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Image: artist impression of the new water feature as part of the transformed Market Square
A message
FROM THE LEADER
For too long, you were promised regeneration. Instead, you saw broken promises. Plans came and went, but the town declined. We were clear that had to end.
Harlow Council is now delivering the biggest regeneration programme of any district council in the UK. And crucially, it is no longer a promise. You can see it happening.
Building Harlow’s Future is about doing what was put off for decades: rebuilding our town comprehensively and rebuilding confidence in Harlow at the same time. Not a lick of paint. Not piecemeal projects. But the complete transformation of our town for the next generation. Regeneration of this scale usually takes decades. We’re doing it in just a few years – and many of those years are already behind us.
Since 2021, we’ve gone from being one of the smallest landowners in the town centre to the largest. We’ve secured hundreds of millions of pounds of investment. We’ve done the difficult work first: securing the funding, designing the rebuild, gaining planning permission, appointing contractors and establishing a regeneration partnership. These were the hardest, most complex steps – and none had been achieved before. Now they have. And that means we can do what people have waited far too long to see: get on and build.
This special edition of the Harlow Times is a progress update on projects already under construction. But there is much more in the pipeline. We are rebuilding our town – the whole town centre – and renewing our neighbourhoods too, so nowhere is left behind.
This is about far more than bricks and mortar. A rebuilt town centre means new jobs, more visitors, stronger local businesses and renewed pride in Harlow. It means markets, major events, live music, nightlife, and high-quality shops, bars and restaurants. It means public spaces you want to spend time in – by day and by night – and places where you can feel confident your family is safe. It means showing the country that Harlow is open for investment, ambitious and confident about its future. Above all, it means a better future for you, your children and your grandchildren.
None of this happened by accident. It has required difficult decisions, firm leadership and a clear plan – backed by secured funding and delivery on the ground. When we said we would move from talking about regeneration to delivering it, this is what that meant.
Harlow was built with ambition. Building Harlow’s Future is about restoring that ambition – rebuilding our town centre so you can once again be proud to call Harlow home, and ensuring this time the change is real and lasting.
A vibrant, modern, thriving heart of Harlow is no longer an aspiration. It is exactly what we are delivering.
We are Building Harlow’s Futureand you can see it with your own eyes.
DanSwords
Dan Swords Leader, Harlow Council
Harlow’s Christmas comeback!
Rebuilding our town isn’t only about buildings - it’s about breathing life back into Harlow and making a real difference for people and local businesses. Last Christmas, the town centre sparkled with festive magic as Harlow embraced a season of lights, laughter, and community spirit.
A market to remember Harlow’s first-ever Christmas Market brought seasonal cheer to Broad Walk, drawing thousands of visitors to explore twinkling stalls, festive treats, and live entertainment.
The market was a resounding success - and it’s coming back this year, bigger and better than ever.
Broad Walk sparkles
Harlow’s newly transformed Broad Walk set the stage for a spectacular start to the festive season. Thousands gathered for the Light Up Broad Walk event, where music, lights, and local performers transformed the high street into a winter wonderland.
The show-stopping LED Sparks! drummers electrified the crowd, and as the countdown reached zero, the Christmas lights illuminated shopfronts and the new public space - casting a magical glow across the heart of Harlow.
Panto breaks records
Sleeping Beauty at Harlow Playhouse wasn’t just a hit - it became the highest-grossing panto in the theatre’s history! With 26,000 people attending, the show proved that Harlow knows how to celebrate in style.
A huge thank you to the incredible cast, crew, and everyone who made this season unforgettable.
Your views on Christmas in Harlow
“Well done to all involved in making it happen. It was nice to see something different in the town.” Helen Davies
“Great to have a market back in Harlow, Christmas lights amazing loved them. Well done.” Jackie Fitzgerald
“Thank you for allowing us to be part of this wonderful market. We met such wonderful people. A big thank you to everyone who supported my small business.” Emma Freeman
“We had a stroll around the market, was lovely, we bought a few things. The town centre was clean and tidy and we loved the Xmas atmosphere. Thanks for making a difference.” Joy Percival
“I have to say the market idea was amazing. It’s a real christmas spirit in a town. All the decorations, christmas trees and hot chocolate smell was amazing this year! I hope we will have even better next year! Well done.”
