Harlow Council set to buy and redevelop Terminus House in “its most bold purchase to date”.
News / Thu 29th May 2025 at 02:54pm
HARLOW Council is set to deliver on its promise to buy and redevelop Terminus House as part of its plan to build Harlow’s future.
Next Thursday (5 June) councillors are expected to approve plans to purchase the 13-storey main building and 6-storey car park with the area to undergo a complete redevelopment.
Terminus House is one of several converted office blocks in the town which has been used by London Boroughs as temporary accommodation. The effect of which has placed strain on local services and the town centre.
The deal will see the current owners work with housing partners to support existing tenants into suitable alternative accommodation before the agreement is completed, ensuring the building is vacant when Harlow Council purchase it. Where appropriate, and in line with housing need and local connection, tenants will be supported to move to accommodation outside of Harlow.
The council plans to redevelop the site into new high-quality housing for Harlow residents complementing the scheme to rebuild Harlow town bus station and transform Terminus Street.
Terminus House is one of several private buildings in the town centre the council is buying as it embarks on its ambitious plan to completely rebuild the town centre by purchasing key sites.
The council has recently purchased Adams House and is close to completing the acquisition of Market House. It has also set out its plan to buy the neglected 4-acre site known as the Strawberry Star development which spans Broadwalk, Eastgate and Westgate.
Councillor Dan Swords, Leader of Harlow Council, has said that the proposed purchase of Terminus House is a landmark moment which hails a new era for Harlow town centre, he said:
“We are building Harlow’s future, and we are on a mission to rebuild our town. We are setting our sights high. That is why we will be delivering on our promise to buy and redevelop Terminus House. This is a landmark moment which hails a new era for Harlow town centre. This is the most significant property purchase that we are set to complete and our boldest one yet bringing another key building into council ownership.
“Our mission for the town centre is clear: to create one of the best town centres in the UK, an exciting, dynamic space that serves people of all ages, at all times of the day. Our bold programme of acquisitions ensures no part of Harlow is left behind, creating a thriving, inclusive town for future generations where pride is restored, and Harlow’s potential is fully realised. Redeveloping Terminus House is a huge part of doing just that and building Harlow’s future.”
Adam
2025-05-29 15:01:04
How much, what is the expected return on investment ?
Seamus
2025-05-29 16:11:10
"The council plans to redevelop the site into new high-quality housing for Harlow residents " Simple question, to approve it next Thursday, you must know how many flats there will be. Can I ask what the total amount of flats will be and of those, how many will be for those on the Harlow housing list.
Tony WIseman
2025-05-29 16:35:11
The plan is probably a good idea, but when will we see work start on any of these projects?
Nicholas Taylor
2025-05-29 16:49:57
Adam, it will be interesting to see if any such figures are presented to the meeting next week and if they are made public. One has to wonder where the money for this purchase is coming from and just who the council thinks will want to occupy the new homes. As we can see from the Burnt Mill development, it does not appear that many people are rushing to move in. Harlow Council is set to disappear in just two years time as will the mantra "Harlow Homes for Harlow People" so who will actually end up living in these flats once the building has been emptied and converted to decent sized homes?
Derek Clark
2025-05-29 17:39:35
Like all construction works, it takes a couple of years to put everything in place including all the work to make these types of building suitable for council tenants, when it's complete lots of Harlow people will be happy to have a nice warm home to live in, it's great to see Dan Swords yet again planning for Harlow's future rather than watch it slowly turn into a dump as it has done for meny a year under the control of those who just had no idea on how to improve Harlow.
Ted
2025-05-29 17:51:58
Well said Derek. All these moaners including the HAP, go on and on about the long housing list. And when the council start trying to lower it , they moan about how much it will cost. You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs.
Adam
2025-05-29 18:04:42
Nicholas people want homes, with gardens and land etc but sadly NIMBYs who mostly bought their houses for pennies want to stop the up and coming generations from having the same so they are stuck on these horrible housing developments. Someone will be along soon to tell me they should not buy Coffee and Ipads while missing the point about how much harder it is today than it ever was. The council cannot disappear fast enough, but we need all other forms of government and politicians to disappear at the same time as well.
