Harlow Council plans to buy more land and buildings to support the rebuilding of Harlow town centre with a proposal to acquire a neglected 4-acre site owned by developers Strawberry Star.
Development on the site known as the Harlow Quarter, which runs from Primark down to Market Square and across to the old Odeon, has stalled. As a result, the council has become increasingly frustrated and concerned about the lack of security on the site. This has made it a no-go zone in the town centre attracting antisocial behaviour, criminal activity, and trespassing.
The council says that due to the lack of progress on site it will buy the 4-acre site to support and help the delivery of its plan to rebuild the whole town centre.
A report, which will go to the Council Cabinet and Full Council meetings next Wednesday (27 March), sets out a proposal to buy the site, using Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs) if necessary.
The whole site covers three plots in the middle of the town centre. Planning approval for all three sites is up to 741 homes with substantial new retail, leisure, drinking, community and commercial space.
If successful, the council plans to demolish the empty buildings and completely clear the site to enable a plan to be put forward to kickstart the regeneration of the area. This would complement other schemes in the town centre such as the rebuild of Harlow bus station, the transformation of Terminus Street, Broad Walk and Market Square and the new arts and cultural quarter in Playhouse Square.
Councillor Dan Swords, Leader of Harlow Council, says it’s time to sort out the Strawberry Star site once and for all with no stone left unturn in the council’s plan to rebuild the whole town centre, he said:
“We are on a mission to rebuild our town with several Town Centre regeneration schemes now underway, but in the middle of the town centre is this neglected and derelict privately-owned site which is causing unnecessary concern for everyone including our residents, the police and surrounding businesses. It has become a no-go area which is unacceptable, and we will buy the site as part of our rebuild of the whole town centre.
“The scheme has clearly stalled with very little progress being delivered on site by Strawberry Star. We are left with several buildings which are not being looked after or kept secure. We have done everything possible to work with Strawberry Star as the site has remained empty, but we have become increasingly frustrated by a lack of action on their part. Just before Christmas the council had to step in to take interim security measures to stop unauthorised access to the site and we have had to take further action since.
“We will not put up with this any longer. We will buy this site and if that is through a Compulsory Purchase Order then so be it. It is an absolute disgrace and no longer will we allow this company to blight our town.”