9.1 Harlow provides important retail services for both local residents and a wider catchment including parts of Essex and Hertfordshire. The district’s network of centres provide a broad range of day-to-day retail needs, a variety of community and leisure facilities and an important source of employment for Harlow.
The protection and enhancement of these centres is therefore crucial, and the redevelopment and regeneration of the town centre is vital in supporting the overall sustainability and future vitality of the Harlow and Gilston Garden Town.
9.2 Given the strategic importance of Harlow Town Centre in the wider sub-region, a separate Area Action Plan is being prepared. This will identify proposals for delivering additional comparison and convenience floorspace through redevelopment opportunities, an improved night-time offer through better commercial-leisure facilities, the capacity of the town centre to provide new homes and offices and an enhanced public realm. Policies have also been developed which preserve the retail hierarchy in Harlow, protect existing retail provision in the district and deliver small-scale retail facilities in new settlements consistent with the original Master Plan for Harlow New Town.
9.3 This chapter and the policies contained within it will help deliver the Council’s Corporate Policies, as follows:
9.4 This chapter and the policies contained within it will help deliver the following Local Plan Strategic Objectives:
RS1 Retail Hierarchy
Retail development must be directed to Harlow Town Centre first, followed by the centres set out in the retail hierarchy below.
| POSITION IN RETAIL HIERARCHY | RETAIL CENTRE | |
TOP
|
Town Centre | Harlow Town Centre |
| Neighbourhood Centres | Bush Fair The Stow |
|
| Hatches | Burgoyne Maunds Crawley Mill Clifton Prentice Place Colt Pollards Coppice Pypers Elm Sherards Fishers Slacksbury Katherines Sumners Manor Ward |
|
| Out-of-Centre Retail Parks (on Edinburgh Way) |
Queensgate Centre The Oaks St James Centre Princes Gate Harlow Retail Park |
Harlow’s Retail Centres are identified on the Policies Map.
9.5 The retail hierarchy reflects the role and function of the district’s retail centres. Harlow Town Centre is positioned first in the hierarchy signifying its importance in providing retail facilities for the district and the sub-region. The Neighbourhood Centres are identified as being secondary to the town centre as they provide for local retail facilities for individual settlements. Hatches serve specific local needs and provide for a range of community services. Out-of-Centre Retail Parks have been identified at the bottom of the hierarchy. The hierarchy will ensure that retail development is directed to the town centre first to maintain its role and function as a sub-regional centre and ensure the future vitality of the Harlow and Gilston Garden Town.
9.6 Retail development should be directed to Harlow Town Centre in the first instance followed by the retail centres set out in the retail hierarchy. The sequential test for Main Town Centre Uses is set out in the Development Management policies.
RS2 Future Retail Floorspace
There is an identified need to provide up to 18,100sqm of comparison floorspace and up to 3,200sqm of convenience floorspace in Harlow up to 2026.
In order to plan for residential development coming forward in the Harlow and Gilston Garden Town beyond this period, an indicative requirement for up to 40,200sqm of comparison floorspace and up to 5,500sqm of convenience floorspace has been identified.
A Town Centre Area Action Plan (HTCAAP) will be prepared for Harlow Town Centre.
The town centre boundary is shown on the Policies Map, reference RS2-1.
The HTCAAP will look to deliver a significant proportion of the retail floorspace requirements through site redevelopment and regeneration opportunities, and will identify the future retail floorspace capacity of the town centre.
The HTCAAP will also identify environmental and public realm improvements, access and infrastructure schemes, and opportunities for providing a broader range of uses in the town centre including community, leisure, commercial and residential uses.
The remaining floorspace requirement will be delivered through redevelopment opportunities in the district’s Neighbourhood Centres and Hatches.
New retail centres which provide a mix of retail facilities and community services will be delivered in new settlements. They must be well connected and within walking distance for the residents of that development.
9.7 The Retail and Leisure Needs Study identified future retail floorspace needs for the district based on housing growth coming forward in the Harlow and Gilston Garden Town. The Study recommends floorspace requirements for both convenience and comparison facilities up to 2026 where housing development is more defined and an indicative requirement post 2026. A review may be required to understand the exact housing growth coming forward in the Harlow and Gilston Garden Town and therefore further retail floorspace requirements beyond this period.
9.8 The Study suggests that the majority of retail growth should be directed to the town centre, particularly to the north of the town centre with the largest proportion of remaining growth directed to other town centre sites.
This corresponds with the Retail Hierarchy and will ensure that the town centre can provide the facilities and services for the population of the Garden Town.
The Neighbourhood Centres will accommodate a proportion of the identified floorspace requirements, albeit small, in order to maintain their role and function as a provider of day-to-day services.
9.9 An Area Action Plan for Harlow Town Centre is to be prepared to identify the most suitable and sustainable locations for retail facilities, and set out the capacity of the town centre to deliver retail floorspace provision. The population growth generated through the Harlow and Gilston Garden Town will encourage investment and stimulate regeneration in Harlow Town Centre and will support the case for new retailers to locate to Harlow.
9.10 The Harlow Future Prospects Study stated that a town of 110,000 residents would be able to support a night-time economy and comparator towns of this size can attract department stores. The HTCAAP will investigate options and opportunities for providing such uses.
