LAST week, I said how hard it is to focus this column on just one thing, given the sheer amount of positive change happening across Harlow. And it’s true – every week there seems to be another major step forward. But this week, I want to take you behind the scenes of a major breakthrough: the deal we’ve just secured to finally transform the Strawberry Star site.

Let’s be honest – that area, from the old Little Walk down to Market Square, across to the old Odeon and back to the Harvey Centre, has been a disgrace for far too long. Once a bustling shopping area, it became dangerous, derelict, and depressing – a daily reminder of decline in the heart of our town. Every time I’ve walked past, it’s reminded me why we’re doing what we’re doing: because Harlow deserves better.

Here’s the truth. This site has always been privately owned. For years, the developer Strawberry Star had planning permission but never delivered – they demolished parts of the site, then left it to rot. The council didn’t own the land and couldn’t legally step in, despite what many residents understandably wanted. We served every notice we could, but the power simply wasn’t ours.

Now, some might see that as an excuse not to act. I don’t. Look at other parts of the town centre that are now transforming after years of neglect. The council is here to make Harlow a better place, and whatever steps we need to take to make that happen, we will.

That’s why in March, we brought forward a bold plan to Full Council. We said enough is enough – we would take decisive action to get things moving. I’m proud that every councillor, regardless of party, backed it. Politics was set aside. The good of Harlow came first.

Fast forward to this week – and we’ve done it. After doing everything we could to encourage Strawberry Star to get moving, we were informed at the end of the summer that they had gone into administration. With administrators in charge, the council began new discussions, and after complex negotiations, we’ve signed a landmark agreement to finally bring this long-stalled site forward.

The agreement is collaborative. It establishes a new working relationship between the council and the administrators, focused on shaping the speed, design, and direction of redevelopment. It will also support the administrators in progressing essential early actions, such as demolition, improving site security, and preparing revised and improved plans to help unlock the full potential of the West Gate regeneration. The cost of this will all be met by the administrators, with tangible benefits for residents.

Crucially, the agreement preserves the council’s right to continue with the Compulsory Purchase Order if meaningful progress is not achieved by the administrators. This ensures that the council retains the ability to take further action to unlock the site’s potential, should it become necessary.

And it has only been possible because we’re rebuilding confidence in Harlow. We’ve shown that the council is delivering serious transformation and that is attracting hundreds of millions of pounds of investment into Harlow.

Work on this site will begin before Christmas. It will provide high-quality homes available for Harlow families, well-paid jobs for Harlow residents, and fresh opportunities for Harlow businesses. It will make the town centre safer, more welcoming, and more prosperous – a place we can all take pride in again.

And the redevelopment will complement everything else we’re doing to transform the town centre. From Terminus House and the new bus station to Market Square, Post Office Road, Broad Walk, the Harvey Centre, West Gate, and the Playhouse Quarter – every corner of the town centre is being rebuilt.

This isn’t just talk. Construction is underway. Plans are turning into progress. Harlow’s town centre is being reborn before our eyes – the biggest regeneration programme in the country – so that once again, we can all feel proud of the place we call home.

Some say we should wait before progressing with more regeneration. I say Harlow has waited long enough.

Yes, there will be disruption – cranes, scaffolding, construction noise – but that’s the sound of progress. The sound of pride returning.

For decades, Harlow was promised change and let down. But this time, it’s different. This deal proves the tide has turned. We are rebuilding our town centre. We are restoring pride. And we are Building Harlow’s Future – together.

I know some of you have yet to feel the benefit of what we’re delivering. I understand why. But this time, it is different.

We are Building Harlow’s Future.