Council leader delighted that plans for Sherards House development are approved
Harlow Council / Sat 19th Aug 2023 at 11:28am
PLANNING permission has been granted for another 14 council homes to be built on the site where Sherards House currently sits.
At last night’s (Wednesday 16 August) Development Management Committee, the green light was given for a scheme comprising 6 two-bedroom, 5 three-bedroom and 3 four-plus-bedroom homes to be built in its place on the site in Three Horseshoes Road. Each home will benefit from two parking spaces each, with EV charging points included as well as extra visitor parking as part of the development.
Sherards House was previously used as temporary accommodation – however it is considered unsuitable for this purpose and has been derelict for some time. The proposals put forward aim to put the site to good use as a home for families on Harlow’s Housing Needs Register and make full use of the space within the site. The homes are of a very high design standard and will be extremely energy efficient with solar panels, EV charging and quality landscaping at the heart of the design.
It is proposed that three of the properties will be accessed via Three Horseshoes Road, with the other 11 accessed via Jerounds. 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 announcement comes just one month after another major regeneration scheme, on the site of the now derelict council depot in Staple Tye, for more council homes was approved.
Demolition is due to begin very shortly and construction of the scheme is expected to start in November.
Nicholas Taylor
2023-08-19 13:17:25
This was another bad day for residents in Harlow as far as democracy and common sense is concerned, following on from previous planning applications such as those that affected homes in Bushy Croft, Bynghams and Arkrights to name just a few. The Tory led Council are following in the footsteps of the previous Labour administration. Mis-leading residents, failing to keep residents involved, failing to engage with residents, allowing it's house which pre-dates the building of the New Town to fall into disrepair and then bulldozing it and at the last minute coming up with changes which will see 11 of the houses having to travel across a road just 3 metres wide. As I said on the night, this is no way to run a Development Management Committee and I still stand by that. Nicholas Taylor, Leader of the Harlow Alliance Party
Cp
2023-08-19 15:06:40
I am sure tgese images make the plot look a lot bigger and more spacious than it really is. Planner,developers and councillors are treating us like fools. Destroying that beautiful building for these ugly new builds.
Nicholas Taylor
2023-08-19 15:10:05
My previous comment should have said keeping residents informed rather than involved.
unhappy resident
2023-08-19 16:09:35
I live in this area and not happy about this at all, that house is something of harlow which has been for many Many years and helped a lot of people with temporary accommodation, it just needed upgrading inside and it could have stayed and carried on helping the residents of harlow with temporary accommodation, but in reality it's not going to go to harlow residents who have been living in harlow for years without permanent accommodation, we are not being fooled by the council, also electric vehicle charging points in a council residence? what about the rest of harlow streets? everything about this doesnt sit right with myself and the residents of the area. they say affordable council homes for harlow families... let's see who actually gets the properties... very very sad times in harlow seeing our history being torn down around us by a council leader who is barely out of nappies.
unhappy resident
2023-08-19 16:12:14
I also agree with everytbing nicholas taylor has written here, well said.
Cp
2023-08-19 16:30:30
I agree with unhappy resident and also Dan swords interests willbe completely different to us older long term Harlow residents. He will agree to what interests him.we will have to have a funeral for Harlow soon.
Kim Oconnor
2023-08-19 18:44:39
We will see if there council. Yes we need council property s, but not at the expense, of the history of this town. ...this council let this building go to disrepair, the same as the old station building, and replaced with an eye sore of a bus shelter... what is it with this council don't none of you care for history.... Just want to add, the consultation letter for sherards House arrived at my house the same day as the consultation was held,, green party frends never received consultation letter at all.... what's that tell you about this council..
LClou
2023-08-19 20:04:16
This is an awful idea and does not have the support of the surrounding neighbours. I can’t believe the council ignored the 65 residents in the proximity that opposed this application. I feel as though this has been engineered by the conservative council to be seen as a quick win to make headlines about increasing council housing before next years election, as per the rest of the publicity hungry promises…..
Alderman Durcan
2023-08-19 23:13:14
Sorry construction is due to start in November,which we assume is 2023. If so the Tory leadership had already commissioned the demolition as well as selected a housing developers to commence in November. How is this possible if the application has only just been approved. If this was pre application what would be the cost to the tax payer if the committee rejected the application. We need new council homes but sounds like yet another extension of the definition of Tory truth. 2 years ago we were promised by the MP and his Tory council comrades that they would build hundreds of new council homes. Still waiting for a Tory brick to be laid.