9.11 It is important that new housing within the Harlow and Gilston Garden Town is well-served by local retail and community facilities. The provision of Hatches or Neighbourhood Centres which provide for day-to-day needs must be well connected and within walking distance of the residents of that related neighbourhood area or accessible by public transport. This conforms to Sir Frederick Gibberd’s principles of sustainable neighbourhoods in the original master plan for Harlow.
9.12 An Area Action Plan is being prepared for Harlow Town Centre in conformity with the Council’s Statement of Community Involvement, working closely with landowners, traders, businesses and other relevant stakeholders. The HTCAAP will identify sites and opportunities for providing new retail floorspace requirements through regeneration and redevelopment and new commercial leisure floorspace. The HTCAAP will also look to improve the public realm of the town centre, access to, from and within the centre and opportunities for community facilities.
9.13 The boundary for Harlow Town Centre has been expanded to include Sainsbury’s to the north and Harlow College and Harlow Leisurezone to the east. This wider boundary change encourages greater emphasis on the potential regeneration opportunities of sites beyond the immediate core area of the town centre.
By including them there is potential to encourage a more joined up approach.
The boundary change will also assist in achieving a comprehensive context for movement and public realm projects as it includes the main transport network around the town centre.
9.14 The Development Management policies further strengthen the roles of the district’s retail centres by applying a sequential approach to new retail provision in the district.
9.15 New retail facilities have been identified as part of the Strategic Housing Site East of Harlow, serving the catchment of the new development.
RS3 Protecting and Enhancing Existing Retail Centres
Retail floorspace which contributes towards the viability, vitality and function of Harlow Town Centre will be protected, subject to the outcomes of the Harlow Town Centre Area Action Plan.
The role and function of the district’s Neighbourhood Centres will be protected and enhanced. Support will be given in principle to:
Development opportunities and improvement schemes identified in The Stow, reference RS3-1 on the Policies Map, will be supported in accordance with The Stow Design Framework Supplementary Planning Document (SPD). The Council will consider the preparation of a SPD for Bush Fair Neighbourhood Centre.
The district’s Hatches will be retained for a mix of local services and facilities.
Hatches identified as housing allocations will be redeveloped for a mix of retail, residential and community uses to enable their improvement and regeneration.
The role and function of the district’s Retail Parks as a provider of bulky retail goods will be protected.
9.16 The existing retail centres and retail floorspace in Harlow make an important contribution towards the retail needs of the district. This policy aims to protect this floorspace but outlines where exceptions may be acceptable.
9.17 Opportunities may be identified through the Harlow Town Centre Area Action Plan where the loss of retail use to facilitate alternative uses or regeneration may be acceptable. Alternative uses might include commercial-leisure, residential and office uses or where the loss of retail may facilitate a better quality public realm. The overall purpose of the HTCAAP is to provide new retail floorspace requirements in accordance with the needs assessment and this will be taken into consideration where any retail loss is proposed.
9.18 The district’s Neighbourhood Centres provide a range of retail facilities and community services for residents and also make an important contribution towards residential and employment provision.
9.19 The district has 18 Hatches which are small in nature and mostly provide convenience facilities such as newsagents and small supermarkets. There are opportunities to regenerate and improve several of the Hatches through redevelopment. This would include the provision of other community uses and residential use which create vibrant and active centres. Policy HS2 allocates sites for housing, including Hatches identified for mixed used redevelopment. These Hatches are also listed in Fig. 9.1 and identified on the Policies Map.
Fig. 9.1: List of Hatches identified for mixed use including housing
| REF. | LOCATION | DWELLINGS CAPACITY* |
|---|---|---|
| HS2-6 | Pollard Hatch Plus garages and adjacent land |
|
| HS2-7 | Coppice Hatch and garages |
|
| HS2-9 | Elm Hatch and public house |
|
| HS2-10 | Fishers Hatch |
|
| HS2-11 | Slacksbury Hatch and associated garages |
|
| HS2-14 | Pypers Hatch |
|
*Dwelling numbers are indicative and sites will be subject to detailed planning to establish their final capacity.
9.20 The district’s Retail Parks are an important retail destination for a wide catchment area and provide large units for bulky A1 goods such as furniture and electrical items. Protecting the unique role and function of the Retail Parks is important but managing the nature and scale of the facilities in these locations is equally important. This policy will ensure they do not provide direct competition with the town centre. The Development Management policies also manage this by ensuring the sequential approach is satisfied for any retail proposals in the Retail Parks and limits the type and scale of retail uses.
9.21 The Harlow Town Centre Area Action Plan and The Stow Design Framework SPD identify areas where retail will be protected and enhanced and areas where alternative uses will be considered acceptable. The Council will also consider preparing an SPD for Bush Fair Neighbourhood Centre and action plans for both Bush Fair and The Stow in order to monitor the delivery of development proposals and schemes identified in these documents.
9.22 The Development Management policies continue to protect primary frontages in the Town Centre and Neighbourhood Centres for retail uses, but will support alternative uses in secondary frontages and on the first floor, where acceptable. Protecting frontages will assist in ensuring the critical mass of retail floorspace is provided, this being key to driving footfall and visitor numbers.
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