Government investment boost for Harlow with new Sustainable Travel Hub
News / Sat 21st May 2022 at 08:59am
THE Government have this morning announced a near £700k investment into the Harlow and Gilston Garden Town.
This includes £435,000 for a new Sustainable Travel Hub at Newhall, which is set to be a new exemplar standard for the whole town. This will better connect Newhall and other parts of the town and is the start of a programme for the whole town area. It comes in line with the brand new Bus Station that Harlow’s Conservative Council are delivering as part of the £23.7 million Town Deal.
More investment has also been committed to the Garden Town development plans, ensuring that the next wave of homes and infrastructure for Harlow’s young people are of the highest design and quality.
Commenting on the announced, Harlow’s MP, Robert Halfon said: “I’ve worked hard to secure more Government investment into better transport access for residents, but also to deliver a new wave of high-quality homes for Harlow’s young people. This morning, the Government has shown yet more confidence in Harlow with a major boost to both of those things – kickstarting a new Travel Hub roll out across the whole town area and for even better design and planning of the new homes.
“I will continue to work hard to bring more investment to build an even better Harlow with the new £85 million junction 7a, £23.7 million Town Deal to kickstart regeneration, our new hospital and the move of the UK Health Security Agency and much more besides.”
Cllr Michael Hardware, who leads on the Harlow Gilston Garden Town project said: “This is great news for Harlow, underlining the Government’s confidence in our ability to progress the Garden Town project forward from policy development to delivering new infrastructure and new homes. There are exciting times ahead for Harlow.”
Michael Hardware
2022-05-21 09:12:00
Fantastic news for the town: yet more investment in Harlow allowing us to bring forward infrastructure and new homes.
Jim
2022-05-21 09:14:57
What exactly is a ‘travel hub’?
Hayley
2022-05-21 09:21:35
We’ll believe it when we see it
Mike
2022-05-21 10:00:24
Perhaps it will have a link to the New Hospital.
Jean Miley
2022-05-21 10:14:40
The homes they are building now are boxes with no outside space, not even a yard. Also they are costing more than older houses. But these are the boxes they put on buy and share etc, or incentive buying for the young. We should spend money on doing up our own empty properties. My son who earns £28,000 year has been told that the most he can get on a mortgage is £100,000.
Ray
2022-05-21 11:40:39
Jim, it's a bus stop that costs 700k.
Nicholas Taylor
2022-05-21 13:15:23
I would put it to the Conservatives that building a new bus terminus in the road behind the former Post office building as I believe they are planning to do is just another waste of money on the same scale as the regeneration of Market Square. Without long term funding to keep a new terminus in good order, that is, regular cleaning and an on going maintenance programme it will soon fall into a poor state just like the present one. The green bus stops near the bowl have never had a coat of paint or been cleaned. For a much smaller sum, paving the area along the pedestrian areas in and around the existing bus station, works to make it weather proof, better lighting and a long term maintenance and cleaning programme would be a far better option.
Keith
2022-05-21 14:30:04
Well done Essex c c all pot holes fix on women s tour and ride London route ONLY .ps and rod Stewart lane after he's tik tok of course.shame you did not fix the bit of cycle track that put me in front of a car and broke my collarbone that you said was not bad enough to need doing.like you seam to think as it's only the exact width of a bike tyre 50mm deep and will fill with mud lol most of Harlow is.with it one inch of tarmac I have near me must all be going on Bobs harlow villages roads .so if got money fix the roads and cycle tracks first please .
Nostradamus
2022-05-21 15:30:14
Sustainable in what way? Financially to sustain the highway construction industry on yet another project to waste public money on schemes that don't work eg A414 dualling at Hastingwood and on, Hamburger Roundabout, Clockertower slip roads, J7a), several hundreds of millions none of which have or will solve the problems of congestion and pollution, wasted money and opportunities by repeating the same strategy and expecting different outcomes. This is the definition of insanity. Yet to add to all this is the decision to trash the natural nature reserve of the Stort Valley and add a raised road barrier called the Eastern crossing across the floor of the Valley and wetlands destroying habitat and according hggts own consultants, increasing flooding and sewage discharges into the Valley and Harlow. Add the traffic and congestion from 10000 new homes that aren't going to benefit Harlow a jot. As far as this Council is concerned "sustainable " is just about funding and has nothing to do with the environment, ecology, nor improving biodiversity, the quality of life and climate change resistance. Or did we miss the publication of the increases of biodiversity Metrics and improved air and life quality these half baked changes impose on residents? Council officers have complained that Cllrs don't take notice of their advice and from the point of view of residents, "they" plough on in pursuit of party political favours and haven't noticed or simply don't care about the downward spiral to which we have been subjected over years.
