Harlow News
The latest Harlow news: planning decisions, council and crime updates, business and community stories, each linked back to its official source.
Top story
Harlow UKHSA Campus: Kier Back, Main Build From Late 2029
The approved £3.52bn plan for Harlow's health security campus brings Kier back for the top-security lab, demolishes the old main building and opens in 2038.
More stories
Roads
Old Road Closure Petition: 525 Sign in Five Days
525 people have signed a petition against the 18-month Old Road closure in Old Harlow, which starts on 19 October. What it asks for, and how to object formally.
Charity
Lions on the Loose Auction Raises £142,350 for St Clare
All 31 large lions from the summer art trail sold at a Harlow auction, raising £142,350 for St Clare Hospice. Top lot: Sophie the Disco Lion at £12,000.
Food hygiene
Harlow Food Hygiene Ratings: 16 of 18 Rated 5 in September
Harlow's September food hygiene ratings: 16 fives, a 4 and a 3, with no zeros. Golden Dragon, Cafe Blue and the Oasis Hotel among the top scores.
Planning
Harlowbury Primary School Site: 10 Homes, Comments by 8 Oct
Essex County Council's housing arm wants to replace Harlowbury Primary School's Watlington Road buildings with 10 homes, after a 42-home plan was refused.
Harlow Council
Harlow Bus Station: £4.5m Contractor Rise Led to Retender
Harlow's new bus station was retendered after the original contractor raised its price by £4.5m, the Leader told Full Council. Due now: Spring 2027.
Roads
Old Road, Old Harlow, Closes 19 October in 18-Month Trial
Old Road in Old Harlow shuts to through-traffic by the railway bridge from 19 October. Essex counted 275 cut-through drivers a day. How to comment by 18 April.
Roads
Harlow Road Safety Meeting: Monday 7pm at the Civic Centre
A public road safety meeting at Harlow Civic Centre on Monday 28 September at 7pm follows a Potter Street speeding petition. Our collision figures inside.
Housing
Harlow Damp and Mould: £416,035 for a New HTS Repair Team
Harlow council tenants reporting damp or mould will be triaged on the first call and booked while still on the phone, under a £416,035-a-year HTS team.
Community
Harlow Health Grants: Up to £12,000, Apply by 23 October
Harlow groups can bid for up to £5,000, or £12,000 in partnership, for health and wellbeing projects. Applications close at 4pm on Friday 23 October.
Council
Harlow Council This Week: £5.4m Fire Deal, Garden Tiger Sold
A fire safety contract grows to £5.37m, the Garden Tiger pub goes to its tenant, and scrutiny sets up a housing review on Tuesday. Harlow's council week.
Business
Harlow Business: Ovenden Papers Administration, 23 New Firms
Ovenden Papers, a River Way firm formed in 1943, is in administration. Plus 23 new Harlow companies registered from 11 to 24 September, and three other notices.
Harlow Council
Harlow Transport Hub: £1.17m Consultancy Deal, No Tender
Harlow has handed McBains up to £1.17m without a new tender, its own report saying the last contract lapsed with no replacement. Call-in closes 28 September.
Community
Stansted £50,000 Grant: Harlow Groups Have Until 30 Sept
Harlow charities and clubs can bid for a capital grant of up to £50,000 from Stansted's community fund. Applications close at 5pm on Wednesday 30 September.
Charity
Harlow Charity Extends £15m Vehicle Grant to March 2029
The Motability Foundation at Warwick House in Harlow will fund its Bespoke Passenger Solutions grant until March 2029. It has made 475 awards averaging £31,500.
House prices
Harlow House Prices Up £13,476, Fastest Rise in Essex
UK House Price Index July 2026: England up 1.1%, Harlow up 4.4% to £319,860, the biggest rise of all 14 Essex areas while Essex overall fell 0.3%.
Planning
Harlow Planning Committee Loses Its Five-Objection Rule
Five objections will no longer force a Harlow planning application to committee from 31 October. The council fought the change and was overruled.
Community
Harlow Boy, 7, Who Had Rare Cancer at 3 Runs for GOSH Again
Joshua was treated at Great Ormond Street for rhabdomyosarcoma at three. On 10 October he runs Race for the Kids again, with his mum and his school friends.
