Gateway moves up a gear with start of contruction at new
football stadium 08.09.05
8 September 2005
Work began this week on the new football stadium for Harlow
Town FC – part of the £42 million Harlow Gateway initiative.
With earthworking equipment now on site, the physical
transformation of the Barrows Farm site is underway. The new
community stadium and home for Harlow Town FC is scheduled to be
completed in the New Year.
Southern-based main contractor, Jackson Construction who are
building the new stadium, have a wealth of experience in the
leisure sector, including the high profile contract to extend the
south and north stands for Ipswich Town Football Club.
Completion of the new stadium at Barrows Farm will benefit not
just the footballing fraternity of Harlow but the community in
general, with the stadium designed to offer a wide range of sports
and social facilities. Alongside the new athletics facilities
currently under construction at Mark Hall School and the new
sportscentre planned for the town centre, the football stadium will
generate a major boost for sports, leisure and lifestyle activities
in Harlow in line with the Harlow Gateway vision.
“Harlow Town FC and the community as a whole will have a brand
new stadium providing upgraded facilities for both players and
spectators. The start on site is a major milestone for the
Gateway initiative. It brings to fruition months of
negotiations and planning to provide exciting new leisure and
sporting opportunities for the people of Harlow,” said a spokesman
for the Harlow Gateway Partnership.
The new football stadium which features a brand new pitch, a
main stand with seating, bar and conference facilities and covered
stand is costing in the region of £3 million to develop and will
support the club’s bid to play Conference football. The new
stadium will have a capacity of approximately 3,000.
The Harlow Gateway project combines the need for newer,
improved sporting facilities with the provision of much-needed
housing in the town. Residential development will take place
on the sites vacated by the existing Sports Centre and swimming
pool, including the old Harlow Town FC football pitch.
The Gateway initiative is backed by the Office of the Deputy
Prime Minister (ODPM) – which is contributing £11 million to the
project – and a partnership of Harlow Council, Harlow Sports Trust
and English Partnerships – the national regeneration agency.
Note to editors:
The Harlow Gateway Partnership consists of Harlow District
Council, Harlow Sports Trust, English Partnerships and the Office
of the Deputy Prime Minister. In addition Harlow Town
Football Club, Harlow College, Mark Hall School, the Science Alive
group and the Primary Care Trust are all supporting the Gateway
initiative.
For further information
contact:
Carol Leach, Harlow Gateway Partnership, tel 07968
619129 OR: Paul Stelmaszczyk / Ben Copithorne, Camargue, tel
020 7636 7366.