Harlow North to Centre Sustainable Transport Corridor

This page sets out our proposals for the new ‘North to Centre Sustainable Transport Corridor’ in Harlow.

Developed by Essex County Council with the support of the wider Harlow and Gilston Garden Town partnership, the transport corridor is funded as part of  Homes England’s £172million investment into Harlow  through their Housing Infrastructure Grant, a fund created in recognition of the need to provide infrastructure to support the provision of new homes.

On this page, you can find out more about the background to the scheme, how the new transport corridor will help provide a real alternative from using our cars, towards using sustainable travel and the resulting environmental, health and wellbeing benefits – helping to create a safer, greener, healthier Harlow.

When Harlow was created as a New Town some 70 years ago, it grew from a pioneering vision shaped by Sir Frederick Gibberd, acknowledged as one of the leading architects and town planners of his time. 

Gibberd saw the town as ‘an organism which would go on changing and being rebuilt as the needs of the people changed'.

Since then, Harlow has grown and so has its ambition, its demands and its needs. The  Harlow and Gilston Garden Town  proposals respond to these changes and grasp the unparalleled opportunity which the town’s location presents, at the heart of the UK’s  Innovation Corridor . 

Supported by East Hertfordshire District Council, Epping Forest District Council, Essex County Council, Harlow District Council and Hertfordshire County Council, the Garden Town offers one of the most exciting regeneration opportunities for sustainable development in the UK. Creating new Garden Neighbourhoods in and around Harlow, the programme supports the building of new high-quality homes, schools, community, health and transport infrastructure, supported by local centres accessible by walking and cycling facilities and affordable public transport.

The growth of the Garden Town is underpinned by investment to link new and existing communities through Sustainable Travel Corridors. These will link into the town centre, providing high-quality public transport and active travel options that will connect new and existing neighbourhoods quickly with key destinations such as the railway station and primary business areas.

Part of the adopted and emerging Local Plans (The overarching planning strategy setting out where future development will be located) of the Garden Town partners, the new transport corridors are a key element of the Harlow and Gilston Garden Town Vision and Transport Strategy.

Designed to seamlessly integrate with the proposed new communities, the transport corridors will help to develop a culture of health and wellbeing and support the Garden Town’s transport aim  – With 50% of journeys from existing Harlow communities and 60% of those from the new Garden Communities to be made sustainably. 

In recognition of the need for early investment in the supporting infrastructure, including the Sustainable Transport Corridors, it was announced in March 2020 that Homes England would provide £172m to support the Garden Town plans of funding through a newly-created government ‘Housing Investment Grant’.

The North to Centre Sustainable Transport Corridor is the first to be brought forward with a more in-depth design.

Proposals include high-quality bus rapid transit and walking and cycling improvements, along the A1019 from Burnt Mill Roundabout into the town centre. 

Changes made to junctions along the A1019 will significantly enhance their operation, boosting accessibility and the enjoyment, ease and attractiveness of public transport, cycling and walking networks. 

A variety of signal crossings (for both pedestrians and cyclists) will be designed for use along the corridor to ensure safety for the mix of different forms of transport.

North of the ECC proposals, the Gilston developer (Places for People) proposes to extend the Sustainable Transport Corridor north of Burnt Mill Roundabout to the Eastwick junction on the A414, with new infrastructure  crossing the Stort Valley  (subject to planning).

At the southern end, the scheme will ultimately interact with the town centre and bus station improvements planned by Harlow District Council.

No planning applications are required for this scheme as the transport corridor falls within what is known as permitted development i.e. it falls under development already permitted by the local council.

Public Realm and landscape design – The scheme aims to create high-quality public spaces which bring together people and the environment. Along the transport corridor route this principle is key, helping to create a safer, greener and healthier environment, linking nearby local facilities, and connecting key destinations with each other and the wider sustainable travel network.

For those walking and cycling along the route, there will be areas of seating, landscaping and lighting, creating meeting places and making journeys an enjoyable experience within a more pleasant local environment.

Landscaping and planting will enhance the green corridor, with shrubs, low-level planting and trees, increasing biodiversity along the route as well as enhancing the local environment, linking with the adjoining Harlow Town Park.

Maintaining and enhancing the existing green character of the corridor is a key consideration of the design. A tree specialist has undertaken a survey of all the trees along the corridor and is helping to develop a ‘no dig’ approach to a number of the new cycleways / footways i.e. without disrupting existing tree roots.

This approach will incorporate a combination of path realignments and the use of cellular foundations to transfer weight and protect the tree roots to maximise the retention of the impressive local trees. 

This proposal will see the highway altered, with new pedestrian and cycle routes and crossings installed, giving an increased priority to active travel, with segregated routes keeping cyclists, pedestrians and vehicles safely separated.

Waking and cycling - Active travel (being able to walk and cycle) has seen a large increase in recent years and for short journeys can provide an attractive alternative to car use. 

To support more people to walk and cycle we are adding new separated (away from the traffic) footways and cycleways, making it easier and safer to walk and cycle into and from the town centre or connect to the wider existing active travel network.

At the Velizy Avenue, First Avenue junction there will be a significant improvement for those walking and cycling with new direct routes and crossings provided where people currently walk around the verges, push through hedgerows and cross the road where there is currently no facility.

The new cycle and walkways will connect with new Hubs and, recognising the importance of safety, will be well lit with directional signs along the route.

It is proposed to take a ‘no dig’ approach to a number of the new cycleways / footways, meaning they will be constructed on the above the existing surface level, protecting existing trees along the route. A tree specialist will be reviewing the detailed design proposals to ensure that these impressive local trees stay in good health during and after construction.

Crossing points - Along the corridor, there are currently a very limited number of controlled crossings for pedestrians and cyclists to use. To support the approach to sustainable travel and enable people to safely make their journeys, new toucan crossings will be provided for cyclists and pedestrians.

Toucan crossings are a signalised type of crossing where pedestrians and cyclists share a wide space (i.e. ‘two can’ cross).

Bus rapid transit - Bus rapid transit is a fast, high-quality, high-frequency service which links key destinations and can provide an attractive alternative to car use.

The North to Centre corridor will see dedicated lanes for bus services which connect the Garden Town neighbourhoods and existing communities with Harlow Town rail station, town centre, hospital, schools and the college, and key employment areas. The transport corridor will integrate with the existing bus network ultimately providing connections to Stansted Airport, nearby towns, and potentially the Central Line at Epping.

Hubs - Hubs are locations which bring together different modes of transport (local bus services, bus rapid transit, pedestrians and cyclists) by providing facilities and amenities such as cycle storage, information boards, bus stops, seating, wayfinding, landscaping and lighting.

The route is designed to provide safe travel for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users travelling into and from the town centre. Supporting the new Gilston development the route will enable the introduction of bus rapid transit, while also supporting existing residents through the provision of high-quality walking and cycling infrastructure, improving access to nearby residential areas, the town centre, college and railway station.

The proposals for the new Sustainable Transport Corridor are what is known as ‘permitted development’, i.e. there is no further planning permission process required.

The scheme will, however, need to go through a ‘Traffic Regulation Order’ (TRO) process. A TRO is a legal process required to change or restrict traffic in some way on the highway. Once submitted, these orders are subject to consultation.

October 2021: Preliminary design

January – Autumn 2022: Detailed design

Early 2023 – March 2025: Construction