Harlow Council
Harlow Council Adds £750,000 to Its Events Budget
Harlow Council has added £750,000 to this year's events budget, more than doubling March's £650,000, after finding the original sum could not run it safely.
Harlow Council
Harlow Black Cab Support: £150 Per Driver, 50 Eligible
Harlow's black cab package is a £150 grant for each of 50 eligible drivers plus a waived renewal fee, but the decision and its signed report disagree on the waiver.
Harlow Council
Harlow Council Not Abolished: West Essex Merger Withdrawn
Ministers withdrew the West Essex unitary decision on 7 September, so Harlow Council is not being abolished. Its own risk register put the cost at over £4m.
Harlow Council
Harlow Section 106: £1.16m Held, £558k for a GP Extension
Harlow Council held £1,164,801 of developer money on 31 March and spent £55,887 all year. The largest pot, £557,903, waits on an Old Harlow surgery extension.
Roadworks
Eastwick Road Closure: 7 Weeks From 21 Sept, Via High Wych
Eastwick Road shuts for seven weeks from 21 September, diverted via Sawbridgeworth and High Wych. Burnt Mill and Zelenskyy Avenue get signals too.
Harlow Council
Harlow PSPO Plan: 28 Possible Bans Go to Cabinet Monday
Harlow Council wants to consult on a town-wide PSPO. Its own shortlist runs to 28 possible bans, from dogs off leads to balaclavas, with fines up to £1,000.
Harlow Council
Harlow skate park revamp: £212,065 for the concrete work
£212,065 will go on the concrete at the Town Park skate park. Two council consultations on the Northbrooks and Bush Fair courts close on 13 September.
Housing
Harlow council housing: new £30,000 savings bar
Applicants with over £30,000 in savings must now house themselves privately. The three-bid limit is scrapped, and veterans lose the seven-year test.
Planning
11 'Welcome to Harlow' signs go to committee on 9 September
Harlow Council wants 3.9m gateway signs at 11 entrances to the town. Four residents objected, on sightlines and design. Officers recommend approval on all three.
Schools
Harlow GCSE results 2026: how each school's grades compare
Burnt Mill and Sir Frederick Gibberd both hit 80% for a grade 4 in English, above the national 71.4%. Three Harlow schools' own 2026 figures, compared.
Council
Terminus House: Harlow Council borrowed £24m to buy it
The council's announcement gave no price. Its own decision report says it took out £24m of Public Works Loan Board borrowing to complete the purchase.
House prices
Harlow house prices: still £13,576 below the 2023 peak
The average Harlow home reached £313,338 in June, up £5,143 in a year but still £13,576 below its January 2023 peak. Only two Essex areas are further behind.
Roadworks
Harlow road closures: nearly 5km of avenues, 18 months
First Avenue, Second Avenue and Pyenest Road go into rolling closures for up to 18 months from 20 August. The order names no works, no contractor and no dates.
Council
Harlow Council puts £250,000 into West Essex merger fight
Half the council's £500,000 reorganisation reserve now pays for legal costs. Its own analysis puts the cost of being merged into West Essex at £4m.
Community
Potters Field playground reopens after £150,000 rebuild
The Potter Street play area is open again with more than 70 play features, built on a £150,000 contract. Five more Harlow playgrounds are next in line.
Planning
Gilden Park care home: 64 beds, shop, NHS wants £44,600
Harlow Council's plan for a four-storey 64-bed care home and a shop at Gilden Park reached committee on 12 August. The NHS says the local surgery has no room.
Council
Harlow Council sells 2 of 9 surplus sites for £660,000
Canons Cottages went to Canons Brook Golf Club for £560,000 and land by the Old Harlow Medical Centre to its doctors for £100,000. Seven sites are still to go.
Jobs
Harlow claimant count: 2,850 in June, Passmores at 6.3%
Harlow had 2,850 people on unemployment-related benefits in June, 4.6% of working-age residents and above every neighbour; Passmores tops the wards at 6.3%.
What's On
Harlow Town Show: £240,331 staging deal for 28 to 30 August
Harlow Council has signed a £240,331 staging contract for the Town Show's return after more than 40 years; the key dates and how tickets work for 28 to 30 August.