HARLOW Council leader Dan Sword has said that they are “set to deliver” his promise to bring Marks and Spencers (M and S) back to Harlow.

In the Harlow Council elections this May, the Leader of the Harlow Conservatives, Cllr Dan Swords, promised to bring an “all singing, all dancing M&S store back in the heart of our town” if the Harlow Conservatives retained control of the council. 

It is fair to say he received a great deal of flack when making the promise. Harlow Labour questioned the Council Leader at the time saying that this was not possible.

Your Harlow readers will recall that M and S left the town centre in 2015.

It appears that the promise is set to become a reality.

According to the council leader, the retail giant has named Harlow as an area identified for a new store as “active negotiations with the council are making great progress”.

Commenting on the progress, the Leader of Harlow Council, Cllr Dan Swords said: “We promised to bring M&S back to Harlow and when I made that pledge, I was ridiculed by Harlow Labour – who drove M&S out of town when they ran the council. 

“Well they’re not laughing now. We’ve been working around the clock and brilliant progress is being made towards that promise as Harlow has now been named as a target area for a new store.

“We will deliver on our promise to bring M&S back to the heart of our town as we rebuild our town. Just as we’re delivering on our promises to freeze Harlow Council Tax, ensure Harlow homes for Harlow people and to rebuild the town centre.”

YH understands that as part of the retail giant’s store “rotation plan”, the company has identified a number of places across the country where it would consider opening new stores.

M&S has said it is looking for two-acre sites or bigger, edge of the centre or out of town, on a major road with easy access. It is looking for sites to have a dedicated car park with around 150 spaces. 

In the fairly wide ranging document, it states:

M&S has said the requirements for new stores are: 

• Store Size 6-25,000 sqft 
• New builds or conversions considered
• Prominent sites
• Dedicated or nearby car parking required
• Freehold or leasehold considered
• Good access to the public transport network

An M&S spokesperson said: “As part of our store rotation programme, we are always looking at potential new sites to make sure M&S has the right stores, in the right place, with the right space.”