OVER the next few years, up to 1100 homes and possibly up to 5,000 people may be moving to a new housing development on the border of Harlow called Latton Priory.

This area is west of London Road at Hastingwood, south of Berecroft and east of Rye Hill Road.

It is at “Design Code” stage before it goes in front of the Epping Forest District Council planning committee.

The plans are sophisticated and very attractive. They are all part of the Harlow and Gilston Garden Town (HGGT) plan for tens of thousands of homes on Harlow’s border.

The designs go into specifics on a vast range of subjects from houses, streets, car barns, schools, traveler sites, landscape, biodiversity etc.

However, the plans have alway been somewhat vague on the subject of health provision.

That seems a bit strange and a bit disconcerting to us.

The danger is that there could be an extra 5,000 people added to the nearest surgeries.

The nearest surgeries are the Hamilton and Ross Practice in Bush Fair, Lister House in Staple Tye and The Limes in Epping.

In early versions of the plans, there was reference to health provision.

The document stated:

“The Local Plan policy identifies that the Latton Priory development should include the provision of appropriate community and health facilities. Engagement is ongoing with the Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB), the body responsible for planning for healthcare.

“Space will be allowed for within the local centre which could potentially accommodate a primary care health centre, dentist or pharmacy services if required to be delivered on site.

“If there is a requirement to adapt/ extend/improve existing healthcare provisions to help serve the new development and ensure that residents have access to healthcare services, financial contributions will be negotiated and agreed as part of a future planning application“.

That didn’t seem very reassuring.

Last week, we read the latest Latton Priory Design Code. Epping and Harlow residents are set to be consulted.

There now does not appear to be any reference to health provision.

When the planning application for Gilston came before the East Herts planning committee, there didn’t seem to be a great relationship between the NHS and the planners. See article below.

Healthcare plans for a major new development near Harlow are “not acceptable”, according to the NHS.

We asked a number of organisations why there is no longer any reference to health provision.

A spokesperson for HGGT commented: “Our five council partners are all committed to community and social infrastructure across the proposed Harlow & Gilston neighbourhoods and a health centre for Latton Priory remains under discussion with the local Integrated Care Partnership who advise on such matters.

“The endorsed Strategic Masterplanning Framework for Latton Priory does reference health provision for the area and this will be further defined once Epping Forest District Council receive a future planning application.

“The Gilston area of the Garden Town, which received an agreement for approval by East Herts Council earlier this year, includes 3,515m2 of health care floorspace.”

We also asked the Harlow councillor Mike Hardware. He is the portfolio holder for economic development as well as an Essex County Councillor.

Cllr Hardware said: “A design code is just that: it provides a high level strategy for design and placemaking covering land use, nature, movement, public spaces, built form, identity and resources. It is there for the developers to assist in designing the development when they come forward with their planning applications. It is a material planning consideration when the council is determining the application. As such, it will not go into detail of specific facilities, such as healthcare.

As you are aware, this application will be determined by Epping Forest Council and not Harlow. Epping is progressing discussions with the land promoters, who are liaising with the relevant agencies such as the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), now the Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB), in relation to healthcare provision. 

We have not been involved in these discussions, as we are not the planning authority, but are made aware of progress regularly. I have asked for an update but the last information I had was that the CCG did not require a new health centre on Latton Priory but they would, of course, require financial contributions through the S106 to be used in the provision of healthcare.

“The ICB is reviewing its requirements at Latton Priory and I don’t think any decision has been made as yet. I will let you know what update I get”.

We did ask the snappily titled NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board. They have yet to get back to us with a statement.

Perhaps this is a wake up call to the future of health provision in the United Kingdom in the twenty first century.

We know the members of the Harlow Alliance Party have followed this with interest and concern.

We will follow this with interest.