Jasper
2025-05-29 18:06:52
Not much happening with the bus station. Promised it would be started but apart from the knocking down of the bridge and the toilets ,sweet fa. Dan your just a glove puppet for the established bull s###ers
Nicholas Taylor
2025-05-29 19:13:49
Ted, as evidenced by the new flat block at Burnt Mill, the only way the financial sums add up with the purchase of a flat block is to charge full market rents for the vast majority (£1700 per month for a two bed flat plus Council tax) and for those on the councils Housing Register. 80% of market rent. Far better to spend money, and cheaper, on building homes for older residents who would then downsize, leaving their home for a family to occupy. There are dozens of such applicants on Harlows register. As I said, by the time these are vacated and converted, Harlow Council will no longer exist, meaning that anyone qualifying to go on the list living between Chigwell and Fyfield will be entitled to get one. As for your comment Adam, I take it you are joking of course. Who would empty your dustbin for example?
Mazzy
2025-05-29 20:09:22
I fear the temporary bus station will be the permanent bus station.
Seamus
2025-05-29 20:12:08
I understand the "at least he's doing something" point but can we look at the reality. The burnt mill development, the star development, adams house and now terminus house. Not one public meeting where the finances are discussed such as how much has dan borrowed, from whom, what are the repayments, when are the projected builds due to be open, will they all be allocated to Harlow council social housing list, if not why not, how many if not all council allocations how many will be put to the open market, what happens in regards to the repayments if the builds go over budget and time and as mentioned, if the unitary body takes over, what safeguard do we have that any social homes in Harlow will have all Harlow residents first? Now, if you haven't had those thoughts then may I suggest you have been taken in by dan's emperors news clothes. Don't forget if even the slightest budget overspend impacts the other builds and the dominoes all fall, dan can just walk away and leave the people of Harlow to pay that build. Do I trust him? I believe he believes he can pull it off. Experience however is a great teacher and bankrupt councils where no official has ever been held responsible for the mess residents will have to pay, is there far too many times. I would suggest given the the large amounts being spent with no accountability so far, that the other councillors impose a legal bar on any futher borrowing by mr sword till he is more open with the facts he continues to hide. “The more money that flows into politics, the more power is consolidated in the hands of a few, diminishing the influence of ordinary citizens.” – Lawrence Norden
Kim Oconnor
2025-05-29 20:32:30
The worrying thing here is , the people being shafted to live out side Harlow,, what about the family s that have children, and go to school here. DAN SWORDS. Are there going to be any social housing.? Because Dan you know how bad the waiting list is.
Frank
2025-05-29 21:19:48
I thought it was a promise to knock it down, if not it will be a money pit, cheaper to demolish and rebuild
Surinder
2025-05-29 21:32:02
Kim O'Connor, people who were basically dumped on our town by London boroughs are not our problem. They are the responsibility of those London boroughs who are basically just using Harlow for their social cleansing. Well, the game is up. We have to look after our OWN people. This Council is doing the right thing.
Mike
2025-05-29 21:59:27
Firstly, you have to wonder where the council is getting the money from? Is it making risky investments that might end up backfiring and then we will be in another Thurrock Council situation (i.e going bust). Secondly, is it just me or are there lots of different projects that are on the go at the moment, but none of them are actually getting completed?? Just look at the empty shops and offices around the cinema end of the town. How long have Harlow Council been promising that the work on this area, and the area around Little Walk will be re-started? The new bus station is not being completed - apparently the previous company working on it have gone bust and now nothing is happening! And I'm sure that there are other examples as well where work has been started, but then everything ground to a halt. Will this be another case of grand plans that ultimately come to nothing and the block will just sit there empty for years on end - like the block of flats at Burnt Mill. To me the council is trying to do too many things at once, so that they can say "Look what we are doing". But in the end, the proof of the pudding is in he eating. Will these projects actually get finished or will they just be a huge waste of Harlow taxpayers money?? I fear the latter.