Gary makewell
2022-05-21 17:12:55
It might help if they cleaned up harlow with some part looking like a slum like millwards could do with a lick of paint some parts look so dirty, no offence to people in millward. Street cleaning around estates might help, we already pay for that in council bill but never see road sweeper now and litter pickets, mind you if people put rubbish in bins this might help.
peter henegan
2022-05-21 18:29:00
I would like to be positive but as I have no idea what a "Sustainable Travel Hub " actually is I have to reserve judgement. Sustainable suggests something environmentally friendly which to my mind would include making it easier to walk/cycle. In this latter respect the cycle track running south from Mark Hall towards Church Langley (used daily by a lot of school kids) had a road built across it without any provision for crossing, not even bollards and certainly not a pedestrian crossing. And if a STH includes buses, at the 2019 General Election Labour campaigned to give local authorities better involvement with buses so, unless something has changed, the Council will be at the mercy of the local bus companies.
Kim Oconnor
2022-05-22 09:34:39
Well said nosradamus. Why do theses councils feel the great need to connect every body up??? Why are theses councils building thousands an thousands of unaffordable housing, when we have over 5000 waiting on homes, 99 council in fase 1, . Why are theses councils intent on destroying our beautiful river by putting a 4 lane round right through it. Why do councils harp on about mental health knowing the river is the only peaceful place we have in Harlow now, trashing wet lands, wildlife and our old trees. Why do councils like to be seen to plant new trees while failing to tell people the truth of the real damage theses councils will be doing. Why build a hospital out side of Harlow, with all these thousands more people here. Keep our hospital in Harlow. Why are roads being fixed now?? When you know the woman s cycle race is coming up, theses roads should be maintained regularly, there a disgrace. You want people out of cars, then fix the roads. Local issues are not being addressed at all, public options are not being heard. Why, because its all about greed and profit, there focus is only on the new builds, while local issues are being IGNORED.
David Forman
2022-05-22 10:49:17
Privatisation of the state run bus companies by Margaret Thatcher's government means privately owned bus companies can pick and choose the most profitable routes to operate. Plus they can be bailed out by public money to run buses outside the peak hours. We need state owned bus companies that are subsidised through taxation. That will keep fares low and encourage more people to use public transport. Also, buses can be run during unsocial hours to get key workers to their place of work.
Nicholas Taylor
2022-05-22 11:12:26
With the present system all those involved with HGGT can give no assurance that buses will run on existing routes let alone new ones. Services across much of the country have been cut back, indeed there are many places where there is now no service at all. Add to the fact that the state of the roads can make a bus journey really uncomfortable for anyone with a health issue and car manufacturers are spending billions of pounds on developing driverless and electric cars, I am afraid that for most, a bus journey will always be a last resort. Bearing in mind that Harlow North will be little more than 10,000 homes in a field, thousands of people will need to leave the area for work and play. Such developments by their very nature are not truly sustainable. The town needs a northern by-pass, two park and ride schemes, one each end of the town, cheaper bus fares and a service which is very reliable.
Tony Durcan
2022-05-22 18:49:22
Not sure why the keep announcing the same issue. This was agreed a while ago as part of the so called green commitment. Problem is just like the funding on the new PAH, we’re is the money. Completely agree with David Forman
George
2022-05-22 20:50:06
The biggest thing Harlow needs and imo over 20 years plus ago is the bypass from the hastingwood roundabout passing rye hill road linking behind summners and then behind the pinnacles across the canal and railway to the A414. The traffic in and around potter st church langley and then into the town is getting worse each year that passes.
Pauline
2022-05-23 16:25:38
The present bus station is a disaster especially IN WINTER with the doors never working as they were intended to. Essex County Council are a second disaster with not only potholes but street lighting failures not being repaired. Nicholas Tayler is right - we need a Northern by-pass, 2 Park and Ride sites with relyable bus services and ECC need a make over for better services all round.
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