By Nicholas Taylor of the Harlow Alliance Party

DESPITE the huge reduction shown in the latest statistics from the Office of National Statistics about the number of new households required to be built in and around the town, Harlow Council have chosen to ignore these figures and have decided to continue with the joint plans of Harlow, Epping and East Herts to expand the town and allow the building of thousands of homes during the next decade on huge swathes of Green Belt land on Harlow’s borders.

The Government appointed Planning Inspector of the proposed Plans of Harlow and Epping Councils recently wrote to each Council pointing out that the most recent statistics showed that less than half of the proposed new homes need to be built and asked them to explain why they thought that the green belt should be built on.

Harlow Council has responded to the Planning Inspector saying that they wish to forge ahead with their Plan, which as part of The Harlow and Gilston Town Plan will see much of the land surrounding Harlow being built on.

The Harlow Alliance Party are the only Party which have formally objected to these Plans in the past and is therefore the only Party which is being consulted about the new statistical information and the council’s response. It is clear that very few of these new homes will be available to those most in housing need who will never be able to afford a new home or will be homes which older residents would be prepared to downsize to, releasing their homes for larger families.

We believe that every home that Harlow Council build in the next 10 years should make best use of the resources available and build bungalows and other accomodation suitable for older residents, freeing up larger council homes which would then be occupied by families on Harlow Council’s Housing Register.

It is now clear that these Plans are all about housing greed (on the part of house builders and property investors) not about housing need.

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Comments

Clare Boylan

Can i point out that not only are these houses unaffordable to youhg couples but they are the smallest built house in footage in not only europe but some other parts of the world i looked at a new build house in the new development at old harlow and i was shocked at the size you can only just get a double bed in no room for wardrobes or dressing tables just the bed a kitchen with no worksurface and only a 2 seater seatee in the living room get real developers stop putting as many houses as u can on plots and make life livable not in a box.

AP

Harlow’s Planning Department is either corrupt or manned by a group clearly not up to the job. They clearly have no respect for the town or any aspect of it’s heritage. Notably an unacceptable development in one of Old Harlow’s conservation areas, ignoring Countie’s advice and these aforementioned developments

Dagenham Dave

With the economic damage arising from the pandemic, it is likely that even fewer people will be able to afford to buy a new home.

There is clearly a need for low cost rental homes which will only be provided by council housing. However, this will require the government to allocate funding during a period of reduced tax receipts.

Harlow Labour councillors have shown an inability to use their powers to insist on affordable housing allocation within new private developments, as in the recent case at The Stow. Therefore, those on the low incomes will have to endure the private rented sector for a lot longer.

Mike

Maybe, Harlow Labour councillors need a jolt at the next local elections?

Peter Webb

Why should they care, anyone making these decisions probably lives miles away from any of these developments and will be retired when the real impact in terms of traffic and services suffers. Such a shame, greedy developers and greedy councils seem to think they can do as they please.

Why are you personally objecting, is it because you live in one of these fringe villages ? You only want old people to move to these new builds, sorry but stupid doesn’t adequately describe you !

Nicholas Taylor

Just to be clear Peter, the Plan I refer to is one drawn up by local councillors who all live in the town, just as I have for over 60 years. If agreed developers expect to be on some of the sites within two years and the whole programme of thousands of homes will be completed by 2031. Why we object to these plans is that so few homes will be council owned across The Harlow and Gilston Garden Town and the target of so called “affordable homes” set by Harlow Council is already not being met by developers. Most of the homes proposed are not actually in Harlow, indeed thousands of them are not even in Essex so Harlow Council will not receive any council tax from the new residents. Plans to mitigate the huge increase in traffic on Harlow’s roads are at best aspirational. The Council needs to build bungalows in each neighbourhood across the town to make best use of the larger homes (over 1500) which are occupied by just one or two people. Take a look at our website for more news about what is going on in the town ….. Harlow Council will not tell you.