David Forman
2025-05-29 22:07:51
In my socialist youth I was an advocate of the common ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange (Clause 4 of the Labour Party Constitution). My detractors always mentioned the brutalist Stalinist architecture of Eastern Europe, but they had probably never visited Harlow. I will be well pleased to see it demolished.
David Forman
2025-05-29 22:09:05
Forgot to say I'm still an advocate of Clause 40, but not many others in my select club.
David Forman
2025-05-29 22:09:33
I meant Clause 4.
TonyB
2025-05-29 22:10:36
I would like to remind everyone that in the Harlow 2020 plans signed up to and executed by both Labour and Conservative councillors, there is a plot of land to the East of Harlow designated for 2,500 council houses, near the promised Sheering / Harlow hospital site. Currently, Conservative councillors are just planning or replanning the town centre with loads of money for the private sector. They are not interested in providing Council houses unless they can put a few of them on garage sites.
Nicholas Taylor
2025-05-29 23:08:37
TonyB, I am afraid you are wrong about the land to the East of Harlow. Whilst this is designated for new housing in the Local Plan, this land is in private ownership and there will be no council owned homes there. The developers (there are more than one) will have to build affordable homes but as we know, once they get the green light, they always reduce the number they say they were going to build.
Carl Blackwell
2025-05-30 05:49:06
Knock it all down and start again.
gary roberts
2025-05-30 07:28:49
This council is again land banking with Terminus House. I hope the Labour group will fully investigate the plans, timescales, and the cost before agreeing this purchase. The verbiage doesn't impress given previous developments that are still just land banking waste land. The council is again trying to run before it can walk and that must be a worry for the electorate. Has the council consulted its new Harlow growth board on this proposal? If so the response should be published.
Guy Flegman
2025-05-30 08:23:42
How many successful developments has our council completed? My gut tells me this will probably end in tears and huge hikes in council tax bills to sort out the mess. Councils have a terrible reputation when it comes to property development. I do hope I am wrong on this though, buts the odds are against the council.
Kim
2025-05-30 08:53:38
SURINDER, You are completely wrong. I actually know people that live here, bred and born in Harlow. There not all from London.
David
2025-05-30 10:25:15
Nice new town centre won't that be good where are all the drug addicts going to go and the alcoholics perhaps they can become part of the new town I'm sure everybody will be flocking to Harlow certain things probably won't change like people spitting on the floor dropping cigarette ends everywhere and pedestrians being knocked over by push bikes and e scooters . If you look at the money Harlow council has spent in the past it has just been ruined by antisocial behaviour these councillors need to look at the real reality of life and what is happening in Harlow before they build this nice new shiny shopping centre
Sue
2025-05-30 11:06:11
What are they going to do with the bingo hall that’s at the bottom of the building. They will have to consider the safety of their customers and employees whilst the renovation is being completed.
TonyB
2025-05-30 11:30:06
Nicholas Taylor: Thanks for the update, so I think I will give up with Harlow and move away. With so much shortsightedness in development for the arts and entertainment, plus the threat of S.T.C.'s to accommodate the extra 120000 people to live around Harlow I can see there is no future for the town that I grew up in.
Resident
2025-05-30 11:44:04
Congratulations Cllr Sword and the council. Sincerely. For me the purchases of the properties around town are the singularly most effective thing the council can be doing at the moment to regenerate the town centre. Previously not owning the properties, the council could do nothing to enforce any type of redevelopment on the owners. It'd be like me turning up to your door and saying "you should paint your fence a different colour, I think it'd look better". You'd have all the authority in the world to tell me to jog on, and there's nothing I could do about it. Owning these buildings means the council can now practically do what they want with these properties and redevelop them to a larger, town-wide joined up plan. The money will be coming in some form or another from the Hill Group I'd imagine, who are the partners in the town regeneration plans. Regeneration of this magnitude will take many, many years and there'll be lots of disruption but you can't build something better without getting rid of the old stuff first.