Ramune Valodze
“What a great show to switch on the fabulous Christmas lights! Well done Harlow.” Joanne Mills
Comments from Harlow Council Facebook page.
The rebuild of Harlow Town Centre
Harlow Town Centre is undergoing a major transformation, with multi‑million‑pound regeneration schemes already underway and more set to begin soon.
Regeneration schemes already under construction, with more coming soon.
1
Transformation of Market Square, Market House and Adams House.
3
Transformation of Bus Station, Terminus Street and Terminus House.
5
Transformation of Harvey Centre, including the car park and Playhouse Square entrance.
2
Transformation of Broad Walk, East Walk and Harvey Centre Approach.
4
Transformation of Playhouse and College Squares - Harlow Arts and Cultural Quarter.
6
Transformation of Strawberry Star site, Rothwell House and The Rows.
This once‑in‑a‑generation rebuild aims to create one of the best town centres in the UK: a vibrant, welcoming destination with new shops, restaurants, cultural venues, entertainment spaces, and high‑quality public realm for people to live, work and enjoy day and night.
Rebuilding Harlow’s Market Square
Harlow’s next big transformation
Construction is underway to turn Market Square and its surrounding landmarksAdams House, Market House, and The Rows - into a vibrant destination for food, leisure, hospitality, and nightlife.
Market Square: pride restored
By summer 2026, Market Square will feature granite-paved spaces, landscaped greenery, outdoor seating, a striking water jet feature, and enhanced safety measures all to support outdoor dining, a street trading market and major events.
Market House: a bold new chapter
Market House is being reinvented as a modern hub for flexible office space in partnership with Co-Space, bringing over 300 jobs back to the town centre and creating a dynamic environment for entrepreneurs. The ground floor will also transform Harlow’s night life offering.
Adams House: a landmark reborn
The long-awaited transformation of Adams House will introduce a multi-operator food hall, restaurants, retail, and entertainment spaces, while restoring its iconic clockface and unveiling a bold new shopfront.
Harlow
Rebuilding the High Street Transformation of Broad Walk
Broad Walk has undergone a stunning makeover, breathing new life into the heart of Harlow’s town centre. Once a tired stretch of paving, the area is now a vibrant, welcoming space designed for visitors and better shops.
Visitors will notice the difference immediately with:
• Fresh paving across Broad Walk, East Walk, and Harvey Centre Approach.
• Green landscaping with sustainable drainage systems.
• Modern street furniture, upgraded lighting and CCTV.
• Artistic enhancements around the Obelisk, Trigon, and Vertex
Keeping Broad Walk beautiful
A comprehensive maintenance, cleaning, and security programme has been introduced to keep Broad Walk clean, safe, and welcoming seven days a week.
This programme includes:
• Enhanced street cleaning.
• Year-round landscape care.
• Expanded CCTV.
• Dedicated security patrols.
And this is just the beginning - the council plans to roll out these high standards of maintenance across other regenerated areas of the town centre.
Rebuilding Harlow’s past to restore pride
Transforming Terminus Street and the bus station
Harlow’s town centre is entering a new era with the ambitious redevelopment of Terminus Street and the bus station - a flagship project set to redefine the heart of the town.
Demolition and enabling works are complete, and main construction is now in full swing. This signals the start of a modern, sustainable transport hub that will welcome residents and visitors alike.
When finished, the redevelopment will include:
• Covered waiting areas and improved passenger facilities.
• An 80-space cycle hub with secure bike storage.
• Redesigned bus stands and better traffic flow, making journeys smoother and easier.
• Upgraded lighting and CCTV, boosting safety and confidence for all.
• Greener, brighter public spaces.
