New era for Broad Walk with the next phase of rebuilding Harlow town centre unveiled
Harlow Council / Thu 5th Sep 2024 at 06:51am
CONSTRUCTION works on the next phase of the rebuild of the town centre with the transformation of Broad Walk will begin this month.
After months of planning and the completion of detailed designs, Conamar have set up a construction compound in Market Square. Invasive site investigations have also taken place across Broad Walk all in preparation to start construction work.
The multi-million-pound regeneration of Broad Walk will create high-quality, welcoming spaces, including the complete repaving of Broad Walk, Cross Street and East Walk, brand new LED lighting and CCTV provision, street furniture and the introduction of much needed green, landscaped spaces to complement and continue existing landscaping within The Water Gardens.
The scheme is funded through the Government’s Town Deals programme, forming part of Harlow’s Towns Fund programme. This phase marks a milestone in transforming Harlow town centre and supports the council’s aspirations to provide a high-quality and safe retail, leisure and residential destination at the heart of Harlow and Gilston Garden Town.
Construction work will begin at the end of September, starting with Cross Street. The scheme will be delivered in phases working at The Water Gardens end of Broad Walk first, working north, finishing at Market Square. The scheme will take 12 – 18 months and businesses will be operating as usual, with pedestrian access always maintained during opening hours.
Councillor Dan Swords, Leader of Harlow Council, said:
“This scheme will see the transformation of Broad Walk as the council gets ready to start another phase of rebuilding our town centre.
“Important outdoor areas of the town centre will be transformed with green landscaping, new pavements and new street furniture to create a safer, brighter, more welcoming place for shoppers, visitors and potential investors.
“This is all about putting the heart back into Harlow’s town centre and it’s just one part of the town centre that we are rebuilding. Work to transform the bus station and Terminus Street is well underway, plus work starts early next year on the new arts and cultural quarter and plans will shortly be confirmed for the redevelopment of Market Square.”
Sue Temple
2024-09-05 07:16:00
We need some better shops as well perhaps lower your rates and we might get some otherwise all that what your doing is a going to be a waste of tax payers money
Reg
2024-09-05 07:30:44
Wow a new patio and some lights while everything else is still decaying
Monicanicholls
2024-09-05 08:09:07
The Town Centre - including The Harvey Centre - are depressing places to visit or to shop at the moment. Let us have. A Marks and Spencers back again plus a few more shops who have abandoned Harlow for ‘On Line’ shopping. If the decent shops are there - so will the customers be!
Jasper
2024-09-05 08:09:49
It's OK having pretty pavements in a town with shops boarded up. What planet are you on Councillor Swords. Sort out the shops and the stagnant building sites. More shops and a market please. Walk through the High as it was known as and tell us honestly if you have pride in your town. It really should be renamed the LOW
Michelle
2024-09-05 08:11:15
Wow I've lost count of the amount of times I'd heard this when I worked in broadwalk after 30 years for a family business. I feel for the businesses down the market end. What a dump, with a few planters
Lisa Hockley
2024-09-05 08:30:30
Wow what a complete joke more areas for the drunks & druggies to sit making the place look a dive. Loads of areas for rubbish cans packets to be dumped in the bushes, more room for the cyclist & scooters to bomb around in. Where are the shops to bring people to Harlow no mention of them, lower the rates and stop being greedy would help. Harlow currently is dull boring lifeless & doesn’t feel safe any more to walk around in. Will there be more policing to
Nicholas Taylor
2024-09-05 08:56:35
As I pointed out last week in my article about Market Square, who is going to look after all this green space once it has been completed? The flower boxes put along Broadwalk a couple of years ago were never maintained and were evemtually removed and those that have more recently been constructed along Cross Street are not being looked after either, full of weeds and one has had graffiti on it for months. I am afraid that Cllr Swords is deluded if he thinks this current round of works will make any difference, he is not old enough to remember all the previous attempts to improve Broadwalk and Market Square or it seems looked at other towns where such work has proved to be a failure.. Regeneration is largely in the hands of property developers/owners, watching their asset grow in value. I will repeat on behalf of the Harlow Alliance Party that the tens of millions of pounds made available to the Council would have been better spent on buying Market House and building a a much larger theatre, exhibition centre and live music venue, away from any housing development but close to the bus station (which really only needed regular maintenence and a deep clean each year). Lets also not forget that his and his Parties vision for the future of the Town Centre includes a dozen of so huge tower blocks.
