First look at Harlow's new £33.5m arts and cultural quarter plans

Artist impression of the new arts and cultural quarter

Drawings have been shared of a new £33.5m arts and cultural quarter in Harlow's town centre.

The borough council has now formally submitted plans which it said would transform the area.

The proposals included a new public square and live performance venue along with 47 new homes and a major upgrade to the Playhouse theatre.

If approved, work on the two year project could start this autumn.

The Harlow Arts and Cultural Quarter would form a new western gateway as part of the regeneration of Harlow Town Centre.

The council said it would help establish the area as a destination for art and cultural events with Harlow Playhouse and St Paul's Church remaining at the heart of the town.

The council said the 60-year-old town centre was in need of a facelift

It would feature a new public square, park and a new building with 47 "high-quality" one and two-bedroom flats which would replace Occasio House, demolished last year.

Harlow Playhouse would be extended with a new arts-led Pavilion, a new performance space for live entertainment, a music school and recording studio, and a contemporary café, restaurant and bar.

There would also be outdoor dining, new studios for arts and entertainment and flexible spaces that could be used for events, smaller performances and community uses.

Work on regenerating the town centre could start in the Autumn

The plans are set to be considered in March and, if approved, work on the two year project would begin in the autumn.

The submission of the planning application and new artist impressions was a major step in the long campaign to improve Harlow's sixty-year-old town centre.

A statement as part of a planning application said: "Harlow District Council (HDC) has secured funding from the government's flagship Levelling Up Fund following a successful bid in 2022.

"This has secured circa £20m in support of plans to provide a new Arts and Cultural Quarter that will form a new western gateway into Harlow Town Centre."

The council leader Dan Swords said: "We're kicking off 2024 as we mean to go on to rebuild our town and put the heart back into Harlow town centre. This will be the year that the regeneration of Harlow town centre finally starts"

Plans to improve Market Square, Broad Walk and Terminus Street are due to be published in the next few months.