This Friday and Saturday, the North Harlow Joint Venture promoting the development of North Harlow will continue the series of events designed to listen to local residents in East Herts and Harlow. Prior drop-in sessions, held in Harlow and High Wych last week, were attended by around 400 local residents and will be followed by two further events this weekend.
The sessions will provide local people with a chance to discuss the opportunities and challenges that development could bring at North Harlow directly with the Joint Venture team. In particular, the Joint Venture wants to hear what local people like about the area and what improvements they would like to see, as well as any concerns they have about the new development.
Local residents are encouraged to attend the forthcoming drop-in sessions, which will take place on:
- Friday 23 October 2009, from 10am-1pm, 2pm-5pm and 7pm-10pm at Widford Village Hall
- Saturday 24 October 2009, 10am-1pm and 2pm-5pm at Opposite H. Samuels, The Harvey Centre, Harlow
Mary Parsons, a spokesperson for the Joint Venture, said:
“We are delighted with the number of people that have attended the events and would encourage as many people as possible to visit the drop-in sessions this weekend. We are committed to listening to, and working with, local people to ensure that their ideas and thoughts feed into our thinking.”
“These sessions are the first in a series of events that will help us to get a real understanding of the issues locally and ensure that any proposals brought forward are sensitive to local opinion. At the first drop in sessions, local residents raised a number of topics, including transport links and housing need in the area, and we are keen to hear from as many local people as possible at the other events.”
“The local councils of East Hertfordshire and Harlow are now establishing their Local Development Frameworks, and the consultation events will help inform us on how we contribute to this process.”
A number of other consultation events will take place in the coming months, culminating in a public exhibition next year, where the North Harlow team hopes to present some options for development. Further information will be provided via a new website: www.northharlow.com.
A resident’s newsletter and questionnaire have previously been circulated to 14,000 households in and around the North Harlow area and are also available in local libraries. Over 300 of these have been returned and the Joint Venture is encouraging local residents to return completed questionnaires by the end of October.
Earlier this year, the East of England plan confirmed the need for 10,000 homes to the north of Harlow to address the issue of affordability and housing need in the region. Expanding Harlow is a key part of the strategy to transform and regenerate the town. The development of North Harlow will help attract new companies offering well paid jobs and the opportunity for local people to continue to live in the town.
