Draft Old Harlow Conservation Area Appraisal and ... - Harlow Council

Draft Old Harlow Conservation Area Appraisal 

and Management Plan 

& Proposed Harlow Garden Village Conservation Area 

Public Consultation - 21st March to 2nd May 2011 

Harlow Council has published the Draft Old Harlow Conservation Area Appraisal & Management 

Plan for public consultation. The consultation will run for 6 weeks from Monday 21 st March to 

Monday 2nd May 2011. 

What is the Old Harlow Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan? 

The appraisal has been produced as part of the Council’s statutory duty to review conservation 

areas in the District and to produce proposals for their preservation and enhancement. The aims 

of the document are to: 

define the special architectural and historic interest of Old Harlow Conservation Area; 

review the Conservation Area boundaries and assess whether any further parts of the 

area should be given conservation area status; 

identify issues affecting the character of the area; 

highlight opportunities for preservation and enhancement; 

increase public awareness and involvement in the preservation of the area; and 

provide a framework for making planning decisions within the Old Harlow Conservation 

Area.

Draft Old Harlow Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan Consultation Summary Leaflet 

Page 2 

The consultation document is structured in two parts. The first section is an appraisal of the 

Conservation Area. The second section is a proposed management plan for the Conservation 

Area. 

The Appraisal 

The purpose of the appraisal is to highlight all of the special qualities in the area and identify the 

conservation issues affecting it. Seven different character areas have been identified in the 

Conservation Area, each with their own distinct identity. The appraisal has been designed so that 

it can be used as a manual for making planning decisions in the Conservation Area. 

Different Character Areas 

The Management Plan 

The purpose of the management plan is to put forward proposals for enhancing and preserving 

the special qualities and character of the conservation area. There are four outcomes of the 

Management Plan: 

 

 

 

 

proposed boundary changes; 

preservation proposals; 

enhancement proposals; and 

buildings recommended to be added to Harlow’s Local List. 

Proposals contained in the draft management plan are based on the issues identified in the 

appraisal. 

Appraisal 

Management 

Plan


Page 3 

Boundary Changes 

Changes are proposed to the Conservation Area boundary. The draft management plan 

recommends that: 

 

 

 

A new conservation area should be established called Harlow Garden Village. This 

new conservation area would include dwellings on Manor Road, The Hill and St 

Johns Avenue. This proposal would also involve amending the boundary of the Old 

Harlow Conservation Area so that dwellings on St Johns Avenue are contained in 

Harlow Garden Village Conservation Area. This is to ensure that conservation area 

boundaries reflect the different characters present in the area. 

The Old Harlow Conservation Area boundary should be expanded to include 

buildings on Station Road which are viewed to be worthy of inclusion in the 

Conservation Area. 

Dwellings in Penshurst should be removed from Old Harlow Conservation Area as 

they have a different character to the Conservation Area. 

Map showing proposed boundary changes and the new proposed conservation area 

Penshurst Bank, Station Road Faircotes, Fairfield


Page 4 

Manor Road 

The Hill 

Proposed Harlow Garden Village Conservation Area 

During the appraisal of Old Harlow Conservation Area, the dwellings on Manor Road, The 

Hill and St Johns Avenue were identified as having a highly distinctive and cohesive 

Garden Village architectural and landscape character, worthy of conservation area status. 

Historic analysis has also shown that these roads were laid out in the 1920s by a single 

home builder, according to a highly planned approach. The design of the gardens and 

buildings in this area strongly reflects the Garden Village movement, which was at the fore 

front of town planning practices at the time. 

The Council believes that buildings in this area reflect an important period in the pre-New 

Town history of Harlow, which the Council would like to formally recognise through the 

designation of a new conservation area. Conservation area status would help to ensure 

that the special character of the area can be preserved and enhanced so it can be 

enjoyed now and by future generations of people in Harlow. 

St Johns Avenue 

Proposed Harlow Garden Village Conservation Area Boundary


Page 5 

Preservation Proposals 

The appraisal identifies areas which have particularly special historic and architectural character 

and where unsympathetic changes could potentially erode the character of the conservation 

area. To more effectively manage change in these important areas, additional preservation 

powers are proposed in two areas through Article 4 Directions. 

What is an Article 4 Direction? 

An Article 4 Direction is useful method of preserving the character groups of important historic 

buildings which are not statutorily listed. It enables the Council to manage change in special 

areas in a positive way. Article 4 Directions remove certain permitted development rights 

normally available to householders under the 1995 General Permitted Development Order (as 

amended) (GPDO). Where an Article 4 Direction is in place, householders must make a formal 

planning application to the Council and receive planning permission before carrying out the 

forms of development specified in the Direction. The forms of development covered in the 

Direction relate to minor changes which affect the character of the front of homes. 