Terminus House: from controversy to renewal
Work has begun on plans for the complete redevelopment of Terminus House - turning a once-controversial landmark into a symbol of pride.
Harlow Council is purchasing the site, with a competitive design process now underway for the site’s redevelopment.
Residents will play a key role in shaping its future, ensuring the new vision reflects Harlow’s ambition and potential.
Rebuilding Playhouse and College Squares
Harlow’s Arts and Cultural
Quarter takes shape
A bold new chapter in Harlow’s regeneration story is unfolding at Playhouse and College Squares, where construction is now moving at pace on the transformational Arts and Cultural Quarter.
Work is well underway at the former Occasio House site, with construction in Playhouse Square starting shortly.
Harlow
The new development will deliver:
• A live performance venue and inspiring exhibition spaces.
• A welcoming café/restaurant and modern booking office.
• A state-of-the-art music school and recording studios.
• Studio spaces for community and commercial use.
• A new home for the Gibberd Gallery
• A vibrant public square and tranquil pocket park.
• Upgrades to the Haydens Road underpass for safety and accessibility.
• 47 high-quality affordable homes for residents.
Harvey Centre: a fresh look for a local favourite
The council is investing millions to upgrade the Harvey Centre.
This year will see new escalators, structural upgrades and a striking new façade to the multi-storey car park and refreshed signage throughout.
These changes aim to enhance the shopping experience and attract exciting new businesses to Harlow.
We are bringing live music and performances back to the heart of our rebuilt town centre. The new Arts and Cultural Quarter will include a new live performance venue with a capacity for 350 people.
Harlow Playhouse
Rebuilding the forgotten heart
A landmark deal to revive the Strawberry Star site
For too long, the town centre site - from the old Little Walk next to Primark, down to Market Square, around the old Odeon and behind the Harvey Centre - has stood empty and neglected.
Despite repeated promises of regeneration, the Strawberry Star development failed to deliver any transformation.
Now, Harlow Council has secured a landmark deal and partnership that will finally breathe life in to this longstalled site - and crucially at no cost to the taxpayer.
Work began just before Christmas, with hoardings now in place. In the coming weeks, visible regeneration will start.
The Rows and Rothwell House - completing the regeneration Harlow Council’s planned purchase of The Rows and Rothwell House will end decades of fragmented ownership and bring forward regeneration of these sites.
The regeneration of The Rows means that all sides of Market Square, and the square itself, will be transformed.
Rothwell House will also play a key role in revitalising West Square and supporting redevelopment of the Strawberry Star site.
Rebuilding Harlow’s Innovation
The town’s next big leap
On London Road, ambition is becoming reality for all to see. Harlow Innovation Park is buzzing with activity as cranes rise, businesses move in, and fresh opportunities open up for residents.
Momentum is building fast, with several new major milestones achieved:
• £25m David Lloyd Harlow Club officially opened.
• The Social Club launched.
• Parking and landscaping upgrades across the site.
And work has begun on the next major development at the park, Identity.
Construction begins on £30 million Identity
Construction has officially begun on the Identity development at Harlow Innovation Park - a landmark project set to bring significant private-sector investment and hundreds of new jobs to the town.
Identity is designed to attract cutting-edge companies in life sciences, technology, research and advanced manufacturing.
Once complete, Identity will offer high-quality commercial accommodation across six units with each featuring modern office space.
The Social Club: A new community hub for all Standing on land that once hosted several of the town’s historic social clubs, The Social Club, offers a modern, welcoming space to meet, recharge, and connect.
The club is currently open 8am to 3.30pm Monday to Friday and is available for private hire. Email: social.club@harlow.gov.uk for more information.
Harlow Innovation Park is attracting millions of pounds of private sector investment, creating new jobs, and reinforcing the town’s reputation as a destination for innovation
Rebuilding Harlow’s forgotten areas
Building new council homes for Harlow families
Harlow Council is building more new council homes than in the past 30 years combined and the first of those new homes are now ready for Harlow families to move into.
This programme is not only building new council houses but transforming previously derelict land into places where families can thrive.
