Harlow: Arts and cultural plaza misses out on £20m funding

An unsuccessful bid for £20m for regeneration project including an arts and cultural plaza has been branded a "real disappointment".

Harlow Council's bid for funding for Playhouse Quarter and Stone Cross Square was absent from the government's levelling up fund list this week

But the council hopes its funding bid will be approved in a second tranche of funding allocations in the Spring.

A Conservative councillor said their bid was given "very strong feedback".

According to council documents, the £20m from the levelling up fund would go towards creating an arts and cultural plaza in Playhouse Quarter and a social and leisure-focused events space in Stone Cross Square.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, leader of the opposition, Labour's Chris Vince, said that he would be asking the leadership what could be done to ensure the council was successful during the next tranche.

He said: "I'm hugely disappointed, before we get into the politics of it, ultimately this is a real disappointment for the people of Harlow.

"We want to see our town regenerated and obviously this funding would go a long way to do that."

However, portfolio holder for regeneration, Conservative Dan Swords said the £20m was only a "small pot" and not the total funding for their regenerative ambitions.

He said: "We were given very strong feedback on our bid at present.

"It's being taken forward to tranche two of funding which we expect in spring 2022, which I and the council strongly welcome because, as I've said many times, we are going to roll out the biggest programme of regeneration this town has ever seen and rebuild the town centre."

Meanwhile, Leigh Old Town is to receive £19.9m from the levelling up fund for work on the port, which will involve the construction of a new quay wall, access improvements, dredging of the area beside the quay wall and channel, and resurfacing of a wharf.

Carole Mulroney, Liberal Democrat cabinet member for environment, culture, tourism and planning, said: "This funding will go a long way in helping us to further invest in and drive economic recovery, maintain support for vital facilities and services at Leigh Port and the Cliffs Pavilion, and encourage further increases in visitors to the area."

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