Nostradamus
2024-09-05 09:08:43
Whilst the shop.fronts remain with all the charm of a leggo block a few trees aren't going to help transform the town centre and Broad Walk into anything other than the characterless functional space it is. All over Europe towns are replacing similar buildings rapidly erected just after ww2 with more traditional architecture that reflects the character of the area. The plan and video that the Council has issued paint the buildings as "greige" they actually don't even come up to that level. Little Walk did have character, it was covered cosy and with friendly pavement cafes, the Market had character because of the market, but of course these have been carelessly lost. People flock to high streets with character. From Broadway to Camden it's character from buildings or markets that regenerate .Harlow town centre development is stuck in a period of utility, function, low cost building, (because of a massive shortage of building materials) peppered with brutalistic architecture, clearly it doesn't work. We now have a town centre that is the worst pf all worlds the post war architecture plus areas that look like a bomb site and a future where clusters of hi rise flats will dominate the environment. A few paving blocks and saplings simply won't cut it. Changing the shop fronts and at least restoring covered walks and the market might help.
Barry Kitchener
2024-09-05 09:09:01
My nan use to walk me around the town Center it was once beautiful but now it’s unrecognisable not just the state of buildings but also the people. It has gone right down hill and I can’t seem to see what has caused it??? I lived in Luton and went back for the first time in 20+ years ! It’s also unrecognisable my grandads old local is now an Islamic center…
Jeannette Morley
2024-09-05 09:14:38
You can roll it in glitter, but you can't polish one.
Novoman
2024-09-05 09:15:07
Town Centre the only way forward would be compulsory purchase after withdrawal of plans for hi rise housing. Then start again.
Tracy Jane Salzen
2024-09-05 09:25:41
We definitely need more shops, there are too many barbers, nail bars, coffee shops. We need shops that are useful to people, that will bring people back into Harlow for shopping in our communities. It looks run down and at the moment there isn't much for people to want to shop in our town centre.
Micheal Martin
2024-09-05 09:31:20
The only shops thriving are the Eastern European and Halal butchers.. that should tell you everything you need to know about the town.
Mike Howe
2024-09-05 09:50:49
Back in the 60s the market square was thriving. The council continued to raise the rates until the marketeers moved elsewhere.
Barry
2024-09-05 10:00:14
Ah yes, no money for bathroom repairs or fitting new bathrooms in council tenants homes for over 20 years but have money for a new patio and some bushes, the druggies and alcoholics will love this. Can't polish a t*rd.
Jacob Wiltshire
2024-09-05 10:38:46
Michael Martin, I'm not Muslim or eastern European and yet I frequent both of those places. What's your point?
Nicholas Taylor
2024-09-05 11:07:13
To add to my previous comment, HAP have long said that Broadwalk should be roofed over and the extenal appearance of the buildings modernised. The original shopping centre at Romford is a beacon of how a town centre can be transformed by closing the through road, putting a roof on the centre and then cladding the buildings with (safe) modern materials. The centre is now visited by millions of people each year. Part of the Brookfield Centre has recently been modernised recently which gives another clue as to how things should be done. Two other examples of what a modern shopping centre in Harlow could look like are those at Gun Wharf Quays in Portsmouth and in Bury St Edmunds, both low rise developments which are thriving.
Lucy Hannay
2024-09-05 12:03:52
Can you please do something about people on bikes and scooters it's a nightmare
Seamus
2024-09-05 12:11:32
I see I'm not the only one who has noticed a key problem with the video about rebuilding the town centre retail business's, there isn't a single shop in that video. In part 2 of the video, the architects will show you a lovely green meadow, with no shops in that either. Stop trying to win grand designs with your arty farty nonsense and start to build a town centre to get people back into it, get business's back into it. You won't get this money again for a very long time.
Carly
2024-09-05 12:57:19
nock it all down and build flats
Colleen Morrison
2024-09-05 14:32:35
Well done, Cllr Dan Swords. I believe this will be a great regeneration. Those criticising the abundant green spaces, trees and bushes in this plan: these are some of the planned heat mitigation measures to keep us, the community, cool and safe while shopping. Much of Harlow Town Centre has been designated a future Urban Heat Island, which means during our increasingly hot Summers, without heat mitigation measures – green spaces, trees, bushes, green roofs, cool roofs, heat reflective materials and surfaces and light colours - Summer temperatures there would be over 40C (over 100F). Few of our community would want to shop there without heat mitigation. Thankfully, we have a council leader and councillors who work their socks off for the people of our town and they’ve thought of everything. There will of course be excellent shops and leisure activities. I would love us to have a Marks & Sparks too, but we can’t order M&S to come to Harlow, they will decide and tell us what they want. Though if anyone can tempt them, Cllr Dan Swords can.