All homes will be allocated to Harlow families on the Harlow Housing Needs Register.
Perry Road - 24 apartments
Construction completed
Parnall Road - 5 houses, 5 apartments
Construction completed
Arkwrights - 8 houses
Construction in progress
Pytt Field - 5 houses
Construction in progress
Elm Hatch - 6 apartments and 1 house
Construction in progress
Perry Road - 10 houses
Construction completed
Woodleys - 6 houses
Construction completed
Sherards House - 14 houses
Construction in progress
The Yorkes - 6 bungalows for over 55s
Construction in progress
Potter Street - 5 apartments
Construction contractor to be appointed
How the rebuild of our town is being funded
Rebuilding our town is a major opportunity to create new spaces, new jobs, and new opportunities for everyone who lives and works here.
The regeneration is funded in several clear ways:
Government funding: We have secured tens of millions of pounds in ringfenced Government grants for specific projects, including the Arts and Cultural Quarter, the upgraded Bus Station, Broad Walk, Market Square, and Harlow Innovation Park.
Commercial receipts: The council raises money by selling or redeveloping disused land and buildings, such as the multi-millionpound sale of disused land to David Lloyd. This income is reinvested directly into the town centre.
Council investment:
Increased commercial income from assets like the Harvey Centre allows the council to invest its own money and forward-fund new facilities against the income they will generate.
Working more efficiently: By cutting waste, reducing bureaucracy, and modernising how we work, the council has freed up resources to invest directly in residents’ priorities, including regeneration.
Council housing investment:
New council homes and improvements to existing homes are funded through rental income from council housing.
This money is legally ringfenced and can only be spent on council housing.
We have frozen your Harlow council tax every year since 2021, so you are not paying a penny more to fund the regeneration.
Private investment:
Private-sector partners and commercial investors are increasingly choosing to invest in Harlow alongside the council, helping bring forward key regeneration projects.
Together, these funding sources show how Harlow Council is doing things differently - attracting investment, supporting growth, and delivering the changes our community wants to see.
The council does not have unsupported debt - as some councils where things have gone wrong do - but rather remains in a very strong financial position. Even with this level of investment and with Harlow council tax frozen, we have achieved healthy budget surpluses in recent years and are on track to do so again this year.
Building Harlow’s Future
together
The Harlow Regeneration Partnership is another driving force behind the town’s transformation.
A joint venture between Harlow Council and The Hill Group, the partnership brings together expertise, investment and delivery power to turn long-term ambition into visible change.
In the town centre, the partnership is working on some of Harlow’s most significant projects in a generation: including plans for the regeneration of the Post Office Road.
Alongside the town centre projects, council housebuilding schemes across Harlow are providing much-needed homes and transforming previously derelict land.
Crucially, the partnership is also unlocking new funding, using its track record and scale to attract investment that would otherwise be out of reach. This funding is helping to accelerate delivery and expand ambition.
With a strong pipeline of regeneration projects in place, the Harlow Regeneration Partnership is not just delivering schemes today – it is helping to Build Harlow’s Future.
Rebuilding Harlow’s Bandstand Rising from the ashes
The rebuild of the iconic Town Park Bandstand is on track, ready to host events this summer. With planning permission secured and construction now underway, the council’s promise after the devastating fire is becoming reality.
The new design, shaped by feedback from residents, performers, and community groups, honours the Bandstand’s heritage:
• Iconic shape restored with original bricks reused.
• Contemporary steel frontage for durability and style.
• Expanded stage and backstage facilities for major events.
• State-of-the-art acoustics and Audio Visual.
• Improved security and fire resistance for long-term protection.
• Full accessibility, including ramped stage access.
• Green roof and landscaping.
Inspired by Sylvia Crowe’s original vision, the new bandstand will once again be a cultural focal point for Harlow.
Next steps: construction and a grand opening celebration this summer.
The next edition of Harlow Times will be published in March and will feature the council’s budget for 2026–27 as well as an update on how we’re delivering our six missions to Build Harlow’s Future.