Colin graham
2023-08-20 08:04:45
The council should hang its head in shame,. at the meeting , they were told over and over that their plan for all those houses was not viable. They didn't listen. each time a question was ask the chairman would say ,this doesn't apply , but it did !!!, you felt you were being told to sit there and basically say nothing and do as I tell you. I totally agree with l clou about a quick fix making them headlines.
Roman
2023-08-20 09:22:06
Let me just pour myself a nice refreshing glass of Nimby tears. Environment this, local residents that... The only way to have affordable housing is to never stop building. Build taller, build wider, build more. "But it's all high-end stuff! " 0o0 Well mister if you don't build high-end the yuppies will start buying out the low end; and that what's it about, isn't it? It ain't about the town, it's about your equity. CALL TO ABOLISH THE TOWN AND COUNTRY ACT OF 1947 & 1990, CALL TO BUILD MORE COUNCIL FLATS.
Nicholas Taylor
2023-08-20 11:42:48
Just to be clear Roman, nearby residents would be very happy for the house to be converted in to 4 flats and 7 bungalows to be built in the grounds. These would be offered to residents who are current council tenants who want to downsize their home to allow a family to move in to. Such homes can be designed in such a way that they would never be sold under the Right Toi Buy and the process would be repeated each time a bungalow became empty. As it stands, these new houses will be occupied by just one family for probably decades to come and in turn become under occupied and of course some in the meantime may be sold. Our present Councillors do not understand the meaning of making the best use of the Council's land and the homes that it owns. Nicholas Taylor, former Area Housing Manager with Harlow Council.
Jennifer Steadman Green Party Candidate.
2023-08-21 07:50:27
I was at the original planning meeting & couldnt help but notice on the slide show supporting the application on page one it stated 14 social houses & yet half way through the slide show it clearly stated- 14 affordable houses? So which are they to be? I lived in Sherards house in the 80's & it was a magnificent building. My room was at the back & had double french doors leading out to the garden. My room was semi bedside with kitchen area & a space for living & sleeping. I did share the bathroom however. I feel certain that with a few alterations the building could have been adapted to house the elderly with supported living & perhaps build bungalows in the spacious grounds for those not living in the main house which would not only build a mini community for the elderly, but free up council homes around the towns for families in need. This is an opportunity miss by the council to hang on to a beautiful old house that was once grade 2 listed, but suddenly is no longer listed? I find this a bit odd? An opportunity missed here to retain part of this part of towns history which as many may not know, part of Gt Parndon was once owned by St Thomas hospital.
Jennifer Steadman Green Party Candidate.
2023-08-21 07:53:02
I was at the original planning meeting & couldnt help but notice on the slide show supporting the application on page one it stated 14 social houses & yet half way through the slide show it clearly stated- 14 affordable houses? So which are they to be? I lived in Sherards house in the 80's & it was a magnificent building. My room was at the back & had double french doors leading out to the garden. My room was semi bedside with kitchen area & a space for living & sleeping. I did share the bathroom however. I feel certain that with a few alterations the building could have been adapted to house the elderly with supported living & perhaps build bungalows in the spacious grounds for those not living in the main house which would not only build a mini community for the elderly, but free up council homes around the towns for families in need. This is an opportunity miss by the council to hang on to a beautiful old house that was once grade 2 listed, but suddenly is no longer listed? I find this a bit odd? An opportunity missed here to retain part of this part of towns history which as many may not know, part of this area of town was once owned by St Thomas hospital.
Sd
2023-08-21 09:25:19
All well and good, new homes for council tenants ? Really, let’s wait and see. Whilst this is a plan that may actually happen. What about the disrepair of existing council homes. Are we to believe that we are going into a ‘disrepair era’ whereas homes they can’t be bothered with will end up bulldozed also !!! Blocks of flats unpainted breeze/ CV block type schemes homing the elderly. !!!! No budget we’re told . Unbelievable!!!!!
Nicholas Taylor
2023-08-21 14:51:49
Sd. The point you make about the disrepair of council owned houses is a very good one. Members of the Harlow Alliance Party have been asking questions on this subject of Councillors at committee meetings for at least two years. In response, the Council admitted that they had no record of what work has been done and where in respect of the maintenance and painting of the external fabric of council HOUSES before 2016 and only a very few hundred houses have been worked on each year since. The house next to mine for instance has only had such work done once in 26 years. Talk of demolishing estates such as Canons Brook and Northbrooks have been mooted in the past, allowing houses to fall into disrepair as they have with Sherards House would only add weight to a demolition plan.
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