Resident
2024-09-05 15:03:55
This is just depressing, how many regeneration projects have been done now? Grand plans for planters and introducing greenery, that are then just left to die and turn to weeds. They need to block Turkish barbers, phone, vape and nail bars. There's never anyone in them so their business is questionable. Need to ban large groups of young males with e bikes and scooters from congregating and riding in the area. Enforce the restrictions on all bikes and scooters, including speed limits on mobility scooters this is just another pie in the sky plan that will be left to rot after the grand fanfare. the illustration doesn't represent the area or demographic. Access to the water gardens needs to be improved for those with poor mobility. There's a huge slope for people using the bus station to navigate. The whole area just doesn't work
Resident
2024-09-05 15:12:10
Colleen people are criticising because they have consistently failed to maintain any greenery planted in the area. I'm all for more trees, greenspace and planters with flowers and all year round plants. But without fail these have been installed and then allowed to die. You only need to look at the recent planters in the market square
Resident
2024-09-05 15:13:28
And where's the evidence of the addition of excellent shops and facilities
Colleen Morrison
2024-09-05 15:39:10
Nick Taylor, I would hope HTS will be asked to maintain the green spaces and planted areas in the town centre. What would you prefer, no green spaces, trees or bushes to mitigate the Urban Heat island effect? Or would you prefer a prior Labour council’s solution? You will recall that about 20 to 30 years ago, Harlow’s Labour council spent around £100,000 on an irrigation system for flowers on the roundabout nearest our original Town Hall, in order to impress civic visitors from other towns. And of course, this (gold plated?) irrigation system stopped working after a few years. That huge sum should have been used to repair The roof of our original swimming pool, in order to save our beautiful pool from demolition.
Colleen Morrison
2024-09-05 15:51:19
Nick Taylor, I don’t believe that your proposal regarding “spending tens of millions of pounds made available to the Council would have been better spent on buying Market House and building a a much larger theatre, exhibition centre and live music venue” would work. First, because, in our digital world, where anyone can watch great London productions, such as ‘Les Miserables’ on YouTube free of charge, in the comfort of our own homes, theatres of all sizes are becoming increasingly less popular. Many of the great London theatres struggle to pay their way. The exhibition centre you propose would duplicate the facilities at Harlow Enterprise Zone and elsewhere, so would not pay its way. You also want Harlow to emulate the Brookfield Centre, but that’s been losing hundreds of millions of pounds for years. You recommend using malls in Romford and Portsmouth as models for Harlow’s shopping centre, however, these towns, with well over twice the population of Harlow, have far more money and over double the potential audiences than Harlow has. Hertford is extending its theatre along the lines you favour for a new Harlow theatre, the original estimate for the cost of this was c £18 million, but the development has so far cost £30 million and it needs millions more spent on it before it's finished. Hertford Councillors say they rue the day they agreed to this development. Hertford is of course far richer than Harlow too.
Nicholas Taylor
2024-09-05 17:31:22
Colleen, we in HAP have a very different view about the future of the Town Centre from both your Party and Labour, which does not involve high rise flat blocks which have no affordable housing let alone council rented accomadation, no play space for children and no car parking.To pick up on your many points. 1) Why are HTS not maintaining the beds I referred to in my earlier email then? 2) I am not here to defend what Labour did in the past. Your administration should learn from the mistakes of the past but are just going down the same road as previous failed attempts to improve the area ( repaving, new seats, trees and raised brick planets for example). 3) Within the next decade or so about 250,000 people will be living within a radius of 10 miles of the town centre. Basildon Council are about to turn a small shopping centre into a music venue holding 2000 to 3000 people to rival the theatre at Southend. Harlow should be doing the same. As perhaps evidence of the need even now, I understand that a music event held at the rugby club three weekends ago attacted 1500 people.4) I cannot answer for the mis-management of the council at Hertford, sounds to me like poor accounting! 5) Everyone agrees there is a need to increase footfall to the northern side of the Town Centre,however there is nothing in your Parties plan that will do that. A much larger theatre, an exhibition centre where a whole host of events such as toy fairs, stamp fairs, model railway exhibitions, food stalls, Christmas market, events promoting local firms and local sports clubs and other cultural groups etc which can take place throughout the year and in the evening, as well as a LARGE music venue would do this. I am not aware that any such events are held at the Enterprise zone. 6)There will be less space for shopping and leisure in the town centre than there is now. We already know from Planning Applications that at least some of the proposed flat blocks have no shops or space for leisure facilities on the ground floor. At the end of the day we will have to agree to disagree. Comments on these pages are indicative of what people think of your Parties plans, the great shame is that once the money is wasted it will never become available again.
