Second Town Team Meeting, Monday 1 March

'Successful Places' presentation by Prof. Alan Simpson and Scott Adams


Planning a vision for a place requires looking at what is possible not only in the short term, but what a place could become in the long term. Looking at places where a vision was identified and realised, helps to suggest what works and what elements relate to the future of Harlesden.


The presentation highlighted the following successful places:

• Cityscape Project, New Castle upon Tyne: nine (re-)created squares
• Wakefield Town Charter: the emerald ring as pedestrian friendly avenues
• Neilston Charter: rediscovering the high street as a place for people
• California towns project: turning vehicle roads into pedestrian-friendly streets
• Walworth Road, London: high street with new, quality public realm
• High Street Kensington, London: high street with new, quality public realm
• New Road, Brighton: making a street a shared civic space.

Following the presentation, four groups identified the top issues to be addressed in the Harlesden Town Charter Vision. Below are the key points from each group.

Group 1:

1. Reduce and move the traffic, focus on local traffic movements
2. Re-use the car park in the centre and make it into a town centre, with mixed-uses including an arts centre
3. Make the area greener
4. Introduce more spaces for people, including cafes
5. Reduce the number of betting shops and fast food shops
6. Improve the connections to the stations
7. Reclaim and improve the existing small green spaces in Harlesden (including Challenge Close, Tubbs Road, etc.).

Group 2:

1. Do something else with the car parking site
2. Reclaim the pavement space from the shops (shop goods, rubbish, etc spilling into pedestrian space)
3. There are too many signs and street clutter - remove some of this
4. Address the traffic volume - perhaps have time limits when lorries are not allowed to drive through the town centre
5. Clean up the area - perhaps promote a zero tolerance for litter.

Group 3:

1. Reduce traffic congestion and improve public transport – specifically attract the 6, 52 and 98 bus routes into the heart of Harlesden
2. Encourage more cycling and walking
3. Plant trees
4. Use vacant buildings to encourage community interaction (include uses such as the arts, culture and a cinema)
5. Sort out Harlesden Plaza (encourage markets, music space, etc)
6. Engage the youth and incorporate their ideas
7. Introduce new uses as there are too many betting and fast food shops.

Group 4:

1. There is a lack of critical amenities, such as parks or green spaces and community facilities
2. We should promote the quirky and unique qualities of the area
3. We need to break down the traffic barrier
4. Pavements are too narrow and congested – there is a lot of trading encroachment
5. There should be a breathing space, or many, in the town centre.

Following the group presentations, additional comments about big ideas for Harlesden include:

• The parking and the plaza area is a key opportunity for the town centre
• We need to ‘contact and connect’ and promote pride of place
• Address traffic and focus on streets as places for people
• Crime (real and perception) needs to be addressed
• Need to work with kids on the high street - how to integrate different groups
• Lack of cultural spaces
• Need a better balance in the retail offer
• There is a good quality hospital nearby, but need higher quality GPs
• We need better connections to the amenities in the greater area, such as the park, canal and rail station.

The ideas discussed and debated during the two town team meetings will form the agenda for the two-day workshop at the Salvation Army Hall, 32 Manor Park Road, to be held on:  

• Friday 19th March from 10am to 5pm
• Saturday 20th March from 10am to 4pm

The workshop will conclude with a summary presentation on Saturday 20 March from 6 to 7pm.

Please encourage fellow residents, colleagues and business owners interested in the future of Harlesden to join us!

For further information, please contact Scott Adams at Urban Design Skills on 020 7287 4269 or via email: scott@urbandesignskills.com

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Urban Design Skills, an urban design consultancy working on behalf of Brent Council and Transport for London for the Harlesden Town Charter, recorded the above notes.

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