Plans for over 160 homes on Post Office Road in town centre approved by planning committee
News / Thu 12th Feb 2026 at 10:37am
PLANS for over 160 homes to be built on Post Office Road in Harlow Town Centre have been approved by the Harlow Council planning committee.
The application sought full planning permission for two six‑storey buildings providing 169 new homes, along with communal amenity space, landscaping, accessible vehicle and cycle parking, and supporting infrastructure.
A Section 106 agreement attached to the application proposes more than £270,000 in contributions to improve local infrastructure, including early years and childcare services, library provision, health services and local roads. The development would also create job and skills opportunities for residents.
Film of the decision is below.
Jacqueline Delves
2026-02-12 12:19:14
From what I can see there is insufficient parking for this number of dwellings. Apart from the destruction of the mature trees in this space. Wrong place.
David White
2026-02-12 12:44:34
Thanks Harlow Council that is the only place I can park my commercial van for more than half an hour no more shopping in the town
Nicholas Taylor
2026-02-12 14:17:43
Another nail in the coffin for the future of the Town Centre. On the one hand the council wants to turn Market Square into a leisure/hospitality area but on the other take away the car parks which people would want to use in the evening. I am afraid that we have a council being led by a team who have no experience of town centre regeneration elsewhere in the country who will spend tens of millions of pounds on a once in a lifetime opportunity that will turn out to be missed. To remind readers, the Harlow Residents Alliance wanted the council to build a new, much larger theatre, exhibition centre and live music venue on the Market House site, close to the car park and bus terminus.
Jim
2026-02-12 15:12:54
What a farce, don't waste your time watching the meeting. It was always going to be voted thru, despite limited parking, no affordable housing and destruction of 30 mature trees. Someone is doing well out of this.
jarrett
2026-02-12 15:40:54
So how did Nikki Purse vote on this?
Seamus
2026-02-12 17:36:03
Not one single social housing property will be involved in this. If this is Harlow councils land, can we see the accounts of where this money is going because to be honest, Harlow seems to be opening it's gates to any man and their dog to build properties, of which most of Harlow cannot afford to rent or buy. You can't help but feel that backhanders are going on because of this. So much for the environmental objections and the developer claiming he could build 6 story high appartments without uprooting and removing the trees within that site. I hope the names and votes of those who approved this are published and then removed from such decisions in the very near future. All you are doing is making developers rich whilst the people of Harlow having no representation, are getting walked all over with the councillors sticking two fingers up to the people of Harlow.
Marie
2026-02-12 20:20:57
No thought gone into this at all. The once commercial town centre is becoming more residential, with a lack of parking also for that matter common sense. Ripping down our age old mature trees that have been there growing for all these years to put up flat blocks. taking away valuable and desperately needed parking does Not make any sense. No wonder they want to cancel our local elections yet again. This is of no benefit to the people of Harlow whatsoever, quite the opposite. Our services are at breaking point already. Who got the handshake and brown envelope? Because there is no ryhmn nor reason why this planning was passed. What is concerning are Harlow Councils credentials in passing this through in the first place. The town planner is in the wrong job and those that passed it should be ashamed. Roll on our vote.
David Forman
2026-02-13 10:17:26
Maybe I've missed something, but arguing over construction finish times instead of opposing zero affordable housing. The developers are going to make a killing and the Labour councillors prove what a waste of space they are for the working class.
David Forman
2026-02-13 11:05:11
Seamus, all three Labour councillors voted for this. Those councillors are Kay Morrison of Bush Fair ward, Jake Shepherd of Passmores ward and Nancy Watson of Netteswell ward. Jake Shepherd even said the development with public art provision was "very welcome". Jake is easily fooled, because the price of less than one flat was secured for the Section 106 agreement. The Conservative councillors voting for it were Clive Souter and Emma Ghaffari of Sumners and Kingsmoor ward, plus Matthew Saggers of Great Parndon ward. A list to be remembered for the next election. Clive Souter will be up for re-election to County Council in May.
Nicholas Taylor
2026-02-14 10:09:39
As demonstrated here, it does not matter whether you vote Conservative or Labour the town ends up with the same thing. If the town centre is to compete with out of town shopping/leisure and cultural outlets, reducing parking in the town centre must be resisted. Our councillors clearly don't care about the loss of mature trees, the lack of affordable housing and the loss of parking for shoppers. For them, it is all about cramming more people in an already densely populated area and making profits for property developers.
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