Charlie
2024-09-05 18:05:23
In reply to Mike Howes comment about the Market. I have said this many times over the years. You can blame the Council as much as you like (and I'm not for one minute defending them on the state of the town centre), but one of the main reasons we no longer have a Market is because of the people who live in the Town. Years ago, when hardly anyone had a car, we had a thriving Market, and Independant Butcher's and bakers and even Fishmongers, and the town was packed. Then along came the age of the car, and out of town Supermarket's, where everyone can shop around in the warm and dry, and get all their weekly shopping in one hit, as the Supermarket's sell everything, and that put an end to the Market, and all the lovely little Independant shops. We don't own a car so have to rely on public transport to do our shopping. But we usually do it all in one hit, and only use 2 different bus routes to get us to Church Langley and back, instead of trapsing around in the cold and wet. People's shopping habits have changed so much and if other people are anything like us, want to do the weekly shop as quickly as possible. And due to the pandemic, a lot of people have now changed to online shopping for household items. One thing that would go a long way to restoring town centre trading, apart from more improved shops, would be to scrap the parking charges. I feel sorry for people who have to pay to park, and can understand why they go to the out of town supermarkets and retail parks as parking is free. The car parks have more than paid for themselves over the years and people are being ripped off. They only need resurfacing now and then. Ridiculous as well that people have to pay to park at the hospital, including staff!! I had an appointment today at St. Margaret's in Epping and as I walked from the main road where the bus dropped me off, I went past the car parks at the hospital, which are FREE to park in. Why can't Harlow do the same?
Resident too
2024-09-05 18:43:10
Dan the bulldozer swords needs to seriously read these comments and deal with, especially lowering and keeping low the rates and keep low so stores can open In Harlow-in desperate need of a M and S food court, especially after the council pushed them out! A theatre to rival cliffs In Southend, so proper touring shows and comedians will want to come to Harlow! Bulldoze little walk down to market square, only Specsavers and that scruffy polish supermarket there! Bulldoze and start again too all around matket square, no more just patching up! Clear out the drinks and druggies hanging around market square-absolutely disgusting and hate walking my kids through there with the drink loud trash that frequents! Stop patching and rebuild
Nicholas Taylor
2024-09-05 18:59:37
I guess Charlie, unlike many, you do not visit Epping on a Monday, when it is packed most of the day because of the market being held, or join the tens of thousands who visit North Weald market on a Saturday and on Bank Holidays. There are indoor markets at Chelmsford and Stevenage. I understand from past comments from stall holders the main reason the market in Harlow was closed was of the way the council ran it into the ground.
gary roberts
2024-09-06 07:21:03
The question is: will these changes just be decorative or have a clear purpose that improves what was there a few years ago. If I interpret it correctly Broadwalk will become a muggers sanctuary. A sparse empty space with no character or activity in short just a broad walk. It could be used as an enclosed farmers' market and/or a place where entrepreneurs test their products at lower rates than a full market. Mind you the memory of a full roast dinner on a Sunday there still excites!
David
2024-09-06 07:38:07
Here's a thought, what about some nice Red Flower Pots to brighten up the place, And a few concrete table tennis tables for the Drunks to rest their beer on.
Seamus
2024-09-06 15:46:00
Colleen, having read your posts, it got me thinking. How on earth has humanity survived over 360,000 years without the protection of being "designated a future Urban Heat Island". They are using our taxes to build shopping facilities to try and draw people back into the town centre. Auditioning for the Chelsea flower show won't cut it.
Wayne Scott
2024-09-06 22:07:23
Complete waste of money ,the place is dead because the choice of shops is abysmal.Rents are prohibiting start ups .Most people just order goods online now.And if you do decide to go shopping, Why pay to park when you can go to one of the retail parks & getting everything you need with free parking?
Mazzy
2024-09-07 13:08:28
I hate the town centre. It's full of rough idiots.
John
2024-09-07 15:49:13
The Council need to give up their prime location ground floor reception so that Wetherspoons can move in and that will pull in footfall for the other shops and restaurants. Need more 20 minuet free parking bays so that drivers can park and pickup a coffee or some lunch. And less negativity.
JE
2024-09-08 15:29:00
Very disappointing to see everyone shooting this down. Public realm is a vital component of placemaking and improving the town centre/shopping areas. Retail is a declining market and assets are depreciating. These works will make the space more inviting and will increase unit uptake (granted business rates need sorting!). This is just a single component to an exciting masterplan for the town centre which people should be getting behind and being constructive in their comments
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