Proposed Article 4 Directions 

Two New Article 4 Directions are proposed in the following areas: 

1.) An Article 4 Direction is proposed in the western side of the Conservation Area. This 

would include: 

(a) numbers 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 Park Hill (Oddfellow’s Terrace); 

(b) numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 Mulberry Terrace; and 

(c) numbers 15 and 17 Park Hill 

2.) An Article 4 Direction is proposed on St Johns Avenue in the eastern side of the 

Conservation Area. This would include numbers 7 to 37 (odd) and 4 to 30 (even). 

3.) 

A minor amendment is also proposed to the existing Article 4 Direction in the 

conservation area: 

The management plan proposes to include the installation, alteration or replacement 

of solar PV or solar thermal equipment on roof slopes facing the road in the existing 

Article 4 Direction which was established in 1995. This Article 4 area comprises Bury 

Road, 1-33 (odds) New Road, 71-97 High Street (odds) and 11-19 (odds) Old Road. 

Proposed Article 4 

Direction on Park 

Hill And Mulberry 

Terrace 

Proposed Article 4 

Direction on St 

Johns Avenue


Page 6 

Enhancement Proposals 

Enhancement proposals are focused on the historic core area of Old Harlow, along the 

High Street, Fore Street and Market Place. The enhancement strategy carries forward the 

existing historic buildings grant scheme for the area involving Harlow Council, Essex 

County Council and English Heritage. The enhancement strategy for the central historic 

area consists of following measures: 

 

 

 

Shop front restoration. 

The refurbishment of the residential New Town buildings (the Gibberd Blocks) at the 

far eastern end of the High Street - numbers 50 to 62 (evens) and 57 to 69 (odds). 

Repairing the exterior and internal structure of listed and unlisted historic buildings 

which are in need of restoration. 

The Gibberd Blocks, The High Street 

Locally Listed Buildings 

The consultation document recommends that a number of buildings in the conservation 

area should be added to the Harlow’s Local List, which has not been up-dated for some 

time. 

Locally Listed Buildings are felt to be an important part of Harlow’s heritage due to their 

architectural or historic significance. The purpose of placing buildings on Harlow’s Local 

List is to recognise and highlight buildings which have a particular architectural or historic 

value and ensure that their special interest is fully taken into account when making planning 

decisions in the area. 

Buildings on Harlow’s Local List do not have the same degree of protection as Grade I, II 

and II* Listed Buildings. They are subject to normal planning controls and it is not 

necessary to obtain any additional special permission from the local planning authority 

before carrying out work to Locally Listed Buildings.


Page 7 

Recommended additions to Harlow’s Local List: 

Victoria Hall, Bury Road 

Number 9 Watlington Road 

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 Mulberry Terrace 

Oddfellow’s Terrace (6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 Park Hill ) 

4 to 30 (evens) St Johns Avenue 

Kimberly Terrace, Bury Road (53-75 Bury Road) 

37 and 39 Bury Road 

The Chestnuts, 1 New Road 

The Chestnuts 

9 Watlington Road 

37 & 39 Bury Road 

Victoria Hall 

4 to 30 (evens) St Johns Avenue Kimberly Terrace 

Oddfellow’s Terrace 

1-6 Mulberry Terrace


Page 8 

How can I view the Old Harlow Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan? 

The draft consultation document can be viewed: 

 

 

online on the Council’s website at www.harlow.gov.uk/conservation. 

paper copies of the document are available for inspection in all of Harlow’s libraries 

and at the Council’s offices at The Civic Centre, The Water Gardens, Harlow. 

How can I respond to the consultation? 

You can respond to the consultation by: 

Submitting your comments via the Council’s e-consultation portal at: 

http://harlow.jdi-consult.net/ldf/ 

Emailing your comments to: conservation@harlow.gov.uk 

Posting your comments to: 

Old Harlow Conservation Area Consultation 

Forward Planning 

Harlow Council 

The Civic Centre 

The Water Gardens 

Harlow, CM20 1WG 

A consultation questionnaire can be obtained at Old Harlow Library, at the Civic Centre 

and is available online at www.harlow.gov.uk/conservation. 

The questionnaire can also be completed online at: http://harlow.jdi-consult.net/ldf/ 

Public Exhibition - Old Harlow ARC - Tuesday 29th March between 7pm and 9pm 

A public exhibition has been arranged on Tuesday 29th March between 7pm and 9pm at 

Old Harlow Arts and Recreation Centre to provide residents the opportunity to view the 

proposals contained in the document. 

All consultation responses should be received by 5pm on Monday 2nd May 2011.

Draft Old Harlow Conservation Area Appraisal and ... - Harlow Council

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