting for the cycle track,new PAH ,occasio house,town centre and the rest of the political promises.
James
2023-06-24 16:28:29
Well Alderman Durcan, we waited almost a decade for the previous Labour administration to deliver zero on all the above. People in glass houses springs to mind...
Shirley Cranswick
2023-06-24 18:07:58
Alderman Durcan (oh, he does like a title) seems to be very shortsighted. Just how many new Council houses did the council build while Labour were running Harlow. Durcan, you're nothing but an arrogant mouthpiece, always were in your nursing days and nothing has changed since.
Kim Oconnor
2023-06-24 19:05:29
Let me make one point very clear, to Mr Hardware, and James Leppard. I am neither Labour or conservatives.. Mr Hardware failed to say what the 40 percent had lowered to??? And what was promised. After all you all voted for the Gilston project s, did you not,, you all voted for it to go a head... I don't forget what labour had build, around 22 I believe,, but this isn't about slagging labour,, this is about what your doing now. It's good that 99 council houses are being built, , but it's a pittance when you put this number up against thousands upon thousands of private unaffordable housing. Still not a number to be proud of,, or may be you think it is.
Comrade
2023-06-24 19:39:35
Re: ... beautifully landscaped communal areas... To be enjoyed alongside vandalised bus stops and grafitti, flytipped items, missing pavement slabs, unlit street lights, occasional corpse (R.I.P). Dogs mess, litter, dodgy parking (Hi HTS staff), broken glass, missing signs, overgrown hedges, etc. Good luck. (Tipped bin spewing rubbish since January is still there too.) Oh dear. #Clowncil
Kieren
2023-06-24 21:27:41
I see alot of digs towards labour from torys.ets not forget the torys made this mess selling off council houses with out rebuilding many. One of thatchers many brilliant ideas
David Forman
2023-06-25 00:28:43
Kim O'Connor and her Green colleagues should realise that developers in the Gilston project can exploit provision made in the 2012 National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and later variants to reduce affordable housing allocations. This is achieved by 'viability assessments' which are easily achieved because developers can claim a profit of up to 20% to justify a project as being viable. Economist Liam Halligan says viability should be removed from planning law. Try reading Halligan's book 'Home Truths'. However, the Greens nor Labour have promised to sort out the viability loophole. As this article proves, if you want high percentages of social or affordable rented properties in any given project, then local authorities will be the ones to deliver them.
Kim
2023-06-25 08:06:24
Beautiful landscape... That"s a joke. For a long time, I was asking Michael Hardware to assist in the appalling state of the grass verges in my area to no avail. So much for restoring the pride in Harlow that I keep reading about!
Kim Oconnor
2023-06-25 09:12:18
David foreman, firstly this has nothing what so ever to do with my colleagues, , I speak for my self.. But just for the record, if you vote for something to be approved which your party did, your party voted for the destruction of our boarders and our river stort valley, then you knew what would happen, and not in the best interests for Harlow. Developers have had the upper hand for far to long, you know that, you knew what what happen... It's all about profit, greed and profit. With out thinking of the deverstating destruction to our environment.. You all made it happen, this is on labour's hands, and conservatives, because all councils voted for it .. Despite the objections of 6,000 signatures, 1,000 from Aliance party. And many other groups..surrounding villages... both party's have this on there hands.. I don't know what goes through council minds, who would destroy such a peaceful place , who would even think of this, is beyond me, and many thousand s of others.
Alderman Durcan
2023-06-25 10:38:37
Shirley Cranswick Thank you for recalling me but sadly not a clue who you are. Did ask around and no one else can either. Take care
Lee Knight
2023-06-25 11:09:23
Get the infrastructure sorted first, Schools, Hospital's, Doc. Surgeries, Police, Bus routes, etc. etc. ✌️
Johnno
2023-06-25 13:41:04
Positive news👍yay!
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