Resident
2025-05-30 11:54:21
I just want to pick up on this point about housing as well; the waiting list is around 6,000 people. Can anybody give me a -clear- answer as to where they would build these 6,000 homes within Harlow's borders, not using high-rise buildings, and not building on the green wedges? Given that the last major bit of land in our borders is East Harlow which can only accommodate about 3,000-odd? Secondly let's say 6,000 new homes magically appear; the council list will start getting bigger again afterwards. Then where do we build the next set of 100/0s of homes?
Ted
2025-05-30 13:01:23
Gary . Labour group investigate the plans , timescales and costs. They couldn't even come up with a budget sometime ago .Don't make me laugh
Seamus
2025-05-30 15:35:07
Just as an example of concern. 20th December 2022, Harlow council under dan, announced it had bought Occasio house. Dan was all over the local media in a digger when Occasio was knocked down on the 23rd of July 2023, September 2023 they finished the demolition. Does anyone know what has been done since?
Gary Roberts
2025-05-30 17:17:11
Ted, if they do not then next year when this council falls in a heap of regret and disgrace they will be tied into all the unfinished developments in this town together with the debts losing seats in the backlash. I wouldn't have a clue on how much that debt is or will be then. Do you?
Keith
2025-05-30 20:46:52
When oh when is Harlow going to get councillors, particularly leaders of the council with the aptitude to lead...instead of people filling these places by default because those with the aptitude are reluctant to step up to the plate....the purchase of Terminous House is a Tory media supporting propaganda exercise once again...Terminus Hous should be levelled and Sir Frederick Gibberds 'Master Plan' taking notice of by separating residential, commercial and retail areas of the town. Ignoring this just attracts friction and conflicts of interest for political opportunism by the 'current Tory nodding donkeys'. Their plan to ignore the Gibberd Master Plan will attract anti social behaviour in the town centre where drugs, alcohol and conflict will ultimately deter people from visiting the town centre and shops merely closing down, as seen in Ilford town centre that replicates this model. The people making these decisions have no idea what they are spawning but are just seizing political opportunism for their own personal political gain.... Harlow town centre, affectionately known as 'The High' to those who originate from Harlow has become over many years under Tory control, a ghost town, terminally run down with no sign of a cure with the current administration fumbling it's way in the dark for a political 'life saving' headline to enable some kind of legacy that they can try and embroidery a negative into a 'positive'! Buying a dilapidated tower block and car park and laying new paving slabs to try and project to the electorate the council knows it's way is an insult to the local electorate!
April Richardson
2025-05-30 21:57:39
Where is the council going ? I'm so confused ah
SEAN KELLY EX CLEANER AND MAINTENANCE
2025-05-30 22:27:49
The honest truth behind Caridon is that working for them was the most horrible environment experience. This company doesn't care about staff members they watch and laugh when the people who work for them are homeless. They have no idea of a safe and respectful workplace and with a stumbled bunny for a manager who is a guy who hates gay people the company is dead wood. The flats are bodge jobs with heavy mould growth that management tell cleaners and maintenance staff to wash with bleach then paint it with cheap anti mould paint. The electrics in most of the flats cuts out which never gets fully fixed and you have very overcrowded families living in a place smaller than the legal limit. To have a company in harlow that doesn't respect people actually makes the town worse. The ower called Mario he has zero empathy he is only interested to line his pockets to provide for his daughters and wife. How about being open for everyone not just people who don't work for them. Zero integrity and maximum disrespect keep Caridon away and move out all the scum well done Harlow Council
Nicholas Taylor
2025-05-30 23:11:33
Seamus is right to ask about the former Occasio House site, derelict for some 20 months. And what of the new bus terminus? I am afraid that just like the new hospital and the move of what was known as Public Health England to Harlow, these were headlines to attract votes as each local election loomed. Apart from a few dozen new homes (none completed) there is very little actual evidence of anything improving since the Conservatives won control of the council in May 2021.
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