One of the region’s major post-war New Towns, Harlow is undergoing big changes to bring it up-to-date and appeal to house-hunters wanting high-quality homes, a wide range of practical and fun places on the doorstep and some excellent transport links.
From its founding in 1947, it enjoyed a successful 20 years of expansion but then the population started to drop and money ran out to maintain and update things. But in recent years, its potential as a commuter town was renewed, with easy access to both London and Cambridge from properties a fraction of the price of those cities. Developers have seen this and with many new homes being constructed, there’s an opportunity to ‘re-launch’ the town and bring it bang up-to-date.
The new regeneration aims to reflect some of the surrounding landscape through green open spaces and walkways, and the creation of a Garden Quarter, while there are ambitions to build three science parks which will offer job opportunities for residents, including those bying one of 23,000 new homes in the planning pipeline.
It’s not all about the building of the town over the last 70 years, though. Old Harlow in the original village that predates the Domesday Book and now has many Grade I and Grade II listed buildings. The town is surrounded by Green Belt countryside and has a significant amount of public green spaces. It holds the title of ‘The World's First Sculpture Town’, with over 100 major works of art including some by the likes of Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and Rodin.
With regeneration of existing areas and the creation of new residential communities, these days Harlow is attracting a lot of interest as a place to make home.
Shops
There are a number of shopping centres and supermarket sites around the town incorporating chain and independent shops, services and places to eat and drink.
Food and drink
Some of the best places to have a meal, according to TripAdvisor:
Arnolds American Diner – Serving all US favourites, it’s cosy and complete with juke box, red leather seats and wall art.
The Dusty Miller Pub – “Lovely selection of food and attention to detail on taste with clever mixtures.”
Garden of India – “The food on the menu is contemporary, original and above all else... delicious.”
Pubs
Among the most popular of the town’s pubs and bars:
The Hare – A three-bar inn with pool and darts.
The Horns and Horseshoes – A family run place with history going back to the 1600s.
The Greyhound – A 16th-century building near Harlow Town Park.
Music and entertainment
The Phoenix Live in the Harvey Centre is a popular venue that hosts a spectrum of music events, from acoustic nights and 1940s tribute bands to cocktails and karaoke. Many pubs in and around the town also have live music regularly. The Playhouse Harlow offers music as well as comedy, theatre, dance and circus acts.
Sport and fitness
The town has teams and clubs across a whole range of sports. There’s also a host of other facilities across the town such as gyms, sports pitches and a skatepark. The Leisurezone sports centre is home to swimming pools, courts, fitness/personal trainers and indoor climbing.
Countryside and open spaces
Harlow is in the Stort Valley and close to the Lee Valley, both home to a variety of wildlife and easily accessible on foot and bike. Harlow Town Park covers 177 acres (71.6 hectares) and provides a multitude of things to enjoy, including a showground, gardens and adventure playground.
Road connections
The A414, M11 and M25 are all within easy reach
Central London, 1 hr
Cambridge, 50 mins
Chelmsford, 30 mins
Rail connections
There are two stations, Harlow Town and Harlow Mill.
London Liverpool Street, 30-40 mins (annual season ticket £3,544)
Cambridge, 40-50 mins (annual season ticket £3,820)
Stansted Airport, 19 mins
Healthcare
The Princess Alexandra Hospital is located in the town centre and has Accident and Emergency facilities.
Education
Harlow has a host of high-standard schools, among them:
Primary: Hare Street Community Primary School and Nursery (‘Outstanding’); more than a dozen rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted.
Secondary: Burnt Mill Academy (‘Outstanding’); St Mark’s West Essex Catholic School, Passmores Academy, Stewards Academy, Mark Hall Academy (all ‘Good’).
Independent: St Nicholas School
Further Education: Harlow College (‘Good’), Essex Teacher Training
Council tax
Lowest: Band A, £1,209.05
Highest: Band H, £3,627.16
New homes for sale in Harlow right now
Featured development: Harlow Quarter (Strawberry Star Homes)
Just launched is the first phase of this major redevelopment at the heart of the town, next to The Harvey Centre. With over 500 homes planned for the whole scheme, the first 163 are now for sale, a mix of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments in a building of two parts, one eight storeys and the other 12, both with two gardens on the roof, one with a children’s play area. Every home has a bicycle space, and some come with a private balcony, and there’s a daytime concierge serving all residents. There will be a couple of commercial units in this first phase, with 43,000 sq ft in total when the development is complete. Prices for the first homes start at £199,000 and completion is expected in 2022.
Ram Gorse Park (Kier Living): Two-, three- and four-bedroom homes priced from £330,000 to £550,000.
Atelier (Countryside): Two-, three- and four-bedroom homes priced from £340,000 to £430,000.
Gilden Park (Barratt Homes): One-, two-, three- and four-bedroom homes from £102,000 to £534,995.
Gilden Park (Persimmon Homes): Three- and four-bedroom homes priced from £365,000 to £450,000.
Gilden Park (Taylor Wimpey): Three-bedroom homes priced from £379,000 to £403,000.
New homes coming up
Base at Newhall (Sage Housing): Set for launch in Autumn 2020, a range of one-, two- and three-bedroom homes for sale with Shared Ownership.