Harlow Council leader welcomes government minister to the town as approach to town centre regeneration commended
News / Wed 5th Mar 2025 at 11:20am
THE Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon MP, visited Harlow yesterday to see the work the council is doing to regenerate the town centre as he launched the Government’s Neighbourhood Plan.
He was given a tour of the town centre by Council Leader, Councillor Dan Swords, and accompanied by local MP, Chris Vince. As part of the Neighbourhood Plan, Harlow is set to receive £20 million over ten years, that was previously earmarked through the Long-Term Plan for Towns. However, the new criteria will give the council more flexibility over the funding.
The Minister commended Harlow Council for its work to regenerate the town centre and was highly impressed by the comprehensive approach to rebuild the whole town centre to boost economic growth, which the funding is intended to further enable.
Funding is expected to be released from April 2025 with delivery investment starting in 2026. A neighbourhood board will be setup to identify specific projects.
Commenting on the visit, the Leader of the Council, Councillor Dan Swords said: “I would like to thank the Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon MP, for taking the time to come to Harlow and find out more about what is happening in our town and what we are delivering to renew our neighbourhoods, rebuild our town and secure investment for Harlow’s future. In recent years, the council has successfully secured over £70m in government funding and much more in private sector investment which is enabling us to deliver our missions for the town.
“We welcome the additional £20m in government funding through the Plan for Neighbourhoods which has now been confirmed. This means we can do ever more to transform our town. We look forward to working with the government and our partners to target this funding at the right places and projects to further restore pride in Harlow and improve people’s lives.
“I am very pleased that the Minister was impressed with the work we as a council are doing to transform our town for a generation.
Tim
2025-03-05 11:42:18
Is that what £70M gets you these days? - 'highly impressed by the approach' was he? - cos I see no substance - I hope this isn't Labour's model for all our Town Centres - Did they show the Minister the new M&S?
jarrett
2025-03-05 13:03:16
The Minister commended Harlow Council for its work to regenerate the town centre , so Dan he did not see the demolition company masquerading as Strawberry Star's handiwork.
glen pope
2025-03-05 13:29:37
should have taken him to staple tye or the stow at 9pm sure that would have gone down well
David Forman
2025-03-05 18:18:10
Just a rehash of money already promised under the last Tory government. As the article says: "Harlow is set to receive £20 million over ten years, that was previously earmarked through the Long-Term Plan for Towns."
Nicholas Taylor
2025-03-05 19:47:32
I would have been embarrassed to take anyone on a tour of the Town Centre and worried that the Minister would ask for a refund of monies already given. To date no sign of a new cultural square or the new bus station being started and other sites standing empty for years. The paving working costing a fortune seems to have stalled, are they really waiting for other services to take place or as rumoured the contractor has gone bust? The paving along the side of the card factory shop is already looking tatty and a waste of money. Epping meanwhile on Monday had a thriving market as did Waltham Cross today where the whole High Street was full of workman carrying out a complete refurbishment. The best town centre in Britain seems to be as far away as the new hospital.
AB
2025-03-05 21:58:16
Demolition Dan was certainly able to show the minister lots of rubble. He would've struggled to show him some positive construction. The town centre is an embarrassing shambles.
Stuart J
2025-03-06 14:34:16
It was Strawberry Star and not Dan Swords that carried out the wholesale demolition work in Kitson Way and Little Walk. It’s a ploy by them to try to achieve their original plans for the area, with taller blocks, more units and profit. I wonder if he took the Minister around to that area, to show him what regeneration really looks like, when the Developers don’t get what they want.
Resident
2025-03-06 17:06:54
Will the same workforce be doing the works as are doing the flooring, or the roadworks around the town ? Are we ever going to see things finished? The state of the town centre is beyond belief, embarrassing. I'd have a bit of respect for the likes of dan if they actually admitted what a monumental muck up (I'd prefer to use a different word) the whole thing is .
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