Harlow Council has approved plans for the £46 million major redevelopment of buildings and land in Harlow town centre.

Plans submitted by the Strawberry Star Group were given the go-ahead by the Development Management Committee. The plans will see the redevelopment of derelict land and existing buildings near the Harvey Centre, opposite Market Square and on Broad Walk, East Gate and West Gate.

The redevelopment will deliver:

• Around 3,000 square metres of commercial, retail and community space

• 578 high-quality new homes

• A new east-west pedestrian boulevard

• Around 6,250 square metres of improvements to the town centre streets including 83 newly planted trees.

The redevelopment will bring in around £38m to Harlow's local economy during the construction period.

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The council and Strawberry Star have worked closely to revise and improve the plans. The original plans in 2021 were for 837 homes up to 27 storeys. The approved plans are for 578 homes with the height of the two towers reduced to 16 storeys.

Councillor Dan Swords, Deputy Leader of Harlow Council, has welcomed the approval of the plans which he said are a major boost to confidence in Harlow town centre and its regeneration.

He said: "This is a fantastic day for Harlow and the future of our town centre. Through the production of our Town Centre Masterplan earlier this year and our work in making developments such as this possible, major investment is now coming into our town centre to transform what has been so sadly neglected, into a thriving high-quality heart of the town.

"We are getting on with regenerating Harlow town centre and this includes securing massive private investment from major land and building owners which will also boost the local economy. We have worked closely with Strawberry Star to improve and refine the final plans so that they fit in with the council ambitions for the town centre. The result is the most significant regeneration opportunity in Harlow town centre for a generation. Not only will we see new high-quality homes and massive improvements to public open space, but it will also bring with it almost £50million of investment in one of the neglected parts of our town centre. And this is just the start, alongside our other town centre initiatives, this will be the catalyst for exciting improvements in the years ahead."