Context 162 - November 2019

C O N T E X T 1 6 2 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 9 27 New towns TONY EVANS Harlow and its civic society Its civic society believes that, given adequate investment, improved public transport, infrastructure and jobs, the new town of Harlow can become an exemplary green town. Harlow new town was designed from the outset as a self-contained community providing hous- ing, employment, leisure and public services. It is a precursor of the sustainable communities that the 21st century demands to best use precious land and resources. The guiding prin- ciples behind the design of Harlow remain pertinent today. Harlow Civic Society was founded in 1999 to appreciate, encourage and conserve Harlow as a balanced community with a unique architec- tural design and heritage.We seek to uphold the ideals that went into the building of the town and to keep these ideals at the forefront of all new developments. In the days of the Harlow Development Corporation, prior to 1980, design matters were in the hands of its planners and architects, with Sir Frederick Gibberd as master planner, and later as consultant architect planner.Today, with design now the responsibility of many developers, we strive to ensure that the princi- ples of Gibberd’s master plan are safeguarded. The original master plan for the town, drawn up by Gibberd in 1947, provided for a series of neighbourhoods, each having all life’s daily needs within walking distance. These neighbourhoods are separated by landscaped areas (known as green wedges), which bring the countryside within easy reach of all residents.This is a funda- mental part of the town’s design. Features such as existing roads, historic sites, woods and ponds were retained, as were the small country town of Harlow and other local settlements. Art is integral to the town. From the 1950s, the Harlow Art Trust acquired works by up- and-coming sculptors, yielding a collection of sculptures of national significance sited throughout the town. At the end of 2010 Harlow became the world’s first sculpture town, celebrating this and other sculpture col- lections in Harlow. We would summarise the principles of the master plan that we seek to promote as: • development in neighbourhoods, each with a detailed plan under the overall master plan No 4 Forebury Lane by Sheppard Robson, winner of the Residential Architectural Award 2018