Broad Walk
Harlow, Essex
A public realm improvement scheme to transform a pedestrian high street in Harlow, to create a safer, more welcoming town centre.
Harlow, Essex
Harlow Town Centre Regeneration
Harlow Council
Harlow Town Centre Regeneration is a coordinated programme to re‑establish the civic heart of Harlow with high‑quality public realm, sustainable transport and a renewed cultural offer.
Consisting of four interdependent workstreams: the regeneration programme for Harlow town centre comprises a modern transport interchange to improve arrival and movement; a cultural quarter to anchor evening economy and learning; and two flagship public realm projects (Broad Walk and Market Square) to create flexible, safer and greener spaces with capacity for markets, performance, seasonal events and outdoor dining, designed to support traders and broaden dwell time.
The programme is under construction via phased packages, with designs building on completed precedent works and extensive stakeholder input.
The Harlow Transport Hub will be a new sustainable transport interchange providing a modernised bus station and public concourse with green infrastructure, an accessible cycle hub, improved lighting and seating, and a flexible events forecourt.
The design simplifies pedestrian flows, improves safety and inclusivity, and creates a clear gateway to the town centre with intuitive connections to Broad Walk, the Harvey Centre and the cultural quarter.
The Harlow Arts & Cultural Quarter will deliver a renewed cultural heart clustered around the Playhouse theatre, delivering high quality public realm (including upgrades to the Grade II Listed, St Paul’s Churchyard) and an expanded cultural offer (live performance, rehearsal and maker/studio space), with a strengthened evening economy and learning opportunities.
The scheme integrates legible routes, outdoor spill out/performance capacity and coordinated wayfinding to stitch culture into the daily and nighttime life of the centre.
The town’s Broad Walk is a 4,850 m², linear high street that has undergone significant transformation of the primary pedestrian spine, centred on a sinuous SuDS landscape that creates “breathing spaces”, intimate arrival zones for seating and café culture, bridges for clear pedestrian movement and a decluttered, well-lit realm.
Flexible event infrastructure and vertical greening frame retained public art and shopfronts, improving trading conditions and dwell time while delivering climate resilience.
The regeneration of Harlow Market Square will provide a renewed civic space for markets, community events and hospitality, with a central flexible plaza, urban greenery, integrated SuDS, an in ground water feature, and scope for natural play.
The much-loved clock is to be restored and re-presented, and the square is configured for pop ups, outdoor dining and all season activation with lighting, seating and power provision.
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