Harlow Gateway Scheme
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The Harlow Gateway Scheme ia a major scheme underway in Harlow, Essex, UK. It involves the regeneration of a significant area in the towns centre, and relocation of many key services.
The area central to all the development, is the Sports Centre site off Velizy Avenue in the town's centre, where the construction of 530 eco-homes are being constructed. The former outdoor artificial ski slope has been removed, and the football stadium at which Harlow Town F.C. play has been relocated to a new, £3million stadium at Barrow's Farm to the North West of the town.
The Sports Centre, and the separate swimming pool will be rebuilt as one building on the former college playing field site, with state of the art design and facilities included.
The former athletics track from the site is to move to the new purpose built £1million track at Mark Hall School, in the East of Harlow as part of its development into a sports college.
Other developments include the building of new flats at the train station, and the adjacent Travelodge hotel and pub/restaurant. These were completed in the year 2005.
It is likely that these developments will see considerable infrastructure improvements, with the 530 homes and new Sports Centre, and the apartment and hotel complex all being built on what is already one of the most congested roads in the town, seeing traffic jams on an almost daily basis.
Money from the sale of the field has also helped fund a new centre at Harlow College, which is currently undergoing its own rebuilding and expansion. This is likely to fuel the need for road improvements through the town, as being on the same road as the other developments, it faces the chronic traffic problems the town centre and through roads see through much of the day. There has also been significant developments in the town centre, with the reconstruction of the Town Centre South in a separate project, and plans for the rest of the town centre. This is likely to increase congestion severely, and will almost certainly lead to road improvements and public transport initiatives for the town.
